Patricia Owens
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199299362
- eISBN:
- 9780191715051
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199299362.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory, International Relations and Politics
This chapter looks at Arendt's historical analysis of a form of war that still shapes the contemporary world. In particular, the chapter assesses her farsighted and prescient claim that late ...
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This chapter looks at Arendt's historical analysis of a form of war that still shapes the contemporary world. In particular, the chapter assesses her farsighted and prescient claim that late 19th-century wars of imperial conquest helped sow the seeds of 20th-century total war in Europe. The implications are potentially great for how we might think through the social and political processes unwittingly unleashed by various forms of violence, including so-called ‘small wars’. Arendt's writing on imperialism and European total war also reveal some of the flaws in conventional military history and strategic studies which has understood these practices as unrelated. Arendt points us toward relationships that are much closer to Clausewitz's more fundamental insight about war as a social process that transcends the nation-state. Moreover, Arendt may have been the first to articulate what today we call ‘blowback’ and she termed the ‘boomerang effect’.Less
This chapter looks at Arendt's historical analysis of a form of war that still shapes the contemporary world. In particular, the chapter assesses her farsighted and prescient claim that late 19th-century wars of imperial conquest helped sow the seeds of 20th-century total war in Europe. The implications are potentially great for how we might think through the social and political processes unwittingly unleashed by various forms of violence, including so-called ‘small wars’. Arendt's writing on imperialism and European total war also reveal some of the flaws in conventional military history and strategic studies which has understood these practices as unrelated. Arendt points us toward relationships that are much closer to Clausewitz's more fundamental insight about war as a social process that transcends the nation-state. Moreover, Arendt may have been the first to articulate what today we call ‘blowback’ and she termed the ‘boomerang effect’.
Catherine Holmes
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279685
- eISBN:
- 9780191707353
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279685.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
The reign of Emperor Basil II is usually considered the high-water mark of medieval Byzantium. During Basil's reign, Byzantine political authority extended from southern Italy to the Euphrates. With ...
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The reign of Emperor Basil II is usually considered the high-water mark of medieval Byzantium. During Basil's reign, Byzantine political authority extended from southern Italy to the Euphrates. With the conversion of the Rus to Orthodoxy in 988, the empire's cultural influence stretched still further. Basil portrayed himself as a soldier emperor who was as implacable towards his domestic opponents as against his foreign neighbours. His brutal conquests later earned him the sobriquet ‘Bulgar-slayer’. This book considers the problems inherent in governing such a large, multi-ethnic empire; it examines the solutions that Basil adopted particularly on the Byzantine frontiers. It explains how the extant sources make unmasking the political realities of this period so difficult, and demonstrates that a convincing picture of Basil's reign only emerges once these sources are understood in their original contexts. Particular attention is paid to the impact that the Synopsis Historion (also known as the Synopsis Historiarum) of John Skylitzes, a little-studied text from the reign of Emperor Alexios Komnenos (1081-1118), has on our understanding of Basil. As the late 11th-century context in which Skylitzes operated is exposed, so the political, military, and administrative history of Basil's reign is reconstructed. Basil's Byzantium is revealed as a state where the rhetoric of imperial authority became reality through the astute manipulation of force and persuasion.Less
The reign of Emperor Basil II is usually considered the high-water mark of medieval Byzantium. During Basil's reign, Byzantine political authority extended from southern Italy to the Euphrates. With the conversion of the Rus to Orthodoxy in 988, the empire's cultural influence stretched still further. Basil portrayed himself as a soldier emperor who was as implacable towards his domestic opponents as against his foreign neighbours. His brutal conquests later earned him the sobriquet ‘Bulgar-slayer’. This book considers the problems inherent in governing such a large, multi-ethnic empire; it examines the solutions that Basil adopted particularly on the Byzantine frontiers. It explains how the extant sources make unmasking the political realities of this period so difficult, and demonstrates that a convincing picture of Basil's reign only emerges once these sources are understood in their original contexts. Particular attention is paid to the impact that the Synopsis Historion (also known as the Synopsis Historiarum) of John Skylitzes, a little-studied text from the reign of Emperor Alexios Komnenos (1081-1118), has on our understanding of Basil. As the late 11th-century context in which Skylitzes operated is exposed, so the political, military, and administrative history of Basil's reign is reconstructed. Basil's Byzantium is revealed as a state where the rhetoric of imperial authority became reality through the astute manipulation of force and persuasion.
