Course Themes

In her work, On Revolution, Hannah Arendt claimed, "Wars and revolutions . . . have thus far determined the physiognomy of the twentieth century" and that "war and revolution still constitute its two central political issues." During the twentieth century, wars and revolutions became frequent, protracted, and sweeping, rendering the era an "age of extremes," as Eric Hobsbawm put it. War and revolution, however, are not exclusively twentieth-century phenomena; they have a long and interwoven history.

In this course, we will survey the relationship between war and revolution from about the 15th century onward. Throughout the semester, we will focus particularly on the manner in which military developments have affected society, politics, and culture. At the same time, we will also investigate the extent to which social organization, political institutions, and cultural developments have influenced the conduct of war.