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War in the Modern World by Theodore Ropp (with an Introduction by Alex Roland; 176,000 words)
“A brilliant survey of the history of warfare... the best yet produced anywhere.” — B. H. Liddell Hart
“Outstanding and penetrating outline of the processes of war and the means of fighting from 1415 onward... skillfully and carefully written... [includes] one of the most comprehensive bibliographies of the history of war.” — E. B. Long, Chicago Tribune
“A substantial and scholarly history of modern warfare from the age of the ‘great captains’ through the innovations of the industrial revolution, to our age of unlimited violence.” — Henry L. Roberts, Foreign Affairs
“Leaves the reader astonished by its combinations of brevity, clarity, and accuracy.” — Times Literary Supplement
“Theodore Ropp’s thoughtful and well-documented study of wars of Western civilization from 1415 to the present is most welcome because of its comprehensiveness. His book has the added attraction of readability, so it is to be hoped that it will inform and influence not only the professional soldier, but also the intelligent layman... Dr. Ropp has been eminently successful in emphasizing the most essential lessons for today. We see policy and grand strategy cooperate or fall apart in military activities from planning, recruiting, and training to strategy and tactics... throughout we are unobtrusively shown the disastrous consequences of failure to coordinate policy and strategy.” — Donald Armstrong, Military Affairs
“Dr. Ropp has written a brilliant survey of the history of warfare in modern times. It is useful to the military man because it surveys concisely yet adequately modern concepts of war; it is equally helpful to the advocate of peace because it portrays the factors and the beliefs he must overcome if war is to be removed from the world... [a] concise, yet meticulously organized and accurate account of the place of war in modern society... Ropp has produced an invaluable insight into military thinking of the modern world.” — Elden Billings, World Affairs
“[A] short and vivid summary of warfare as waged in modern time... Ropp’s book is a reminder that the history of warfare includes the raw materials with which the political, economic, diplomatic, or social historian also works... Ropp preserves timeless lessons for us, along with his evidence that warfare did much to disrupt and change the life of man in the past three hundred years. The historian cannot ignore the ways and means by which nations enforced these changes if he is to give the whole picture of the past.” — Forrest C. Pogue, The American Historical Review
“A scholarly, thoughtful and well-written survey of the evolution of warfare from the ‘age of the captains’ to the ‘age of violence.’ The main stress is on the wars of the 20th century and on the effect of political, social and economic circumstances on the theory and practice of the military profession.” — C. P. Snow, Scientific American
“Theodore Ropp’s volume... is principally a history of the political and social implications of warfare from the Renaissance to the present. But it is much more than that. It adequately summarizes the battles and campaigns that form the stuff of conventional military history; it analyzes the principal military theorists from Machiavelli to Clausewitz and Mahan; and it discusses the complex problem of military organization and the intricate relationships between military institutions and the governments they serve. Moreover, the analysis of American and European political, economic and social history is as sound as the discussion of the technical issues of strategy and tactics... a remarkable volume which, in addition, contains one of the finest working bibliographies of military history that has ever been put into print.” — Richard D. Challener, The American Scholar
“It requires courage to undertake to survey the history of warfare through the past five centuries in less than 400 pages. Professor Ropp has done a remarkable job of just that in this unique volume... outstanding... is the manner in which the Bibliography is presented. It is developed by means of Footnotes to the text so that the reader has the applicable reference before him as he reads... The compilation of the Bibliography alone is a monumental piece of work... This volume is much more than an introductory textbook to military history; it is a reference work of real worth.” — Bern Anderson, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
“War in the Modern World is a valuable book. It will be very useful in military history courses. And Professor Ropp’s excellent bibliographical notes are the most thorough and up-to-date guide to recent work in military history which is presently available; they are, indeed, beyond praise. These and its other virtues will make this a standard work in its field, useful alike to the beginner and the professor of military history. “ — William R. Emerson, The Mississippi Valley Historical Review
“[A] distinguished one-volume history of military affairs spanning the past five centuries. It is superbly annotated and brilliantly balanced in its interpretation... the basic contribution of War in the Modern World is found in its central thesis: political, technological, and organizational features of warfare in history are indivisible... Professor Ropp’s contribution comes as close as any volume will to filling the crucial need for a balanced single volume on military history, broadly considered.” — Eugene M. Emme, Technology and Culture
“War in the Modern World is far and away the best of the histories of military affairs... a remarkably fine piece of work... Professor Ropp has made a great contribution to an understanding of the phenomenon of war.” — Edward L. Katzenbach, Jr., The American Political Science Review
“Surpasses any other general history of the subject.” — Library Journal
“The narrative flows easily, is illuminated by flashes of colorful detail, and relates the development of warfare to the political, technological, and economic changes of the modern era... Especially stimulating and helpful is Mr. Ropp’s system of bibliographic footnotes. These are found on almost every page, directing the reader to a well-selected choice of historical and military writings which will provide more light and wider vistas whenever his interest is further stirred by what he is reading... This reviewer... has never seen anything quite as calculated to guide the beginner in further exploration of the subject or to serve as a quick reference index for the experienced analyst.” — New York Herald Tribune