John Andreas Olsen
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199608638
- eISBN:
- 9780191731754
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199608638.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
The introduction focuses on the definition of ‘grand strategy’ and ‘military strategy’, the phenomena and logic of strategy, considerations and factors that shaped imperial and nation‐state politics, ...
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The introduction focuses on the definition of ‘grand strategy’ and ‘military strategy’, the phenomena and logic of strategy, considerations and factors that shaped imperial and nation‐state politics, and the relationship between the military and political levels of war. It provides a working definition of strategy as ‘the art of winning by purposely matching ends, ways and means’, and briefly summarizes the twelve case studies, from the campaigns of Alexander the Great to the contemporary conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also posits the working hypothesis of the book: that nothing essential changes in the intrinsic nature and function (or purpose) of strategy and war, in sharp contrast to the character of individual strategies that reflect the unique circumstances of each conflict.Less
The introduction focuses on the definition of ‘grand strategy’ and ‘military strategy’, the phenomena and logic of strategy, considerations and factors that shaped imperial and nation‐state politics, and the relationship between the military and political levels of war. It provides a working definition of strategy as ‘the art of winning by purposely matching ends, ways and means’, and briefly summarizes the twelve case studies, from the campaigns of Alexander the Great to the contemporary conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also posits the working hypothesis of the book: that nothing essential changes in the intrinsic nature and function (or purpose) of strategy and war, in sharp contrast to the character of individual strategies that reflect the unique circumstances of each conflict.
Edward M. Coffman
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199790562
- eISBN:
- 9780199896820
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199790562.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter on military history begins with a battle for acceptance of the field by other professional historians. Although that effort has enjoyed some success and military history is much admired ...
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This chapter on military history begins with a battle for acceptance of the field by other professional historians. Although that effort has enjoyed some success and military history is much admired and read outside of academe and among undergraduates in colleges and universities, its practitioners have generally not regarded the Organization of American Historians as supportive. Nevertheless, the chapter concludes that the “future appears to be brighter than some military historians think”.Less
This chapter on military history begins with a battle for acceptance of the field by other professional historians. Although that effort has enjoyed some success and military history is much admired and read outside of academe and among undergraduates in colleges and universities, its practitioners have generally not regarded the Organization of American Historians as supportive. Nevertheless, the chapter concludes that the “future appears to be brighter than some military historians think”.
Matthews James
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199655748
- eISBN:
- 9780199949953
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199655748.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter is a conceptual and methodological introduction to the book. It examines the enduring interest in the Spanish Civil War from both an academic and popular perspective, and charts the ...
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This chapter is a conceptual and methodological introduction to the book. It examines the enduring interest in the Spanish Civil War from both an academic and popular perspective, and charts the development of military history to include studies of people at war at the lowest level. In this light, conscripts had a degree of agency, rather than as acting simply as pawns within a rigid military apparatus. The chapter also places the study of conscription within the existing historiography of the Spanish Civil War and elucidates on the scope and purpose of carrying out a comparative study. Finally, it introduces the sources used for this study and examines their strengths and limitations.Less
This chapter is a conceptual and methodological introduction to the book. It examines the enduring interest in the Spanish Civil War from both an academic and popular perspective, and charts the development of military history to include studies of people at war at the lowest level. In this light, conscripts had a degree of agency, rather than as acting simply as pawns within a rigid military apparatus. The chapter also places the study of conscription within the existing historiography of the Spanish Civil War and elucidates on the scope and purpose of carrying out a comparative study. Finally, it introduces the sources used for this study and examines their strengths and limitations.
