Broadly conceived, this course examines the role of war in society and history. Central themes include the relationship of war to the state and its financial and managerial resources, to military technology, and to technological change in the means of production. Equally central are military leadership and the will to combat, both military and civilian. After an introduction to pre-modern warfare and to the initial development of modern armies in the 16th and 17th centuries, interest focuses on the major conflicts in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the Napoleonic Wars, American Civil War and the two World Wars.
