A concise look at British military history focusing primarily on the last three centuries, this study examines land, sea, and air warfare-in particular, cycles of alliance and enmity with the United States.
Jeremy Black, is Professor of History at Exeter University in the United Kingdom. His books include The British Seaborne Empire, War and the World 1450-2000, War since 1945, and Altered States: America since the Sixties. He is a Fellow of the editorial board of the Royal United Services Institute and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
Black organizes this account of British military structures and
cultures, and relevant socio-political contexts, as well as of
conflicts not in relation to Britain's European rivals France or
Germany, but in relation to the US. Thus, the book's three sections
are titled Imperial Parent, Imperial Rival, and Imperial
Partner….Recommended. Libraries with national-security collections;
graduate students and faculty.
*Choice*
Black begins this concise and comprehensive military history with
an overview going back to the Roman invasion of Britain in 55 and
54 B.C.E. The book is organized into three parts: Britain as
imperial parent (through 1775), as imperial rival (1775-1904), and
as imperial partner (from 1904). The first part deals with
Britain's maritime tradition, its relatively small army, and its
growing struggle with France. The second part begins with the War
for American Independence, covers the rise of Napoleon, and ends
with the ascendancy of Great Britain as the master of imperialism.
The third part concentrates on the role of Britain as imperial
partner in the 20th century and the challenges contained therein:
the retraction of Britain's Far Eastern policies, its membership in
NATO, and modern conflicts from the Falklands to Iraq. Black
presents new perspectives on his subject (since military history
cannot be studied in a vacuum) and thus challenges established
assumptions (e.g., that the Crimean failures were owing simply to
aging generals). His discussion of military history as an
interrelated part of the nation's history is most enlightening.
Recommended.
*Library Journal*
Military structures and cultures, relevant sociological contexts,
and the conflicts themselves are part of the story that Black
tells. The early 21st century, he says, provides a different
perspective than did the Cold War, and so he chooses some
surprising topics to follow down the three centuries. The series
being American, he devotes much attention to cross-Atlantic
military relations, mostly after the unfortunate dust-up in the
1770s, oh yes, and that 1812 misunderstanding.
*Reference & Research Book News*
Intellectually questioning, Black's study cultivates an
understanding of the resources and doctrines underlying the British
military panorama of battles, leaders, and soldiers.
*Booklist*
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