Melvyn P. Leffler
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691196510
- eISBN:
- 9781400888061
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691196510.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter considers how the concept of national security evolved. It demonstrates that U.S. military officers and their civilian leaders did not think that the Kremlin was poised to engage in ...
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This chapter considers how the concept of national security evolved. It demonstrates that U.S. military officers and their civilian leaders did not think that the Kremlin was poised to engage in premeditated military aggression during the Cold War. They did not think Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin wanted to begin another war. They grasped Stalin's view of his own military vulnerabilities and intuited that he wished to avoid military conflict. Nonetheless, U.S. officials felt threatened. They felt threatened precisely because of the lessons they had learned from World War II itself and the definition of America's vital interests that waging World War II had taught them. They had learned that an adversary, or coalition of adversaries, that conquered other countries could assimilate their resources into their own military machine, wage aggressive war, and challenge America's vital interests. Although the Kremlin seemed unlikely to wage war, it nevertheless had the capacity to gain indirect leverage or control over many countries in Europe and Asia because of the political ferment, economic chaos, social strife, and revolutionary nationalist fervor that existed in the aftermath of war.Less
This chapter considers how the concept of national security evolved. It demonstrates that U.S. military officers and their civilian leaders did not think that the Kremlin was poised to engage in premeditated military aggression during the Cold War. They did not think Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin wanted to begin another war. They grasped Stalin's view of his own military vulnerabilities and intuited that he wished to avoid military conflict. Nonetheless, U.S. officials felt threatened. They felt threatened precisely because of the lessons they had learned from World War II itself and the definition of America's vital interests that waging World War II had taught them. They had learned that an adversary, or coalition of adversaries, that conquered other countries could assimilate their resources into their own military machine, wage aggressive war, and challenge America's vital interests. Although the Kremlin seemed unlikely to wage war, it nevertheless had the capacity to gain indirect leverage or control over many countries in Europe and Asia because of the political ferment, economic chaos, social strife, and revolutionary nationalist fervor that existed in the aftermath of war.
John Andreas Olsen and Colin S. Gray (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199608638
- eISBN:
- 9780191731754
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199608638.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This book focuses on grand strategy and military strategy as practised over an extended period of time and under very different circumstances, from the campaigns of Alexander the Great to ...
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This book focuses on grand strategy and military strategy as practised over an extended period of time and under very different circumstances, from the campaigns of Alexander the Great to insurgencies and counter‐insurgencies in present‐day Afghanistan and Iraq. It presents strategy as it pertained not only to wars, campaigns, and battles but also to times of peace that were overshadowed by the threat of war. The book is intended to deepen understanding of the phenomena and logic of strategy by reconstructing the considerations and factors that shaped imperial and nation‐state policies. Through historical case studies, the book sheds light on a fundamental question: is there a unity to all strategic experience? Adopting the working definition of strategy as ‘the art of winning by purposely matching ends, ways and means’, these chapters deal with the intrinsic nature of war and strategy and the characteristics of a particular strategy in a given conflict. They show that a specific convergence of political objectives, operational schemes of manoeuvre, tactical moves and countermoves, technological innovations and limitations, geographic settings, transient emotions, and more made each conflict studied unique. Yet, despite the extraordinary variety of the people, circumstances, and motives discussed in this book, there is a strong case for continuity in the application of strategy from the olden days to the present. Together, these chapters reveal that grand strategy and military strategy have elements of continuity and change, art and science. They further suggest that the element of continuity lies in the essential nature of strategy and war, while the element of change lies in the character of individual strategies and wars.Less
This book focuses on grand strategy and military strategy as practised over an extended period of time and under very different circumstances, from the campaigns of Alexander the Great to insurgencies and counter‐insurgencies in present‐day Afghanistan and Iraq. It presents strategy as it pertained not only to wars, campaigns, and battles but also to times of peace that were overshadowed by the threat of war. The book is intended to deepen understanding of the phenomena and logic of strategy by reconstructing the considerations and factors that shaped imperial and nation‐state policies. Through historical case studies, the book sheds light on a fundamental question: is there a unity to all strategic experience? Adopting the working definition of strategy as ‘the art of winning by purposely matching ends, ways and means’, these chapters deal with the intrinsic nature of war and strategy and the characteristics of a particular strategy in a given conflict. They show that a specific convergence of political objectives, operational schemes of manoeuvre, tactical moves and countermoves, technological innovations and limitations, geographic settings, transient emotions, and more made each conflict studied unique. Yet, despite the extraordinary variety of the people, circumstances, and motives discussed in this book, there is a strong case for continuity in the application of strategy from the olden days to the present. Together, these chapters reveal that grand strategy and military strategy have elements of continuity and change, art and science. They further suggest that the element of continuity lies in the essential nature of strategy and war, while the element of change lies in the character of individual strategies and wars.
