Class Meeting Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30 PM-3:45 PM

Description of the Course: Ever since Western civilization emerged in Mesopotamia, armed conflict has proven central to the development of that civilization. In this course, we will survey the relationship between war, society, and politics in the West from the earliest Near Eastern civilizations to the present day. First, we will investigate how war both caused and expressed changes in Western politics, society, economics, and culture. By pursuing these themes, we will come to see how war has shaped our world by determining the nature and functions of the state, recasting social organization, influencing economic activity, and molding our thoughts and beliefs. We will also discuss the extent to which these changes were either revolutionary or evolutionary. At the same time, we will attempt to distinguish between different types of armed conflict—total war, absolute war, people's war, guerrilla war, revolutionary war, and modern war—while paying particularly close attention to Clausewitz's theories so that we can better understand the nature and function of war. Last, we will take note of how the battlefield environment and the experience of war have both changed and remained constant over the centuries.

Topics Covered Include: Warfare in classical antiquity, Roman war and society, medieval combat, imperial conflict, war in the age of revolution, industrialized warfare, the World Wars, the Cold War, revolutionary wars of liberation, and the contemporary revolution in military affairs.

This course is taught by: Professor Hugh Dubrulle

Click here to see the syllabus for the last time Professor Dubrulle taught this course.

Saint Anselm College, a Benedictine, Catholic, Liberal Arts College
100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, New Hampshire 03102

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Copyrighted by the History Department, Saint Anselm College, 2006.