Argumentative Essay

The thesis statement and essay should be derived from the question below.

Using Geoffrey Parker’s Western Way of War thesis, which element or elements best explain the evolution of modern war between 1648 and 1941? What are the implications of your answer for the US military in the 21st Century?

The essay should address the everything below as it pertains to the evolution of war between 1648 and 1941.

1. The Western Way of Way
a. Reliance on technology
b. Aggressive military tradition – Decisive victory
c. Discipline
d. Innovation – doctrinal adaptation – Punctuated Equilibrium
e. Finance – who pays / drives creation of states > long term credit

Revolutions in Military Affairs (RMA)
Military Revolutions (MA)

Westphalia
Fredrick The Great
Gustav Adolphus / Maurice of Nassau
Napoleon Bonaparte / French Revolution
Decline of Napoleon
Clauswitz’s On War / Trinity
Jomini’s Concepts of warfare
Prussian / German RMA
WW I
WW I and Combined Arms Wars

Use the Following Sources:
Dynamics of Military Revolution – Knox & Murray
Makers of Modern Military Strategy from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age – Peret
The Cambridge History of Warfare – Parker
On War – Carl Von Clausewitz