The War Chronicles: From Flintlocks to Machine Guns

by Joseph Cummins

A Global Survey of Modern Warfare, from the First Fervid Days of the French Revolution of 1789 to the Bloody Stalemate that Ended the Iran-Iraq War in 1988 In the modern era, warfare entered a new phase. Technological innovation yielded evermore destructive weaponry, international communications and alliances greatly extended the reach of conflicts, and military strategists increasingly targeted infrastructure and civilians, while new media—first photography, then film and television—conveyed the horror and brutality of industrialized combat to those who had the good fortune to live beyond the battle zones. The War From Flintlocks to Machine Guns adopts the innovative and accessible format of its predecessor, which spanned the period from 500 BC to the American Revolution, to chart the astonishingly rapid evolution of modern warfare. In doing so, it traces the transformation of battle tactics, from the prearranged set-piece encounters of the Napoleonic Wars to the massive naval landings and aerial bombardments of World War II, explains the scientific innovations that yielded the machine gun, the tank, and the atom bomb, and vividly renders the key victories that turned the tide of war, from Waterloo to Gettysburg and D-Day. At the same time, it reiterates the constants of the slaughters and massacres, including the Holocaust and the little-known Taiping Rebellion, which killed up to forty million Chinese; the personal sacrifices made by those battling tyranny, among them the rebels of revolutionary France, Greece, and Mexico; and the extraordinary influence of charismatic leaders, ranging from Napoleon and Pancho Villa to Mao Zedong and Hitler. Sweeping in its scope, yet intimate in its insights into the motivations of politicians, strategists, commanders, and soldiers, this is a collection that will enhance your understanding of the modern world and your own place in it.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Joseph Cummins is the author of numerous books, including Anything for a Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots and October Surprises in U.S. Presidential Elections; A Bloody History of the World, which won the 2010 Our History Project Gold Medal Award; and the forthcoming Ten Tea Parties: Patriotic Protests That History Forgot. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

[Jay Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book I had was a hardback printed in China c 2009. It was poorly edited and would refer you to pages both previously read and ones yet to be read that did not exist. It would ask you to refer to page 100 for info on the Crimean war while that page was one in the middle of the US Civil War. So either the book was shortened on purpose or the Chinese just deleted a few pages and sold it anyway. Who knows I had a textbook recently for a masters program that had the same problem and was also printed in China. The book itself was interesting with the earliest chapters seeming to provide more info then the later chapters.

[Jimmie Kepler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe you are familiar with the wars involving the United States. But have you ever wondered about the wars that were taking place in other parts of the world? "The War Chronicles: From Flintlocks to Machine Guns" by Joseph Cummins contains short sections on all wars throughout the world from the French Revolution in 1783 to the Iran-Iraq War of 1988.

The book is organized with 21 chapters. It gives the dates of the conflict. You see who the principle combatants and the theaters of operations. The casualties are given. You get a succinct sketch of the entire conflict. A timeline of events is shared. This followed by a narrative of the complete war in greater detail including a thorough description of the key battle. A biography of the two principle leaders on each side is shared. This is followed by a profile segment which gives details of the structure, organization, and military hardware involved.

Joseph Cummins does a masterful job as he describes each conflict with an attention-grabbing energy that brings the time, people, and crisis to life in a narrative history style. I personally enjoyed his short biographies of the two principle leaders on each side. What a great reference for secondary students having to do reports of the key war leaders.

This is more than a coffee table reference book. It would make an excellent reference book for any military history buff. It also would be an outstanding text book for an introductory military history survey course and would be a great addition to any school or community library. Any soldier, sailor, airman, or marine would be proud to have it in their personal library.

This is a follow-up work to Joseph Cummins book "The War Chronicles: From Chariots to Flintlocks: New Perspectives on the Two Thousand Years of Bloodshed That Shaped the Modern World."

Review by Jimmie Aaron Kepler