Peter Simkins
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198222996
- eISBN:
- 9780191678561
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198222996.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, Military History
This chapter discusses the renewed interest in World War I during the 1960s. This surge of interest resulted in the production of relevant films and television series, the publication of books, and ...
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This chapter discusses the renewed interest in World War I during the 1960s. This surge of interest resulted in the production of relevant films and television series, the publication of books, and theatre productions. During this period, the British official records of the war were also opened to researchers and the respectability of military history as an academic discipline increased. One of the principal features of the works published in Britain and other Commonwealth countries during this period is that collectively they give far greater prominence to the views and experiences of junior officers and other ranks.Less
This chapter discusses the renewed interest in World War I during the 1960s. This surge of interest resulted in the production of relevant films and television series, the publication of books, and theatre productions. During this period, the British official records of the war were also opened to researchers and the respectability of military history as an academic discipline increased. One of the principal features of the works published in Britain and other Commonwealth countries during this period is that collectively they give far greater prominence to the views and experiences of junior officers and other ranks.
STEPHEN R. MacKINNON
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254459
- eISBN:
- 9780520934603
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254459.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
The story of Wuhan in 1938 has two dimensions—the military and the social—that are of crucial importance to the history of modern China. Due to a lack of a comprehensive military history of the ...
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The story of Wuhan in 1938 has two dimensions—the military and the social—that are of crucial importance to the history of modern China. Due to a lack of a comprehensive military history of the Anti-Japanese War, this chapter aims to reconstruct the hard facts of the military defense of Wuhan and the central Yangzi before discussing social and cultural matters in depth. This interrelationship is the key to understanding why Wuhan did not suffer the panic and chaos that engulfed Nanjing and Jinan when these cities were under siege by the Japanese in late 1937. The Wuhan period suggests that the Anti-Japanese War brought changes to Chinese society, culture, and politics analogous to those that occurred after World War I in Europe.Less
The story of Wuhan in 1938 has two dimensions—the military and the social—that are of crucial importance to the history of modern China. Due to a lack of a comprehensive military history of the Anti-Japanese War, this chapter aims to reconstruct the hard facts of the military defense of Wuhan and the central Yangzi before discussing social and cultural matters in depth. This interrelationship is the key to understanding why Wuhan did not suffer the panic and chaos that engulfed Nanjing and Jinan when these cities were under siege by the Japanese in late 1937. The Wuhan period suggests that the Anti-Japanese War brought changes to Chinese society, culture, and politics analogous to those that occurred after World War I in Europe.
TERENCE ZUBER
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199250165
- eISBN:
- 9780191719554
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199250165.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
As early as September 1914 it was clear that the reputation of the General Staff was in danger. There were also intense internal General Staff battles to assign blame for the defeat on the Marne. It ...
