3rd Edition
War, Peace and International Relations An Introduction to Strategic History
This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the strategic history of the past two centuries, showing how those 200 years were shaped and reshaped extensively by war. The book takes a broad view of what was relevant to the causes, courses and consequences of conflict.
The volume provides students with a strong grounding in the contribution of war to the development of the modern world, from the pre-industrial era to the age of international terrorism and smart weapons. Covering all the major wars of the past two centuries, the third edition has been revised and updated and now includes:
- new introductory essays at the start of each section to help students recognize historical turning points and strategic themes;
- revised and updated material on the post-Cold War period, accommodating new developments and contemporary perspectives;
- new material on non-Western views on strategy, especially Sun Tzu;
- a new chapter on ‘The age of acceleration and great power competition’, starting with the death of Bin Laden and ending with the Ukraine crisis;
- a new Conclusion offering a synthesis between the message of earlier editions and the state of strategy today.
This textbook will be essential reading for students of strategic studies, security studies, war studies, International Relations and international history.
Introduction: Strategic History
PART I: THEORY OF WAR
1. Themes and Contexts of Strategic History
2. Carl Von Clausewitz and The Theory of War
PART II: THE FRENCH AND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONS
3. From Limited War to National War: The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Way of War
4. The Nineteenth Century, I: A Strategic View
5. The Nineteenth Century, II: Technology, Warfare and International Order
PART III: WORLD WAR I AND THE TWENTY-YEAR ARMISTICE
6. World War I, I: Controversies
7. World War I, II: Modern Warfare
8. The Twenty-Year Armistice, 1919-39
9. The Mechanization of War
PART IV: WORLD WAR II
10. World War II in Europe, I: The Structure and Course of Total War
11. World War II in Europe, II: Understanding the War
12. World War II in Asia-Pacific, I: Japan and the Politics of Empire
13. World War II in Asia-Pacific, II: Strategy and Warfare
PART V: THE COLD WAR
14. The Cold War, I: Politics and Ideology
15. The Cold War, II: The Nuclear Revolution
PART VI: OUR CONTEMPORARY AGE
16. War and Peace After the Cold War: An Interwar Decade
17. 9/11 and the Age of Terror
18. The Age of Acceleration and the Rise of Great Power Competition
Conclusion: War, Peace and International Order
Biography
The late Colin S. Gray was Professor of International Politics and Strategic Studies at the University of Reading, UK, and a professional strategic theorist and defence analyst. His 30 books include Modern Strategy (1999), Another Bloody Century (2005) and The Strategy Bridge (2010).
James J. Wirtz is Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, USA. He is co-editor of Strategy in the Contemporary World 7th edition (2022) and author of Understanding Intelligence Failure: Warning, Response and Deterrence (2017).
'Since it was first published in 2007 War, Peace and International Relations: An Introduction to Strategic History has been a classic and distinctive text in the Strategic Studies literature. Professor Gray, one of the great strategic thinkers of his day, argued that strategic history indicated that the future of warfare was likely to be very much like the past and that the general theory of strategy was unchanging. He also argued that great power rivalry was likely to re-emerge in the future. Following his premature death, Professor Wirtz has done a great service to students and practitioners of strategy by bringing Gray’s analysis up to date in this new edition showing how important Gray’s insights and analysis are to the understanding of the contemporary war in Ukraine and the growing geopolitical tensions in relations between the West and the developing ‘unlimited’ strategic alliance between Russia and China. Professor Wirtz is to be congratulated. This is a great testimony to the enduring value of the writings of Colin S. Gray.'
Emeritus Professor John Baylis, FLSW, FRHist.S, FAcSS, USA
Praise for previous editions:
'The author’s discussions and clarity of thought and expression make this work ideal as a textbook for introducing civilian students and prospective military officers of the various military academies to the subject.'
Parameters
