Tai Lieu Chat Luong War, Peace and International Relations War, Peace and International Relations is an introduction to the strategic history of the past two centuries, years which were shaped and reshaped by wars. The book shows that war is not only about warfare – the military conduct of war – but is crucial to the political, social and cultural behaviour of states. Written by leading strategist Professor Colin Gray, this textbook provides students with a good grounding in the contribution of war to the development of the modern world, from the pre-industrial era to the post-industrial age of international terrorism and smart weapons. War, Peace and International Relations: • is the first one-volume strategic history textbook on the market • covers all the major wars of the past two centuries • is up to date and comprehensive, including chapters on irregular warfare and terrorism • includes summary points, boxed sections, student questions and further reading.
Gray is Professor of International Politics and Strategic Studies at the University of Reading, UK and a professional strategic theorist and defence analyst. His twenty-one books include Modern Strategy (1999) and Another Bloody Century (2005). War, Peace and International Relations An Introduction to Strategic History Colin S. Gray First published 2007 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2007.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www. Gray All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Gray, Colin S.
War, peace and international relations : an introduction to strategic history / Colin S. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978–0–415–38638–8 (hardback : alk. paper) – ISBN 978–0–415–38639–5 (pbk.
Military history, Modern–19th century. Military history, Modern–20th century.0209–dc22 2006034566 ISBN 0-203-08899-9 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 10: 0–415–38638–1 (hbk) ISBN 10: 0–415–38639–X (pbk) ISBN 10: 0–203–08899–9 (ebk) ISBN 13: 978–0–415–38638–8 (hbk) ISBN 13: 978–0–415–38639–5 (pbk) ISBN 13: 978–0–203–08899–9 (ebk) To the memory of John Erickson, an inspiring teacher, a wise mentor and a good friend Contents List of maps xi List of boxes and tables xii Preface xiii Introduction: strategic history 1 1 Themes and contexts of strategic history 4 Introduction: a binding framework 4 Themes 5 Contexts 9 Conclusion 13 2 Carl von Clausewitz and the theory of war 15 Introduction: theory for all seasons 15 Strategic ideas and strategic behaviour 16 Jomini and Clausewitz 19 Conclusion 27 3 From limited war to national war: the French Revolution and the Napoleonic way of war 31 Introduction: two transformations 31 Limited war and great war 33 The Revolution and its warfare 37 Napoleon’s art of war 39 Problems with the Napoleonic way of war and warfare 44 Political and strategic failure 46 Conclusion 48 4 The nineteenth century, I: a strategic view 51 Introduction: the reach of strategic history 51 A violent century 52 viii Contents Implications of the Industrial Revolution: the strategic tale 54 Conclusion 59 5 The nineteenth century, II: technology, warfare and international order 61 Introduction: Waterloo to the Marne 61 Weapons and warfare 63 Politics and strategic history 69 Conclusion 73 6 World War I, I: controversies 75 Introduction: the making of the twentieth century 75 A contested history 77 Conclusion 82 7 World War I, II: modern warfare 85 Introduction: education by experience 85 The course of the war 85 Modern warfare 90 Conclusion 95 8 The twenty-year armistice, 1919–39 99 Introduction: contrasting decades 99 Versailles and the legacy of the Great War 100 The changing political context: strategic implications 106 Conclusion 112 9 The mechanization of war 115 Introduction: revolution in military affairs 115 Land warfare 116 Air power 118 Sea power 119 Conclusion 121 10 World War II in Europe, I: the structure and course of total war 124 Introduction: total war 124 The structure of the war 126 The course of the war 129 Conclusion 140 11 World War II in Europe, II: understanding the war 143 Introduction: what was the war about? 143 Hitler’s war 144 Contents ix Warfare, 1939–45 146 Why did Germany lose? 149 Conclusion 153 12 World War II in Asia–Pacific, I: Japan and the politics of empire 157 Introduction: global war 157 The Japanese bid for empire 159 Japan and the United States: the drift to war 162 Conclusion 166 13 World War II in Asia–Pacific, II: strategy and warfare 168 Introduction: over the cliff 168 Japanese strategy 168 American strategy 172 The end for Japan 178 Conclusion 180 14 The Cold War, I: politics and ideology 184 Introduction: from war to peace – the consequences of World War II 184 From cold peace to Cold War 188 The Cold War reconsidered 192 Some interim judgements 200 Conclusion 202 15 The Cold War, II: the nuclear revolution 205 Introduction: the strategic challenge 205 The bomb 206 The nuclear revolution 209 Nuclear strategy 211 The nuclear arms competition 216 Conclusion 217 16 War and peace after the Cold War: an interwar decade 219 Introduction: the interwar thesis 219 A unipolar world 221 ‘New wars’ and ‘old wars’: a bloody decade 225 Conclusion 232 17 9/11 and the age of terror 235 Introduction: the return of a master narrative 235 9/11: World War III? 235 Warfare: from the Industrial Age to the Information Age 240 Conclusion 242 x Contents 18 Irregular warfare: guerrillas, insurgents and terrorists 245 Introduction: two kinds of warfare 245 Guerrilla warfare, insurgency and terrorism 246 Irregular warfare: an overview 253 Terrorism and counter-terrorism 256 Al Qaeda and the ‘New Terrorism’ 259 Conclusion 261 19 War, peace and international order 264 Introduction: war–peace cycle 264 New world orders 265 Conclusion 