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As early as September 1914 it was clear that the reputation of the General Staff was in danger. There were also intense internal General Staff battles to assign blame for the defeat on the Marne. It is evident from the personal papers of Wilhelm Groener, the last Chief of the General Staff, that Groener decided in 1919 that the best solution was to place the blame on dead officers, who he alleged did not understand the infallible Schlieffen plan. This explains why there is no mention of the Schlieffen plan being the German war plan before 1919, when Groener ‘invented’ it. The ‘Schlieffen plan’ was therefore not built on documents and proof but on gross generalization and bald assertion. The Schlieffen plan has always been popular because in the simplest terms it tells a wide group of people — from armchair generals to opponents of ‘German militarism’ — exactly what they want to hear. Professional military analysis of actual German war planning documents shows the real nature of Schlieffen's planning and conclusively proves that there never was a ‘Schlieffen plan’.Less
As early as September 1914 it was clear that the reputation of the General Staff was in danger. There were also intense internal General Staff battles to assign blame for the defeat on the Marne. It is evident from the personal papers of Wilhelm Groener, the last Chief of the General Staff, that Groener decided in 1919 that the best solution was to place the blame on dead officers, who he alleged did not understand the infallible Schlieffen plan. This explains why there is no mention of the Schlieffen plan being the German war plan before 1919, when Groener ‘invented’ it. The ‘Schlieffen plan’ was therefore not built on documents and proof but on gross generalization and bald assertion. The Schlieffen plan has always been popular because in the simplest terms it tells a wide group of people — from armchair generals to opponents of ‘German militarism’ — exactly what they want to hear. Professional military analysis of actual German war planning documents shows the real nature of Schlieffen's planning and conclusively proves that there never was a ‘Schlieffen plan’.
John R. Hale
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691143019
- eISBN:
- 9781400846306
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691143019.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This chapter argues that neither the leisured class of aristocrats who vied for high social and political status within the polis nor the middling citizen soldiers who defended their farmland ...
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This chapter argues that neither the leisured class of aristocrats who vied for high social and political status within the polis nor the middling citizen soldiers who defended their farmland provides the origins of archaic Greek arms and tactics. Instead, the chapter suggests looking for the first hoplites fighting as mercenaries in the service of Eastern monarchs in areas such as Syria, Egypt, and Babylon. These soldiers of fortune fought in search of gain and glory, not to defend a civic ideology or ethos. Evidence for this thesis can be found in lyric poetry and in inscriptions, pottery, and the remains of hoplite armor discovered outside Greece. Here, the mercenary service is considered the “Main Event” of Greek military history in the seventh century, in contrast to the sporadic battles between poleis.Less
This chapter argues that neither the leisured class of aristocrats who vied for high social and political status within the polis nor the middling citizen soldiers who defended their farmland provides the origins of archaic Greek arms and tactics. Instead, the chapter suggests looking for the first hoplites fighting as mercenaries in the service of Eastern monarchs in areas such as Syria, Egypt, and Babylon. These soldiers of fortune fought in search of gain and glory, not to defend a civic ideology or ethos. Evidence for this thesis can be found in lyric poetry and in inscriptions, pottery, and the remains of hoplite armor discovered outside Greece. Here, the mercenary service is considered the “Main Event” of Greek military history in the seventh century, in contrast to the sporadic battles between poleis.
Asa Briggs
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780192129567
- eISBN:
- 9780191670022
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780192129567.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, Cultural History
This is the third part of a five-volume history of broadcasting in the UK, giving an authoritative account of the rise of broadcasting in this country. This volume covering the period from 1939 to ...
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This is the third part of a five-volume history of broadcasting in the UK, giving an authoritative account of the rise of broadcasting in this country. This volume covering the period from 1939 to 1945, is concerned not only with the impact of the Second World War on the structure, organization, and programmes of the BBC, itself a fascinating subject; it also deals directly with the role of the BBC outside as well as inside Britain within the context of the general political and military history of the war; an exciting, complicated, sometimes controversial role, strangely neglected by historians.Less
This is the third part of a five-volume history of broadcasting in the UK, giving an authoritative account of the rise of broadcasting in this country. This volume covering the period from 1939 to 1945, is concerned not only with the impact of the Second World War on the structure, organization, and programmes of the BBC, itself a fascinating subject; it also deals directly with the role of the BBC outside as well as inside Britain within the context of the general political and military history of the war; an exciting, complicated, sometimes controversial role, strangely neglected by historians.
