50 Events You Really Need to Know: History of War - Rilegato

Cross, Robin

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 178087264X ISBN 13: 9781780872643

Casa editrice: Quercus Publishing, 2012

Riassunto

Human history - from the empires of the ancient world to the superpowers of the 21st century - has been inextricably shaped by conflict and the weapons that have been used to wage it. The technologies that have produced advanced civilizations have also been harnessed to the grim business of warfare. This short history, stretching from the chariot to the Stuxnet virus which disabled Iran's nuclear enrichment programme in 2007, charts some of the most significant weapons, fortifications and tactics that have been developed in the last 2,500 years. It is a scintillating introduction to the world's most enduring phenomenon. The 50 events include: The Egyptian New Kingdom; Heavy infantry tactics; Grand strategy of Alexander the Great; Naval warfare; Legion versus phalanx; The army on the march; Roman siegecraft; Kingship and command; Cavalry and castles; The age of chivalry; The changing battlefield; Siege trains and siegecraft; The age of Vauban; The age of Frederick the Great; The Seven Years' War; Colonial conflict; Napoleon, tactics and grand strategy; Nelson and naval tactics; The rise of the Dreadnought; Steam and steel; Firepower; Mobilization; Trench warfare; Air warfare; The Manhattan Project and Cyberwar.

Su questo libro

L'autore:

Robin Cross is an historian specializing in the Second World War. He is the author of over 30 books, two of which, VE Day and We'll Meet Again, have been Sunday Times best-sellers. Other books include Citadel: The Battle of Kursk (now a Penguin History Classic), and Fallen Eagle, an account of the fall of the Third Reich. He has also written scripts for over 150 television programmes, mostly focusing on the Second World War and 20th-century history. He is married to the historical novelist Rosalind Miles and they live in Faversham, Kent.

Dalla seconda/terza di copertina:

'It is as well that war is so terrible - we would grow too fond of it.' So wrote US Civil War general Robert E. Lee, yet despite its horror, practically all frontiers between nations, peoples and religions have been decided by armed conflict. This landmark survey of 3,000 years of warfare identifies the key ways in which humanity has pursued 'politics by other means'. Best-selling military historian Robin Cross examines the most pivotal innovations in the history of warfare. Some of these are tactical: the Roman siegecraft first invented to starve the Empire's enemies into submission; Germany's dazzling use of Blitzkrieg in the Second World War to overrun Europe; and the still hugely controversial strategic bombing of the same era that rained terror on soldiers and civilians alike. Here too are revolutionary weapons: the Macedonian phalanx that was the tank of its day; the longbow that famously won the Battle of Agincourt for the English; and the assault rifle which has played a crucial role in every conflict of the last 100 years. Also encompassing such topics as castles, naval warfare, mass production, stealth and codebreaking, this is a comprehensive overview of the many faces of battle. Packed with eyewitness testimony, it brings the physical conditions of warfare vividly and unforgettably to life. It will appeal to all students of history who want to understand this most brutal, intense and often heroic aspect of human experience.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Quercus Publishing
• Data di pubblicazione: 2012
• ISBN 10: 178087264X
• ISBN 13: 9781780872643
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 208