War
War is a prolonged state of violent conflict between two or more states. War has been conducted for many purposes, such as the acquisition of goods, seizing enemy territory, to satisfy the honor of the sovereign, eliminating a threat to the homeland, stamping out rival religious sects (see Religious_war), or exporting political ideologies. Warfare between factions within a single state is called civil war.
Wars have often been periods of great technological innovation as each side finds itself faced with the necessity of creating new methods of offense and defense to ensure national survival.
The American Civil War, coming shortly after the Industrial revolution in the United States, introduced mechanized warfare to the world with accurate rifles metal warships, railroad transportation of forces and material, and instant communication via the telegraph.
World War I (1914-1918) introduced air combat, chemical warfare, submarine and tank warfare, and the large scale deployment of the machine gun.
World War II (1939-1945) refined tank tactics in the form of the Blitzkrieg, and introduced large-scale strategic bombing of enemy cities. The aircraft carrier took mastery of the seas. It ended with the first (and only) use of nuclear weapons.
Since the Cold War began in 1947, there have been very few international wars but many civil wars, such as the Vietnam War and the Korean War.
See also
Further reading
- Dupuy, R. Ernest, and Trevor N. Dupuy. The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History: From 3500 B.C. to the Present (1993)
