1. Theory and Nature of War
War in the Early Modern Era

2. Theory and Nature of War Introduction Lesson 1 Sun Tzu
Last Week:
Theory and Nature of War
Introduction
Lesson 1
Sun Tzu

3. Points to Remember: Lesson 1 Sun Tzu’s context
Harmony with USMC philosophy
Acme of skill.
Main object of war.
Good generalship.
Use of intelligence.
Sun Tzu’s context:
Harmony with USMC philosophy:
Acme of skill:
Main object of war:
Good generalship:
Use of intelligence:

4. War in the Early Modern Era
8801, Lesson 2

5. Objectives To understand the shift in character of warfare;
To understand the concept of the balance of power;
To examine the role of war in the evolution of the modern state;
To assess the development of professional armies;
To explain the “age of limited warfare.”

6. Background War in the Middle Ages The Hundred Years’ War
The Thirty Years War
Treaty of Westphalia (1648)

7. War in the Middle Ages Icon Make-up of armies Changes Icon: The knight
Characteristics:
Clearly defined hierarchy from God thru kings and nobility to peasants and workers
Kings ruled by divine right
Lesser feudal lords received their power from the king in return for military service
The moral-legal code of chivalry ties the system together.
Armies were gathered for specific issues and a specific campaign.
Strict discipline was hard to maintain.
War was conducted according to fixed rules.
Three trends accelerated the collapse of feudalism and its style of warfare:
The rise of the money economy
The change from dependence on the overlord to paid soldiers
Experimentation in military organization and institutions.

8. The Hundred Years War (1337-1457)
Effects:
National identities crystallized
Centralized governmental mechanism
National authority
Effects:
A series of dynastic wars served to crystallized national identities.national.
Led to the development of centralized governmental mechanism from the need to collect specie taxes and to administer large military forces
Led to the emergence of national authority spurred on the by the organizational, technological and tactical development of national armies.
Set the pattern for the next four centuries.

9. The Thirty Years War (1618-1648)
Modern armies
Trained professionals
Firearms
Modern state
Ended by Treaty of Westphalia
By the times of the Thirty Years War, all the elements of the modern army were in place: a permanent body of trained professionals who could be schooled d and disciplined in the new tactics and weapons.
The invention and development of the firearm required a disciplined soldier, thus bringing into existence a permanent rank and administrative structure to train and lead the soldier.
Began the coalescence of the modern state due to the weakening of small feudal units and the consolidation of authority under monarchs.
Ended by the Treaty of Westphalia which started a new era in Europe.

10. The Treaty of Westphalia (1648)
A new era
Modern state system
State as sovereign
No central authority
Era of limited warfare
States became
More efficient at administration
Primary actors in the international system
Armies became larger, better organized and more professional
The state became sovereign
The re was no central authority to maintain order and dispense justice.
Ended the authority of overarching institutions such as the Holy Roman empire and the papacy.

11. The Nature of Politics Realism (Realpolitik) Idealism
Competition and power
Idealism
Cooperation and justice
Realism: self-interested states struggling to secure their interests in a largely anarchistic international system; emphasizes power.
Idealism: states need to abandon the pursuit of short-term self-interest and take a more cooperative, globalist approach. emphasizes justice, ethical standards.

12. War in the Early Modern Era
Political aims
Balance of power
Era of limited war
Technology
Transportation
Armies from ends of society
Laid the foundation for the wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon
Shift in the character of western warfare
Political aims: limited and for marginal benefits
Balance of power and coalitions governed international relations
Professionalization of armed forces
Era of limited warfare for limited objectives wi the limited means:
Limited technology
Social composition of armies limited utility
Limited operations to limit economic effects

13. Changes in warfare Military Revolution Revolution in Military Affairs
Technology dominant
Tactics
Strategy
Scale of war
Impact of war
Revolution in Military Affairs
Technological development
Doctrinal innovation
Organizational adaptation
Societal adaptation

14. Early Modern Era Military Revolution Political Revolution Scale of war
Strategy
Tactics
Impact of war
Political Revolution
Organizational
Financial
Control
Military revolution:
Scale of war due to increased resources.
Strategy became more ambitious due to larger forces
Tactics grew from individual combat to combat by units
Impact of war increase from little effect to great involvement of society
Political Revolution
Organizational: nation states under the centralized control of dynastic governments
Financial: Used the resources of the state
Controlled by the will of the monarch.

15. Early Modern Era Theorists Machiavelli Maurice of Nassau
Gustavaus Adolphus
Vauban
Frederick the Great
Theorists
Machiavelli: War as social science; defense of the sates was the task not of a special privileged group, but should be the consern of all those who live in the state.
Maurice of Nassau: “drill and dig;” unconditional obedience within an established hierarchy of ranks.
Gustavaus Adolphus: adopted Maurice of Nassau’s reforms. First to understand the value of shock and firepower; revived the national conscript army, but fought with mercenaries. Tactical system stressed offensive action by combined arms of cavalry and musketeers.
Vauban: a military engineer under Louis XIV; wrote authoritative texts on siege craft and defensive fortifications; applied science and mathematics to regularize the taking of fortresses in a highly formalized and leisurely manner.
Frederick the Great

16. Frederick the Great Synthesizer of Major contribution Technology
Tactical innovations
Personal experiences
Major contribution
Synthesizer of
Technology: the iron ramrod
Tactical innovations: oblique order, horse-artillery
Personal experiences: lessons of campaigns and his study of war
Major contribution was to disseminated his lessons and study of war.
Frederick:
Leader of a dynastic state;
Rigid class structure necessary for state and the army
Insisted on strict disciple due to desertions and need to make the army responsive to one mind
Battle was a methodical affair to make the opponent yield his position
Favorite tactic was the flank attack (the oblique order)
Accepted political limitation on the when and where of war
Wars should be “short and lively”

17. Issues for Consideration
Constraints
Forces
Centralized States
Military Revolution
Why limited warfare
Armies’ composition
Impact of technology
Frederick’s armies
Employment
Support

18. Points to remember Lesson 2 Mil Rev of Pre-Nap Treaty of Westphalia
Characteristics
Treaty of Westphalia
Effects
Age of Limited Warfare