HISTORY OF WARFARE 2017

Events

Period of Warring States (China)

475 BC - 221 BC

The Sun Tzu (not actually written by General Sun Tzu) on military tactic and strategy
Regional armies with equal resources and weaponry (technology had not yet evolved drastically)

Gunpowder Revolution

1044 - 1815

Gunpowder (made of saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur) discovered in China in 1044 --> led to artillery, artillery fortresses and ship canons (ships of the line)
innovation in naval battle - dominant mode of fighting was on water ("Age of Sail")

Conquest of Aztec Empire

1519

Spain led by Cortés and eventually Alvarado (when Spain believed Cortés was not doing a good job) conquered the land after small pox swept Tenochtitlan
Alvarado massacred many people in Tenochtitlan which led to a rebellion
Motecuhzoma II allowed himself to be captured and was seen as a "puppet" by the population

Conquest of Inca Empire

1532 - 1572

Francisco Pizzaro and native allies captured the "Sapa Inca Atahualpa" in 1532 with a long military campaign to follow until 1572

Louis XIV

1635 - 1715

Abolished last remains of feudalism
took power away from aristocracy to form centralized monarchy
attempted to suppress French revolution w/ military strength, but backfired and led to larger revolution and Levee en Masse

Age of Absolutism

1650 - 1750

large countries had established overseas empires due to exploration and colonization
characterized by absolutist monarchies
came from artillery fortresses and larger ships (capital, ships of the line etc.)

Peter the Great

1689 - 1725

Created absolute monarchy as Tsar of Russia (Russia was detached from Europe and not as technologically advanced)
Increased military expenditures
Modernized Russian navy/army to match Western Standards
Strengthened standing army/navy (Russia beat Sweden in Northern War, which established the former as a major European power)
Cultural revolution b/c contemporary to Enlightenment

Frederick The Great

1712 - 1786

“Servant of the state”
Secured power by taking money from nobility to build standing army
Gained nobility’s loyalty by appointing them court positions
Strengthened military to expand/consolidate Prussian territories ⇒ Prussia became major military power

7 Years' War

1756 - 1763

Russia, France and Austria fought absolutist Prussia to destroy Prussia and divide it up, but lost to England, which emerged as largest and most powerful power (imbalance of power in Europe)
Very expensive - lots of places taxed citizens, which caused resentment against absolutists ⇒ French and American Revolution

American Revolution

1765 - 1783

separation from British rule / monarchy
new government strayed away from absolutist monarchy

Napoleon Bonaparte

1769 - 1821

Napoleon used Nationalism to build and strengthen Grand Armee, but didn’t anticipate coming face-to-face with other forms of nationalism opposed to France (ex. Spain and Russia)
Spanish Ulcer
Put brother in charge of Spain (King)
Lots of revolts and uprisings in the form of brutal guerrilla warfare
Difficult to resupply/aid troops
Russian Haemorrhage
Napoleon invaded in hopes of bringing (now) independent Russians back into French empire
Tactically, he rushed his troops towards Russian positions
Russians burned Moscow so that Napoleon’s army couldn’t reap benefits ⇒ French retreat

French Revolution

1789 - 1799

ended Age of Absolutism by overthrowing monarchy and establishing a republic/liberal democracy
radical social change grounded in Enlightenment thought and liberalism
rise of Napoleon
(1793) Levee en Masse - universal conscription to aid revolution effort

Haitan Revolution

1791 - 1804

First successful slave revolt
First successful guerrilla insurgency w/o foreign sponsorship

Napoleonic Wars

May 18, 1803 - November 20, 1815

Rise of Napoleon's Empire with the Grand Army
Britain funded various European coalitions in the hopes of suppressing French ambitions
Peninsula Wars, Russian Hemorrhage and Spanish Ulcer led to Napoleon's decline

Crimean War

1853 - 1856

Aftermath of fall of Ottoman Empire
Alliance of Britain and France v. Russia (territorial allowance and religious dispute)

American Civil War

1861 - 1865

North v. South regarding issues of slavery, and the union/confederacy

Meiji Restoration

1868 - 1912

Under Emperor Meiji, practical abilities and consolidation of the political system
education was made compulsory for both boys and girls at minimal fees
responsible for the emergence of Japan as a modernized nation in the early twentieth century, and its rapid rise to great power status in the international system

Franco Prussian War

1870 - 1871

Between France and Prussian Empire regarding the balance of powers in Europe - France feared a shift in power if Prussia extended its land empire

Anglo-Zulu War

January 1879 - July 1879

British defeated Zulu in Zululand, South Africa after Zulu king disrespected ultimatum from British Generals.

Boer War

1899 - 1902

British were ill-prepared and overconfident when they arrived
Eventually won and gained control over South African region

Russo-Japanese War

1904 - 1905

War between Russian and Japanese Empires for ambitions in Korea and Manchuria
Russia was the expected victor (was in expansionist era), but Japan defeated leading to its presence on the world stage as an asian threat and power

World War I

1914 - 1918

Allies v. Central Powers
Triggered by Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria's assassination, which set off a diplomatic crisis involving allies of Austria-Hungary and Serbia
Trench warfare
War of Attrition/stalemate

Joseph Stalin

1924 - 1953

Great Purge (victims were primarily Communist officers who challenged Stalin's regime) repressed officials and peasants within the USSR
Centralized power under his control
Wanted to transform USSR into a military/industrial power

World War II

1939 - 1945

Rise of Nazi party
Scientific Racism and genocide
European and Pacific Theaters
Atom Bomb

Cold War

1947 - 1991

U.S. v. Soviet Union regarding communism
series of proxy wars (Chinese Civil War (1945-49) Korean War (1950-53), Vietnam War (1954-75), Middle East Conflict (1973-89))

9/11

September 11th, 2001

Technology, Organization and Logistics

Guerrilla Warfare

600 BC - Present

a form of irregular warfare in which a small group of combatants such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility to fight a larger and less-mobile traditional military (American Revolution, Haitian Revolution, Zulu War, Boer War, Vietnam War)

Gunpowder