The third edition of What is Military History? has been thoroughly updated, and includes a new bibliography and new case studies on naval warfare and the origins of war, as well as expanded sections on historiography, environmental history and world history. This popular textbook showcases a field that encompasses not only accounts of campaigns and battles, but includes a wide range of perspectives on all aspects of past military organization and activity. Its global and comparative analysis covers: the history of military history, showing how it has developed from ancient times to the present; the key ideas and concepts that shape analysis of military activity; the current controversies about which military historians argue, and why they are important; a survey of who does military history, where it is taught and published, and how it is practiced; and a look at where military history is headed in the future. Ideal for any interested reader and for classes in military history and in historiography generally, the third edition of this popular book thoroughly explains the dynamics of this rich and growing area of study.

The third edition of What is Military History? has been thoroughly updated, and includes a new bibliography and new case studies on naval warfare and the origins of war, as well as expanded sections on historiography, environmental history and world history.This popular textbook showcases a field that encompasses not only accounts of campaigns and battles, but includes a wide range of perspectives on all aspects of past military organization and activity. Its global and comparative analysis covers: the history of military history, showing how it has developed from ancient times to the present; the key ideas and concepts that shape analysis of military activity; the current controversies about which military historians argue, and why they are important; a survey of who does military history, where it is taught and published, and how it is practiced; and a look at where military history is headed in the future.Ideal for any interested reader and for classes in military history and in historiography generally, the third edition of this popular book thoroughly explains the dynamics of this rich and growing area of study.

Contents1. An Introduction to Military HistoryMilitary History: Definitions, Topics, ScopeWho Studies Military History and Why?Overview of this Book2. Military HistoriographyClassical Roots: Military History in Ancient TimesMilitary History in the Traditional World: Histories, Manuals, and War TalesScience, Nationalism, and General Staffs: Military History in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth CenturiesNew Military Histories: The Transformations of the Last 50 Years3. Conceptual FrameworksMilitary History and Philosophy of HistoryMilitary Art and PracticeWar and Society: Interdisciplinary InfluencesGlobal History and Comparative MethodologyConclusions4. Current ControversiesMilitary RevolutionsCounter-Insurgency: History and Policy?The West?: Exceptionalism and Dominance?Is Naval History Military History?War, Society, and Culture: Other ControversiesConclusion: Revisionism and Reading the Process of History5. Doing Military HistoryFormsSourcesProgramsJournals, Presses, and Associations6. The Future of Military HistoryTrends in the FieldThe Politics of Military HistoryNotesFurther ReadingIndex