LFU:online

An examination of war and military institutions in western society since the end of the Middle Ages.

Modern Military History concentrates on those regions of the world where the ends, ways and means of war developed and advanced furthest and where the resultant political, economic, social and cultural impact was greatest. Major themes in this course include Military Revolutions and the notion of a " Western Way of War." As such, this course covers the period c. 1300 to the 20th Century beginning in Europe (including the Ottoman Empire ) and expanding to include the economically advanced portions of North America after the 18th Century. The course addresses developments in Asia and South America only insofar as they influenced the theory and practice of war in the periods and regions described above.
The course focuses upon five dominant aspects of organized, socially sanctioned, armed conflict: 1) the psychology of war, with emphasis on the social dynamics of the primary combatant group; 2) the development and application military thought, organization, and technology; 3) the tactical means by which armed force and forces have been applied; 4) the nature of the relationships among these psychological, intellectual, organizational, and technological factors, and 5) the development and application of strategies to control and exploit these factors.