His Life and Legacy — More Myth than Reality? Augustus was instrumental in creating the Rome we know today and despite Tacitus’ feelings otherwise, the time has come to regard Augustus for what he was: the great savior of Rome. Despite his arrogance and early displays of bloodlust, Augustus was far from a power-hungry killer…
All posts tagged Military History
U.S. Influence in Post-World War II Latin America
The Monroe Doctrine was Alive and Well The United States and Latin America have had tumultuous relationships since each won independence in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Following World War II, the world’s economy entered into a period of significant growth. The Marshall Plan saw massive U.S. investment in war-torn Western Europe, which…
The Evolution of American Cold War Containment Strategy
If strategy is a calculated relationship between ends, ways, and means, then during the Cold War, American strategic ends — containment of the Soviet Union — remained unchanged. Containment meant preventing Soviet expansion and military aggression, often through military deterrence. The strategy employed — be it the Truman Doctrine, New Look, Flexible Response, Détente, or…
Economics and Warfare
Economics is the Sine Qua Non of Waging War In their three-volume Military Effectiveness set, Allan R. Millett and Williamson Murray argue that political effectiveness involves a nation’s ability to obtain and allocate resources for military activity. This might be the most critical factor in determining a nation’s ability to succeed in a great power war. Throughout…
Is There a Distinctive American Way of War?
The United States has no Single Way of War This is a historiography for the masses article In his landmark book, The American Way of War, Russell Weigley argues that there is, in fact, a distinctly American method of waging war. Weigley examines American strategic thought and finds a strategic culture predicated on pursuing war through Hans…
Is the United States an Empire?
Lets see what these prominent historians think Despite national myth to the contrary, during the long 19th century the United States engaged in imperial expansion. American imperial ambitions manifest themselves in expanding across the North American continent, obtaining overseas holdings, and influencing other nation-states through economic or military action. From its earliest westward expansion shortly…
Rome, Carthage, and a few Punic War Hypotheticals
What if things had turned out slightly different? Could Hannibal have secured victory? During two successive wars, it is likely that Rome’s victories were unavoidable. Carthage was predominantly unable to overcome Roman military power due to its inability to comprehend Roman resolve. During the first war, it was unfathomable at the onset to see Rome as…
Favorite Books of 2022
These were my favorite five books that I read in 2022. All excellent works that might be useful for a great many of you. Here is my annual best books list Soldiers From Experience: The Forging of Sherman’s Fifteenth Army Corps, 1862–1863 by Eric Michael Burke Burke’s novel concept of tactical culture, alongside his brilliant prose,…
How Did The First World War Impact Military Aviation?
The development of three-dimensional combined arms. From the beginning of the war in 1914 through the armistice of 1918, the concept of air power developed from an ad hoc adventure into a formidable component of military strategy and combined arms warfare. Despite inconclusive short-term battlefield effects, military aviation forced commanders to account for it at…
What were Spartan Motives in the Peloponnesian War?
Fear. Honor. Interest. While multiple incidents drove the Spartans to declare war on Athens, the fear of Athenian power was undoubtedly not the driving force behind Sparta’s decision. A mighty Athens presented a clear and present danger to the economic and political sovereignty of the Peloponnesian League and required a response. Athens displayed strong empirical…