Haidee Wasson and Lee Grieveson (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780520291508
- eISBN:
- 9780520965263
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520291508.001.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
Cinema’s Military Industrial Complex examines how the American military has used cinema and related visual, sonic, and mobile technologies to further its varied aims. The essays in this book address ...
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Cinema’s Military Industrial Complex examines how the American military has used cinema and related visual, sonic, and mobile technologies to further its varied aims. The essays in this book address the way cinema was put to work for purposes of training, orientation, record keeping, internal and external communication, propaganda, research and development, tactical analysis, surveillance, physical and mental health, recreation, and morale. The contributors examine the technologies and types of films that were produced and used in collaboration among the military, film industry, and technology manufacturers. The essays also explore the goals of the American state, which deployed the military and its unique modes of filmmaking, film exhibition, and film viewing to various ends. Together, the essays reveal the military’s deep investment in cinema, which began around World War I, expanded during World War II, continued during the Cold War (including wars in Korea and Vietnam), and still continues in the ongoing War on Terror.Less
Cinema’s Military Industrial Complex examines how the American military has used cinema and related visual, sonic, and mobile technologies to further its varied aims. The essays in this book address the way cinema was put to work for purposes of training, orientation, record keeping, internal and external communication, propaganda, research and development, tactical analysis, surveillance, physical and mental health, recreation, and morale. The contributors examine the technologies and types of films that were produced and used in collaboration among the military, film industry, and technology manufacturers. The essays also explore the goals of the American state, which deployed the military and its unique modes of filmmaking, film exhibition, and film viewing to various ends. Together, the essays reveal the military’s deep investment in cinema, which began around World War I, expanded during World War II, continued during the Cold War (including wars in Korea and Vietnam), and still continues in the ongoing War on Terror.
Lee Grieveson and Haidee Wasson
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780520291508
- eISBN:
- 9780520965263
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520291508.003.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This chapter, by Lee Grieveson and Haidee Wasson, establishes a framework for studying the American military, a singularly powerful institution, and its relationship to cinema. It first lays out a ...
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This chapter, by Lee Grieveson and Haidee Wasson, establishes a framework for studying the American military, a singularly powerful institution, and its relationship to cinema. It first lays out a brief history of the American military and its rise to prominence and power, and then situates the enduring use of cinema across the broad remit of the armed forces alongside previous work in this area. Special attention is paid to the economic and industrial developments that have been intertwined with the military historically. This chapter also summarizes the breadth of the military’s use of cinema, ranging from propaganda to training and from war funding to munitions testing. Knowledge about the military’s use of film helps us to understand more about the history of film and its technologies and also the various ways cinema has been implicated in the complex geopolitical dynamics of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.Less
This chapter, by Lee Grieveson and Haidee Wasson, establishes a framework for studying the American military, a singularly powerful institution, and its relationship to cinema. It first lays out a brief history of the American military and its rise to prominence and power, and then situates the enduring use of cinema across the broad remit of the armed forces alongside previous work in this area. Special attention is paid to the economic and industrial developments that have been intertwined with the military historically. This chapter also summarizes the breadth of the military’s use of cinema, ranging from propaganda to training and from war funding to munitions testing. Knowledge about the military’s use of film helps us to understand more about the history of film and its technologies and also the various ways cinema has been implicated in the complex geopolitical dynamics of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Ashley Jackson
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198207641
- eISBN:
- 9780191677762
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198207641.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This book is a full study of an African country during the Second World War. Unusually, it provides both an Africanist and an imperial perspective. Using extensive archival and oral evidence, the ...
