On War Sparknotes

Decisions for War, 1914-1917 by Richard Hamilton and Holger Herwig investigates the origins of the First World War detailing individual country’s reasons for entering the war. Historians at War by Anthony Adamthwaite explores how scholars have understood the origins of the Second World War throughout varying times and differing national view points. Both works share a common theme of determinism; a retrospective notion placed on historical events by historians that Europe was inescapably predestined to go to war and that nothing nor anyone could inhibit that. Both remark that this popular approach does a disservice into the explanation of war as it does not accurately depict the economic and social agency present in Europe at the time. In

In “War is a Racket” General Butler laments the use of propaganda in World War 1, and he notes

Bloch studied about war for approximately fourteen years before materializing his researches into the form of a book. Eventually, his study came out in 1899 but Bloch would never get the opportunity to observe his ideas being validated by the two world wars. An entrepreneur and a civilian writer, Jean de Bloch's theory of war has proven viable throughout the years precisely because it witnessed its actualization within the two world wars. His analysis on military strategies is all time relevant because it explores war from standout points that indeed remain constant no matter the circumstances or the time of its emergence.

The operations of the Potomac and Rappahannock started with eight on board the Blossom. One person who was named Bagley was reported being engaged in traffic between the states of Virginia and Maryland upward to a full year. There were 30 sacks of wheat on the vessel. On the 11th instant, Acting Master Josselyn chased and ran on shore a small sloop which was attempting to cross to Virginia from Breton’s Bay. The crew managed to escape while also destroying or carrying with them everything except some salt and 2 hogsheads of sugar. The prisoners, vessel, and prize goods are secure and were handed over to the provost-marshal which was according to

Elie Wiesel, an Auschwitz survivor, ends his autobiography, Night, with the lasting statement, "From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me" (115). The importance of this declaration signifies that Elie came to a realization that emotional death that the death camps have created will far outweigh the physical pains experienced through torture. He understands that the physical evidence from the torture will fade, but the psychological trauma will torment and alter the rest of his life. Through Elie 's eyes, the reader is forced to beg the questions: What is the breaking point for a person to experience a disregard for emotion? How does a person heal from what is thought to be obsolete terror? And can a person ever recover to the extent of fitting back into society? However, holocaust survivors are not the only people who suffered from the detrimental effects of death. Veterans of war also become victims to the immunity of death. The mother country will rejoice at the sight of its sons returning from battle; however, the families do not comprehend that the war will always rage inside their battle-scarred relative. Although wars hurt America physically by decreasing the population, wars also impact soldiers emotionally. Emotional death is prevalent in all wars, and it destroys America socially because of the isolationism it creates.

In this article, Ernest Furgurson explains how both the North and South underestimated how long the war would take. Neither side was completely ready for this war. They had no clue what they were getting themselves into. Each side underestimated the other side. Each side took turns claiming they had won when they actually hadn’t.

In the passage “Ecstasy of War”, Ehrenreich argues war is not conducted by the essence of environmental violence but rather discussing mental effects of war. For example, Ehrenreich establishes the mental transformation where a person sacrifices their own civilization in order to become a fighter. In other words, leaving their normal daily duties and doing the required things to survive. In her passage, she gives us a few insights of how a person transforms into a fighter, she says “often the transformation is helped along with drugs or social pressure of various kinds” (Page 455). This quote demonstrates how a person would leave their normal lifestyles by performing different things they’ve probably never have done before such as the use

What is the Just War theory and how did it pertain to St. Augustine? According to Augustine there is no private right to kill. According to Paul Ramsey opposes in The Just War, Christian participation in warfare “was not actually an exception to the commandment, “you shall not murder” but instead an expression of the Christian understanding of moral and political responsibility. One can kill only under the authority of God. St. Augustine argued that Christian rulers had such an obligation to make peace for the protection of his subjects even if the only way to eliminate such a threat was through force of arms. St. Augustine believed that in wars there was a right intention.

