Christon
Archer, John Ferris, Holger Herwig, and Timothy Travers, World History of
Warfare (University of Nebraska Press, 2002).
World History of Warfare is designed as a textbook for introductory college courses in military history. The text covers worldwide military history from ancient times to the present. Its principal theme is an exploration of change and continuity, revolution and tradition, in three thousand years of warfare. The work teaches students and general readers how warfare evolved and how that evolution affected human society, with emphasis on major turning points in the conduct of warfare rather than a superficial general history of wars.
This volume addresses
traditional subjects such as generals and tactics, but each chapter also includes
discussions of the idea of war, the role of the common soldier, and the changing
interpretations of the military's place in society and poltics. Of special value
is the authors' treatment of non-Western societies. Too often military history
has meant the study of warfare in England, France, and Germany, especially as
it was shaped by the Napoleonic conflicts. In contrast, the authors of this
volume examine the role that military forces have played in shaping societies
worldwide.
John Keegan, The Face of Battle (Viking Press, 1995).
The Face of Battle is military history from the battlefield: a look at the direct experience of individuals at the "point of maximum danger." Without the myth-making elements of rhetoric and xenophobia, and breaking away from the stylized format of battle descriptions, John Keegan has written what is probably the definitive model for military historians. And in his scrupulous reassessment of three battles representative of three different time periods, he manages to convey what the experience of combat meant for the participants, whether they were facing the arrow cloud of Agincourt, the musket balls at Waterloo, or the steel rain of the Somme. Keegan was for many years Senior Lecturer at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. He is the author of several books on military history, including The Mask of Command (1987), The First World War (1999), The Second World War (1989), and A History of Warfare (1993).
The
Battle of Algiers (Tuesday, April 25). Location and Time TBA.
A forerunner of
the "docudrama," this 1965 Italian-Algerian co-production won a slew
of awards and became an unlikely international success that remains eerily resonant
today. It shows the guerrilla war for Algerian independence from the French
in 1954 as seen through the eyes of some of the participants. Shot in the actual
locations, mixing actors with real-life combatants and eschewing the use of
stock or newsreel footage, The Battle of Algiers comes across as probably
being closer to the truth than any straight documentary could have been, mainly
because it captures the complexities of the situation without resorting to facile
finger-pointing. Although banned in France for many years, the film has become
accepted as a masterpiece of its kind, conveying emotion without ignoring cold,
hard facts. Its principal asset is a rigorous, impartial examination of views
held by both sides, carefully woven into the narrative. Director Gillo Pontecorvo
never again made a motion picture of this style, depth, or impact, but his place
in film history is assured nonetheless, if only on the strength of this powerfully
affecting movie. (Courtesy
of Barnes and Noble website)
Primary and Secondary Source Readings (available on Blackboard)
Most primary and secondary source readings are available on Blackboard, although occasionally I'll ask you to look at a site on the Web or some artwork that will be posted in the Food for Thought. The actual reading assignment for each day is listed in the Class Schedule. All primary and secondary source readings are required.
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Copyrighted by Hugh Dubrulle, 2006.