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This book is a full study of an African country during the Second World War. Unusually, it provides both an Africanist and an imperial perspective. Using extensive archival and oral evidence, the author explores the social, economic, political, agricultural, and military history of Botswana. He examines Botswana's military contribution to the war effort and the impact of the war on the African home front. The book focuses on events and personalities ‘on the ground’ in Africa, and also on their interaction with and impact upon events and personalities in distant imperial centres, such as Whitehall and the wartime British Army headquarters in the Middle East. The attitudes, aims, and actions of all levels of colonial society – British rulers, African chiefs, military officials, ordinary African men and women – are considered, producing a ‘total history’ of an African country at war.Less
This book is a full study of an African country during the Second World War. Unusually, it provides both an Africanist and an imperial perspective. Using extensive archival and oral evidence, the author explores the social, economic, political, agricultural, and military history of Botswana. He examines Botswana's military contribution to the war effort and the impact of the war on the African home front. The book focuses on events and personalities ‘on the ground’ in Africa, and also on their interaction with and impact upon events and personalities in distant imperial centres, such as Whitehall and the wartime British Army headquarters in the Middle East. The attitudes, aims, and actions of all levels of colonial society – British rulers, African chiefs, military officials, ordinary African men and women – are considered, producing a ‘total history’ of an African country at war.
Ellen O’Gorman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199237944
- eISBN:
- 9780191706455
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199237944.003.0008
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
The feminist project with history has often been glossed as ‘writing women back into history’, in which case women's role in warfare would seem to be long overdue for revisionist treatment. But the ...
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The feminist project with history has often been glossed as ‘writing women back into history’, in which case women's role in warfare would seem to be long overdue for revisionist treatment. But the problem is that military history appears to stand forth as the quintessentially patriarchal discourse. Feminist historiography attempts to counteract the effects of this discourse by configuring the project of writing women back into history as a transformation not only of women but also of history. This chapter questions the failure of feminism to engage in the project of narrating a history of warfare. It argues that the figure of Helen of Troy in ancient accounts of war offers a potential model for the feminist historian to rethink history's accounts of causality and accountability. It also compares different versions of ‘the Helen myth’ to redirect attention to previously unrecognised thematics.Less
The feminist project with history has often been glossed as ‘writing women back into history’, in which case women's role in warfare would seem to be long overdue for revisionist treatment. But the problem is that military history appears to stand forth as the quintessentially patriarchal discourse. Feminist historiography attempts to counteract the effects of this discourse by configuring the project of writing women back into history as a transformation not only of women but also of history. This chapter questions the failure of feminism to engage in the project of narrating a history of warfare. It argues that the figure of Helen of Troy in ancient accounts of war offers a potential model for the feminist historian to rethink history's accounts of causality and accountability. It also compares different versions of ‘the Helen myth’ to redirect attention to previously unrecognised thematics.
Gerhard P. Gross (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780813175416
- eISBN:
- 9780813175447
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813175416.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Military History
In the collective memory, the concept of the First World War is pervaded by the trauma of the modern technologized war on the western front, whereas the events and battles on the eastern front of ...
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In the collective memory, the concept of the First World War is pervaded by the trauma of the modern technologized war on the western front, whereas the events and battles on the eastern front of 1914–1915, other than the battle of Tannenberg, have shifted into the background. Thus, the phrase “all quiet on the eastern front” offers a succinct description of the lack of scholarly research on the first two years of the war on the German eastern front. This volume aims to correct that deficiency, presenting essays by professional historians from eight countries discussing the eastern theater of war in terms of operations, mindset, and cultural-historical issues.Less
In the collective memory, the concept of the First World War is pervaded by the trauma of the modern technologized war on the western front, whereas the events and battles on the eastern front of 1914–1915, other than the battle of Tannenberg, have shifted into the background. Thus, the phrase “all quiet on the eastern front” offers a succinct description of the lack of scholarly research on the first two years of the war on the German eastern front. This volume aims to correct that deficiency, presenting essays by professional historians from eight countries discussing the eastern theater of war in terms of operations, mindset, and cultural-historical issues.
Joan Hoff
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199790562
- eISBN:
- 9780199896820
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199790562.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter discusses how general readers admire the traditional fields of political, economic, military, and diplomatic history more than professional historians do. It identifies a systematic ...