Narrative Form – Location - Railroad tracks present as well as steam engine indicates a time period after the 1700’s

Poets frequently utilize vivid images to further depict the overall meaning of their works. The imagery in “& the War Was in Its Infancy Then,” by Maurice Emerson Decaul, conveys mental images in the reader’s mind that shows the physical damage of war with the addition of the emotional effect it has on a person. The reader can conclude the speaker is a soldier because the poem is written from a soldier’s point of view, someone who had to have been a first hand witness. The poem is about a man who is emotionally damaged due to war and has had to learn to cope with his surroundings. By use of imagery the reader gets a deeper sense of how the man felt during the war. Through the use of imagery, tone, and deeper meaning, Decaul shows us the

There are no universal theories to explain the true nature and character of war, and any war theories are not a fact or absolute truth. All strategic principles are dynamic and contextual, so “every age had its own kind of war, its own limiting conditions, and its own peculiar preconceptions.” The battlefield environment of the 21st century will be the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, and nature of war will be completely different because of the Revolution in Military Affairs. Highly advance communication and information technologies, a dramatic increase in computing capabilities, developed of precision munitions, dominant air and space power ‘war could be waged by the projection of

Today’s strategic environment, whether government or corporate, is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) often times characterized by “wicked problems” or unsolvable problems. Compiled during the early 19th century, Clausewitz’s manuscript “On War” arguably posited the same conclusion in relation to the strategic level of war. He described war as uncertain, unpredictable, and marked by chance. The more the scale moved from the tactical realm to the strategic realm, the more complex war became due to the aforementioned variables. Society today must contend with the impacts of globalization, which has led to significant changes in economic, social, and cultural norms. These changes have resulted in compressed timelines and reduced decision space. With so much information available, the risk of information overload has presented challenges to how individuals approach problem solving. As a result, society has become over reliant on what Guy Claxton defines as deliberate mode (d-mode), “a way of knowing that relies on reason and logic.” (Claxton, p2)

Not only does the book point at a transcendental connection between humanity but it also proves it with raw science. Aside from light, the book also tackles the purely biological connection between us all: “We all come into existence as a single cell, smaller than a speck of dust. Much smaller. Divide. Multiply.

In, “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu, several chapters of war strategy are problematized and conceptualized for producing the best possible outcome for ones relative side. In chapter 9 entitled Marches, the main message that comes across is interpreting signs from the things that are happening around you in order to prepare yourself on how to act next. One of these actions includes interpreting signs from nature so you can access information about your enemy without even seeing them. Additionally thought over is the ability to read and analyze body language of your opposing team to understand their current status so you can prepare your own side. Finally, the ability to understand human mentality of your own side in order to get the best results from your own troop is discussed. Thus, by understanding these effects to actions, how nature reacts to human contact, how soldiers react to being weakened, and how your team reacts to upper rule, as a result one is more equip to fight a successful battle and be prepared for anything, even if they can or cannot see it, for understanding effects causes on to gain the upper hand in battle.

The Art Of War, by Sun Tzu, was created first in 5th century BCE, or the Zhou period. Sun Tzu was a ancient Chinese general from the Zhou dynasty, and a military strategist, giving him a proper background for writing this book. This book concerns itself with the topic of ancient warfare, and strategies that were prevalent at the time. Many of these strategies are still used; however, they are utilized differently than they were, due to advancements in technology made from 5th Century BCE to present day. The Art of War does not only discuss military strategy however; It also discusses how to lead an army successfully, how to be a great military general, and what attributes are necessary for victory. The book also has subtle references to spirituality and Chinese culture at the time, through references to the environment (ie; Five Elements). The most important attribute of this book though, is one not even included in the book; it is the impact of this book on modern society, and how it assisted the Chinese throughout history. The Art of War was first published in 1938, although written in the 5th century BCE, insinuating that the book did hold some type of historical value. It is important to note that the copy which I have chosen is by Sun Tzu, but translated by James Trapp, a British translator, which slightly impacts the writing, but not significantly.