Men, Machines & WarWilfrid Laurier Univ. Press, 1988 M11 30 - 219 páginas Using examples from the last two centuries, this collection of essays discusses the close links between technology and war. In the opening essay, distinguished historian William H. McNeill demonstrates the extent to which military technology has often led to differentiations among people, both within and between societies. The other studies examine various aspects of weapons technology, drawing on the history of the armed forces of Britain, Prussia, and Australia, among others. Some of these illustrate how the adoption of new weaponry frequently depended as much on national pride and party politics as it did on the purely technical merits of the weapons involved; that financial considerations became increasingly primary in technological developments in British army after World War I; and that decisions made prior to 1939 about the aviation technology to be developed for military purposes largely determined what kind of the RAF was able to fight. The chapter by Dr. G.R. Lindsay, the Chief of the Operational Research and Analysis Establishment at the Department of National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, makes the case that, with nuclear weapons added to the scene, the impact of technology on international security has never been as great as at present, and that the competition of nations seeking the technological edge in weaponry threatens to destabilize the precarious balance that has existed since 1945. |
Dentro del libro
Resultados 1-5 de 57
... became increasingly pri- mary in technological developments in the British army after World War I ; and that decisions made prior to 1939 about the aviation technology to be developed for military purposes largely determined what kind ...
... became identified with Australian nationalism . In such circumstances , its performance came to be in one sense irrelevant to its adoption , with heart arguing at least as strongly as head . The case of the Owen gun illustrates nicely ...
... became well enough organized to be called war . Clubs , spears , and bows superseded stone hand axes long before recorded history began . Machines of this simple kind , we may well believe , made a difference in group combats whenever ...
... became complex and expensive and required specially skilled craftsmen to make them . Technology then began to act upon society , giving some groups access to superior machines of war and denying it to others . Generally speaking , the ...
... Italian cities began to use pikemen , bowmen , and cavalry in combination to defend themselves against feudal cavalry charges . Such forces soon became professional and mercenary , making money more important than 6 Men , Machines , and ...
Contenido
21 | |
Observations on the Dialectics of British Tactics 190445 | 49 |
The Royal Navy and Technological Change 18151945 | 75 |
The Influence of Technology on Airpower 191945 | 93 |
Artillery from 1815 to 1914 | 113 |
Technology Society and International Security Since 1945 | 153 |
Australias Owen Gun Story | 183 |
Index | 215 |