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Title: The Military Revolution : Military Innovation and the Rise of the West, 1500-1800 by Geoffrey Parker ISBN: 0-521-47958-4 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 18 April, 1996 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (6 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellence.
Comment: Geoffrey Parker work can be considered a milestone in its field. A really excellent book.
Rating: 4
Summary: A Cause and Effect Look at Early Modern European Art of War
Comment: Geoffrey Parker argues that during the 16th Century a "military revolution" occurred that profoundly changed the way Europeans conducted warfare. This revolution involved four distinct changes in the art of war: a change in tactics; a marked growth in the size of armies; more ambitious and complex military/political strategies; and an acute impact on society as a whole. Parker further contends that the initial imperial gains and conquests by European nations (before the full impact of the Industrial Revolution was felt) would not have been possible had it not been for these revolutionary changes. Not all historians of early modern European military history agree with Parker's argument. In the Second Edition, Parker answers his critics in an updated addendum (for those who enjoy conversational footnotes, Parker does seem to have a particular axe to grind with the historian John A. Lynn and vice-versa)..Parker incorporates a thread of cause and effect to illustrate his claims. For example: the technological advancements in firepower in the form of larger canons, prompted the wide spread development of the bastion fortifications system known as trace italienne. These improved fortifications required larger garrisons as well as larger siege armies of the opposing enemy. Infantry became the core of these new and expanded armies of Europe. Larger armies created the need for revised tactics as well as improved logistical, supply, medical, and financial solutions. All of these factors had a direct upon the societies that depended upon these armies for protection. Parker applies similar cause and effect methodology in a discussion of sea power. Though Parker is a known scholar of early modern Europe, he turns his analysis into a global study by comparing and contrasting the European art of war with various non-western armies and empires. Parker discusses the reactions, adaptations, successes or failures of Near Eastern (Muslim, Ottoman, Indian, and African) and Far Eastern (China, Japan, Southeast Asia) armies in their contacts with the west.Parker consults a vast array of archival material. From Machiavelli to an assortment of 16th Century French, Spanish, Dutch, German and British documents in varying native languages, Parkers research is truly impressive. Absent, however, are non-western sources turning this "global" analysis into one from a western perspective. European colonial contacts with the east are seen only through western eyes in Parker's study. Sprinkled throughout the book are period etchings and engravings that Parker utilizes to support his premises. As an art history lover, however, I would have liked to have seen a description of the art work itself in the caption.Parker writes well. The author blends a well developed scholarly argument with historical narrative with great effect. For the most part, Parker maintained a set literary style throughout that held the reader's interest. One flaw, however, is the author's tendency to make a point early in a paragraph, then support his claim with a "list" of obscure little known European battles. One would have to be well versed in European military history to be on the same page with Parker on these rare instances. A solution would be to "list" fewer examples and explain "why" this particular battle supports the point he is illustrating.This is a must read for the serious student of military history though not for the faint of heart.
Rating: 4
Summary: What makes a revolution?
Comment: The purist may not appreciate the title of this excellent survey of the rise of Western European military and eventually cultural dominance. Any revolution that takes 300 years to accomplish begs the question. The subtitle is more revealing, and more accurately portrays the content of the book. The years of 1500 to 1800 indeed saw a series of military innovations that directly contributed to Western military hegemony.
What the author has done, which is truly unique, is to survey the innovations and to document how they affected events in Europe and elsewhere. A good part of the book accounts for developments in sail and guns and global exploration and confrontation. Also discussed is how other societies such as the Ottomans, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, and others reacted or failed to react to these developments. In this course, Parker proves his thesis of how the West gained its "35%" toehold on the globe by 1800, which set the course for the century of rabid imperialism.
There is more detail to be found in other sources, but the synthesis of analysis is what marks this contribution as one of the best in the history of early modern Europe.
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Title: The Pursuit of Power: Technology, Armed Force and Society Since A.D. 1000 by William H. McNeill ISBN: 0226561585 Publisher: University of Chicago Press Pub. Date: 01 August, 1984 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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Title: War and the World: Military Power and the Fate of Continents, 1450-2000 by Jeremy Black ISBN: 0300082851 Publisher: Yale University Press Pub. Date: 01 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.00 |
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Title: War and Society in Europe of the Old Regime 1618-1789 (War and European Society) by M.S. Anderson ISBN: 0773517596 Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press Pub. Date: 01 February, 1998 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Battle: A History of Combat and Culture by John A. Lynn ISBN: 0813333717 Publisher: Perseus Books Group Pub. Date: 03 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
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Title: World History of Warfare by Christon I. Archer, John R. Ferris, Holger H. Herwig, Timothy H. E. Travers ISBN: 0803244231 Publisher: University of Nebraska Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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