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This chapter discusses how general readers admire the traditional fields of political, economic, military, and diplomatic history more than professional historians do. It identifies a systematic crisis in the profession and questions how the discipline as a whole has dealt with the powerful challenge to the traditional fields from postmodern theories and deconstructionist methodologies. It shows that within the field of U.S. foreign policy, the basis for a mediating role lies between the challengers and the traditionalists, and the chapter ends with a call for more analysis of a traditional kind of American domestic and foreign policy.Less
This chapter discusses how general readers admire the traditional fields of political, economic, military, and diplomatic history more than professional historians do. It identifies a systematic crisis in the profession and questions how the discipline as a whole has dealt with the powerful challenge to the traditional fields from postmodern theories and deconstructionist methodologies. It shows that within the field of U.S. foreign policy, the basis for a mediating role lies between the challengers and the traditionalists, and the chapter ends with a call for more analysis of a traditional kind of American domestic and foreign policy.
Nancy Sherman
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195315912
- eISBN:
- 9780199851201
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315912.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
While few soldiers may have read the works of Epictetus or Marcus Aurelius, it is undoubtedly true that the ancient philosophy known as Stoicism guides the actions of many in the military. Soldiers ...
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While few soldiers may have read the works of Epictetus or Marcus Aurelius, it is undoubtedly true that the ancient philosophy known as Stoicism guides the actions of many in the military. Soldiers and seamen learn early in their training “to suck it up,” to endure, to put aside their feelings and to get on with the mission. This book explores what the Stoic philosophy actually is, the role it plays in the character of the military (both ancient and modern), and its powerful value as a philosophy of life. Marshalling anecdotes from military history—ranging from ancient Greek wars to World War II, Vietnam, and Iraq—the book illuminates the military mind and uses it as a window on the virtues of the Stoic philosophy, which are far richer and more interesting than our popularized notions. The book explores the deep, lasting value that Stoicism can yield, in issues of military leadership and character; in the Stoic conception of anger and its control (does a warrior need anger to go to battle?); and in Stoic thinking about fear and resilience, grief and mourning, and the value of camaraderie and brotherhood. The book concludes by recommending a moderate Stoicism, where the task for the individual, both civilian and military, youth and adult, is to temper control with forgiveness, and warrior drive and achievement with humility and humor.Less
While few soldiers may have read the works of Epictetus or Marcus Aurelius, it is undoubtedly true that the ancient philosophy known as Stoicism guides the actions of many in the military. Soldiers and seamen learn early in their training “to suck it up,” to endure, to put aside their feelings and to get on with the mission. This book explores what the Stoic philosophy actually is, the role it plays in the character of the military (both ancient and modern), and its powerful value as a philosophy of life. Marshalling anecdotes from military history—ranging from ancient Greek wars to World War II, Vietnam, and Iraq—the book illuminates the military mind and uses it as a window on the virtues of the Stoic philosophy, which are far richer and more interesting than our popularized notions. The book explores the deep, lasting value that Stoicism can yield, in issues of military leadership and character; in the Stoic conception of anger and its control (does a warrior need anger to go to battle?); and in Stoic thinking about fear and resilience, grief and mourning, and the value of camaraderie and brotherhood. The book concludes by recommending a moderate Stoicism, where the task for the individual, both civilian and military, youth and adult, is to temper control with forgiveness, and warrior drive and achievement with humility and humor.
Sabine Frühstück
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520247949
- eISBN:
- 9780520939646
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520247949.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Gender and Sexuality
This introductory chapter begins with a brief background on the current study, detailing the processes the author of this book underwent as part of the overall research effort on Japan's Self-Defense ...
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This introductory chapter begins with a brief background on the current study, detailing the processes the author of this book underwent as part of the overall research effort on Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF). It then sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine how the SDF have made sense of those “odd missions” that Anthony Zinni, a retired general of the U.S. Marine Corps and former commander in chief of United States Central Command, envisions as the future of the military. This is followed by a brief history of the SDF. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a brief background on the current study, detailing the processes the author of this book underwent as part of the overall research effort on Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF). It then sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine how the SDF have made sense of those “odd missions” that Anthony Zinni, a retired general of the U.S. Marine Corps and former commander in chief of United States Central Command, envisions as the future of the military. This is followed by a brief history of the SDF. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.
