Which Characteristic of the Western Way of War Best Exemplifies Warfare in American Civil War - Essay Example

Essay outline Which characteristic of the Western way of war best exemplifies warfare in American Civil War? I. Introduction: In the contemporary world, the common direction in foreign policies of Europe and USA seems to become a natural fact that defines the current state of international relations. Nevertheless, this process was not so essential for the previous generations. In particular, such a situation was not defining the world order two centuries ago when Europe was continuously struggling in its own border and USA was a young split state A. Attention step: Current ability to think in the same way in the last years of international relations could not occur if only the background of behavior within the states in Europe and North America was not close in the previous years. In this context, the way of holding conflicts in nineteenth century in Europe and USA can be used as an example of similarities between the Western way of war and American Civil War. B. Thesis statement: In the given essay, the evolution of war strategy in terms of technological improvement and strategic thinking is considered as the feature of the Western way of war that can characterize American Civil War. II. Changed manner of thinking that is evident for both Europe and America A. French Revolution as a starting point for the century raised key questions 1. Rise of manpower as a factor of military strategies that enabled grand battles 2. Concentration on economic wealth as a new aim for the countries B. Ideology as a new cause of the wars defined by nationalism III. Technological innovations observed in the new century were essential for both continents A. Popular support as an emotional component of the battles in the nineteenth century B. Industrialization as a defining process for the most powerful countries in the world IV. Evolution of military behavior which is similar for both Western battles and American Civil War A. Enormous ambitions as a starting trend in history of wars B. Industrial Revolution as a technological shift in both military styles C. Strategic wisdom as a highly appreciated trait in the late nineteenth century V. Conclusion: the processes of shift in mental appreciation and technological development caused the same evolution of art of war for both Western battles and the way American Civil War was held. In the contemporary world, the common direction in foreign policies of Europe and USA seems to become a natural fact that defines the current state of international relations. Nevertheless, this process was not so essential for the previous generations. In particular, such a situation was not defining the world order two centuries ago when Europe was continuously struggling in its own border and USA was a young split state. Actually, the united strategy of these two international actors occurred as a consequence of two catastrophic World Wars. But, such an ability to think in the same way in the last years of international relations could not occur if only the background of behavior within the states in Europe and North America was not close in the previous years. In this context, the way of holding conflicts in nineteenth century in Europe and USA can be used as an example of similarities between the Western way of war and American Civil War. In the given essay, the evolution of war strategy in terms of technological improvement and strategic thinking is considered as the feature of the Western way of war that can characterize American Civil War. To start with, the significant shift in European and American manner of thinking was caused by the French Revolution. In military terms, its consequence of Napoleon rise encouraged all the countries to concentrate economic richness and manpower1 as resources for attack and defense. As a result of these processes, the Congress of Vienna was settled in order to facilitate negotiation processes between European countries2 in these new conditions. Before it was introduced, the styles of American and European wars were different as newcomers and Indians found themselves absolutely incapable to co-exist3. However, such a system was collapsed due to the rise of nationalism within European monarchies that was in correspondence with dissatisfaction of people with the previous social order. In this context, the struggle between North and South in American Civil War was supplemented by the ideological disagreements on slavery. And so, the shift in value system is evident for both Europe and America in the nineteenth century. In technological aspect, American Civil War showed the new level that predicted the scope of future World Wars similar to European conflicts. Actually, Geoffrey Parker states that the key feature of the Western way of war is its reliance on innovation technologies4. Moreover, due to Murray’s opinion, “the Civil War was the first modern war: one in which military power, built on popular support and industrialization, and projected by the railroad and steamship over hundreds of miles, approached the boundaries of total war”5. In this context, the human and industrial resources that were sacrificed to this war were extremely huge and comparable only to the victims of World War I and other conflicts of the twentieth century6. Thus, the Industrial Revolution which occurred both in Europe and USA influenced the wars they hold in the near future. Finally, American generals during the Civil War experienced the same evolution in war strategy as did Europe in the nineteenth century. In this context, Mark Grimsley compares the behavior of Grant and Lee with Napoleon’s ambitions of victorious grand battles7. In addition, the impact of the Industrial Revolution firstly changed the rules of war in Crimea8 was also essential for American Civil War. Furthermore, Bismarck’s wisdom that prevented enormous loses of the late nineteenth century9 can be compared with the strategic thinking of American navy Alfred Thayer Mahan10. Thus, the thesis of Clausewitz on the importance of historical examples on creating wartime strategy of present day11 is supported by the similarities in American and Western ways of war. In order to sum up, the changes firstly appeared in Europe in terms of industrialization, reliance on new technologies and manpower, and military wisdom significantly affected the American Civil War. In this context, the enormous cost of dead people and damaged military machines is the consequence of such a new way of war. But, in the future such a similarity can be considered as a facilitating factor of cooperation between Europe and USA in the new world. Bibliography: Clausewitz, Carl von. "On Historical Examples." In On War, ed. and trans. by Michael Howard and Peter Paret, 170-74. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976. Grimsley, Mark. "Surviving military revolution: The U.S. Civil War." In The Dynamics of Military Revolution, 1300-2050, ed. by MacGregor Knox and Williamson Murray, 74-91. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Knox, MacGregor, and Williamson Murray. "Thinking about revolutions in warfare." In The Dynamics of Military Revolution, 1300-2050, 1-14. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Murray, Williamson. "The Industrialization of War 1815-71." In The Cambridge History of Warfare, ed. by Geoffrey Parker, 216-241. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Parker, Geoffrey, ed. "The Western Way of War." In The Cambridge History of Warfare, 1- 11. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Weigley, Russell. "American Strategy from its Beginning through the First World War." In Makers of Modern Strategy: from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age, ed. by Peter Paret, 408-36. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1986. Read More