275 20 Conclusion: must future strategic history resemble the past? 280 Glossary 282 Bibliography 285 Index 296 Maps 3.1 Europe between the wars 98 12.1 The Pacific in 1939 158 14.1 Europe after the Cold War 220 Boxes and tables Boxes 1.1 Themes in strategic history 6 1.2 Contexts of strategic history 10 2.1 The principles of war 21 2.2 Important subjects deliberately omitted from or treated only briefly in On War 28 3.1 Tactics, operations and strategy 40 3.2 The Napoleonic way of warfare 43 4.1 Modern military revolutions 55 5.1 The revolution in infantry firepower, 1840–1914 65 8.1 Principal features of the Versailles Settlement 104 11.1 Hitler’s vision and war aims as revealed in Mein Kampf 144 13.1 Characteristics of war and warfare in Asia–Pacific, 1941–5 179 14.1 The consequences of World War II 187 15.1 The scientific and technological feasibility of atomic weapons 208 15.2 Two kinds of nuclear weapons 209 18.1 Irregular warfare: definition of key terms 248 Tables 6.1 Casualties in World War I 83 10.1 Casualties in World War II 125 15.1 Nuclear stockpiles, 1945–89 212 Preface I have long been convinced that students of strategic studies know too little history, while students of history and international relations are inclined to short-change the strategic dimension to their subjects. This book attempts to provide a coherent narrative and analysis of the past two centuries, keyed to the strategic perspective. A textbook should explain what happened, not advance the author’s beliefs.
Truth and error should be accorded equal space by the author, so that students can judge for themselves where the balance of probability lies. All I can say in self-defence is that I have tried earnestly to be neutral on the more controversial topics, but the assertive habits of a professional lifetime cannot easily be set aside. The result is a compromise. My personal opinion probably intrudes into this work more than it should.
But it appears less than I would have liked. This book has benefited greatly from what I have learnt teaching the course on which it is based, both in Britain and in the United States. I know from experience – the students’ experience, that is – that this melding of modern history, international relations and strategic studies works well. I am in the debt of my students at the University of Reading in Britain and at Missouri State University in Washington, DC.
For most of my career I have been a professional defence analyst and theorist, to which activity of recent years I have added university teaching. It follows that I had need of some expert help in preparing this work, since textbook writing requires a skill set all its own. My principal debt is to the excellent Andrew Humphrys, my editor at Routledge/Taylor and Francis. I have been amazed by his patience with an opinionated strategist who does not count brevity among his virtues.
Andrew’s advice invariably has been sound, even though I tried to resist some of it initially. Also I have learnt a lot from friends who truly are artists in the writing and illustrating of textbooks. Most especially, I must thank Jeremy Black, the extraordinary quantity of whose output is matched only by its high quality. Jeremy probably will not approve of my liking for a ‘master narrative’, but he may be won around when he realizes that that narrative is only ‘strategic history’ and not a particular storyline.
In addition, I would like to thank my friend John Baylis, now at the University of Wales, Swansea, a scholar whose superior textbooking talents are approaching legendary status. This book has been possible only because of the support I have received from the School of Sociology, Politics and International Relations at the University of Reading xiv Preface in England. In particular, I am grateful for the assistance provided by Dr Robert McKeever, the erstwhile Head of School. As usual, I am entirely dependent upon the outstanding skill and dedication of my manuscript preparation person, Barbara Watts, who truly is an inspiration.
Her speed on the keyboard, her ability to read my handwriting and her readiness to meet unreasonable deadlines are beyond praise. Last, but not least, my ever-suffering family deserve the most sincere thanks for tolerating, usually with good humour, my protracted distraction with the challenges of book creation. Valerie and TJ, I could not have done it without you. That may serve to share some of the blame! Colin S.
Gray Wokingham, UK September 2006 Introduction Strategic history Reader’s guide: The meaning, importance and value of strategic history War and the fear of war have been by far the most powerful among the influences that have shaped the course of international relations over the past two centuries. It is the central thesis of this book that the history of the use and threat of force enables us to make sense of the main currents of events. What is strategic history? It is the history of the influence of the use and threat of force. Strategy, and strategic, sometimes is a contested concept, and the term is widely misused (Gray, 1999: 17).
This text adapts and adheres strictly to a slightly amended version of the definition given by the Prussian soldier Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831), whose ideas and significance are explained in Chapter 2. Strategy refers to the use made of force and the threat of force for the ends of policy (Clausewitz, 1976: 177). This book is not a military history. The strategic focus ensures that our prime concern will be on the instrumentality of military power.
Furthermore, notwithstanding the primacy of the strategic, the mission here does not comprise a reductionist effort to conflate the rich and interweaving strands of history into a single mould.