Avoiding Armageddon

Here is an original and up-to-date account of a key period of military history, one that not only links the two World Wars but also anticipates the more complex nature of conflict following the Cold War. Black links the two World Wars, between the overcoming of trench warfare in the campaigns of 1918 and the fall of France in 1940. This was a period when militaries, governments and publics digested the lessons of the Great War and prepared for another major struggle. Black also locates the period in terms of long-term questions in military history, including the relationship between symmetrical and asymmetrical warfare, the tensions surrounding innovation, the pressures and possibilities created by technological change and the impact of ideology on the causes and conduct of war. Avoiding Armageddon devotes particular attention to the Far East as part of Black's worldwide coverage. He also assesses the role of the military in internal politics and establishes the importance of civil wars.

Here is an original and up-to-date account of a key period of military history, one that not only links the two World Wars but also anticipates the more complex nature of conflict following the Cold War. Black links the two World Wars, between the overcoming of trench warfare in the campaigns of 1918 and the fall of France in 1940. This was a period when militaries, governments and publics digested the lessons of the Great War and prepared for another major struggle. Black also locates the period in terms of long-term questions in military history, including the relationship between symmetrical and asymmetrical warfare, the tensions surrounding innovation, the pressures and possibilities created by technological change and the impact of ideology on the causes and conduct of war. Avoiding Armageddon devotes particular attention to the Far East as part of Black's worldwide coverage. He also assesses the role of the military in internal politics and establishes the importance of civil wars.

List of AbbreviationsPrefaceIntroduction1. The Aftermath of the Great War2. Imperial Warfare3. Warfare in the 'Third World' in the 1920s4. Learning Lessons5. Naval Developments6. Air Power7. The 1930s: Economic Context8. War in the Far East9. Conflict and the Western Empires in the 1930s10. The Third World in the 1930s11. Politics and the Military in the Europe of the 1930s12. Preparing for War13. Conclusion Notes Selected Further ReadingIndex