Introduction to Global Military History: 1775 to the Present Day

by Jeremy Black

This lucid account of military developments around the modern world begins with the American War of Independence and the French revolutionary wars and continues chronologically to the latest 21st century conflicts. It combines determinedly global coverage with thought-provoking analysis not only of the military aspects of conflict but also its social, cultural, political and economic dimensions and consequences.

By placing familiar events alongside the largely unknown, the reader is forced to reassess the standard grand narrative of military history that rests on assumptions of Western cultural and technological superiority. It will be essential reading for students worldwide, whether studying modern military history, modern world history, history and international relations or war and society.

This fully updated second edition includes:



chapter introductions and conclusions to assist study and revision



'Voices of War' sourced extracts from the field of conflict



case studies in each chapter to support the narrative and provoke discussion



a 12-page colour map section and over 20 other integrated maps



annotated references from the latest publications in the field

Genres: Military History, History, Military Fiction, Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 2005

About the author

Jeremy Black is an English historian, who was formerly a professor of history at the University of Exeter. He is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US.
Black is the author of over 180 books, principally but not exclusively on 18th-century British politics and international relations, and has been described by one commentator as "the most prolific historical scholar of our age". He has published on military and political history, including Warfare in the Western World, 1882–1975 (2001) and The World in the Twentieth Century (2002).

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best thing about this book is that it covers conflicts that are generally ignored, the most depressing thing is that there are so many of them. One chapter is devoted to each of the world wars, fourteen pages covering World War I and 34 pages covering World War II. Of course, this means that the coverage of both is only superficial.
The start date coincides with the outbreak of the revolution of the American colonies against Great Britain. The French revolution and the rise and fall of Napolean are covered. What was impressive was that there are several pages devoted to conflicts in Asia during this time frame. The Russian Empire was engaged in expansion to both the south and east. China engaged in conflicts with her southern neighbors and there was a continuation of the nearly constant internal fighting. There is even a mention of the war between the Ottoman Empire and Persia from 1774 to 1779.
In the chapter called “Empires Rise and Fall,” there are several pages devoted to conflicts outside of Europe. There were wars of expansion conducted by Egypt, battles in India, Vietnam, and battles between groups in what was still an independent Africa.
Since there is at least a brief mention of so many conflicts that are rarely part of a historical study, what I have used this book for is as a pointer to additional information about the small wars that took place in nearly every place in the world. Before the Europeans invaded and took control of almost all of Africa, the states that existed often fought each other.
The chapter that I found most interesting is chapter 10, “Wars Between Non-Western Powers.” While the main conflicts were those between Israel and the Arab States and the Iran-Iraq war, there is mention of the battles between and within Latin American states. The significance of the war between Iran and Iraq is rarely mentioned, even though estimates are that over 2 million soldiers participated in the war and many as a half a million may have been killed.
If you are looking for a book that will cover wars in detail, then this one is not for you. However, if you are interested in a book that has a mention of almost all significant conflicts in the world since 1775, this is a book that you will want to read.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It truly looks at "global military history" and not just at what takes place in Europe and North America up until WWI and WWII. It looks at conflicts that were taking place in Africa, Asia, and the American continents before colonization took place. I thought it was both fascinating and enlightening.

I read it as a textbook for a class and thought it was well worth the price of paying for the book. While each chapter focuses on specific time periods involving various conflicts, the focus is more general in nature when it comes to specific conflicts in each chapter. Even the chapters on WWI and WWII felt more like an "overview" because of how much is summarized (for lack of a better word).

There is a decent bibliography section for each chapter, so I reading the book to become familiar with a certain period of time and then using the bibliography to narrow down the focus on certain regions or certain conflicts. The edition I read was published in 2019 and the most recent events described are from 2017. There is a Fourth Edition that was published in 2024, but I have not actually seen it or read it, so I do not know how much it has been expanded or could be added in five years. It would be interesting to read, I think, to see what changes have been made.

I am glad that I took that class about U.S. Military History, and I am even more grateful that the professor had us read this book as I felt it was informative, interesting, and I enjoyed reading it. I especially enjoyed the focus on other, non-Western conflicts that took place during the indicated time period as I was fairly unfamiliar with probably most of the material presented in this book.

[Jesse Callaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read, attention paid to non-western military history meant that much of the material covered was very fresh. The discussion of World War 1 also very original. Overall, an excellent read that offers much more than had I expected.