Abstract
‘Military history’ can be simply defined as the history of armed forces and the conduct of war, and for many years it was a discrete, finite, specialist study. In the United Kingdom it emerged during the eighteenth century, with studies of Marlborough’s wars on the continent and of what were genetically described as ‘the wars in Germany’. It developed with studies of the Napoleonic wars, especially the Peninsular and Waterloo campaigns, and the campaigns of the British armies in North America and India. By the mid-nineteenth century the prime characteristics of British military historiography were clear.
The story of campaigns and battles? The assessment of leaders, tactics and strategy? The retirement task of old soldiers? A luxury enjoyed by peaceful societies? History’s most passionate dramas? The mainstay of western historiography? Narrow technicalities? An inseparable part of the study of society? What is military history?
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Further Reading
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© 1988 Macmillan Publishers Limited
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Howard, M., Bond, B., Stagg, J.C.A., Chandler, D., Best, G., Terrine, J. (1988). What is Military History … ?. In: Gardiner, J. (eds) What is History Today … ?. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19161-1_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19161-1_2
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-42226-7
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