Military History as Inherent Part of Military Science
Throughout the existence of military science, the military history was considered to be one of its inherent constituents and it would be wrong to decide that the later developments in technology that have changed the methods and outer look of armed conflicts altogether have abolished its importance.
Jeremy Archer considers (1995) that the study of military activity of the past can give us a lot of valuable experience in a number of different aspects, from psychology to geography. Study of the past events may be helpful in avoiding the same mistakes and, on the contrary, using good ideas that, though attempted with outdated equipment, may still be correct in their main principles (Blackmore & Stoneridge, 2001). The ability to find similarities between the past events and modern happenings may become very useful for both field and strategic commanders.
Another important issue is the impact military conflicts have on the countries, states and societies involved in them, for the sheer reason that it cannot be outdated and much better correlates with the similar events from other epochs. Still, military history may be called one of the fastest subdivisions of history in its development, because its subject matter not only changes incessantly, but also has considerable influence over the lives of people. Warfare science more than anything is touched by quick development of technology, alteration and substitution of military doctrines and so on. All of this brings new challenges to the people who deal with this field of research, for they have to adapt to the changing conditions fast.
One of the most important ideas in the modern military history is the so-called Revolutions in Military Affairs that looks upon the whole history of warfare as the succession of complete and utter changes in the whole view upon the ways of waging war – qualitative changes – interspaced with more or less stable periods of quantitative changes, with the revolutions in the course of time becoming more and more often.
All in all, military is not a science to be forgotten. The knowledge of the past is the best way to move into the future.
References:
Archer, J. (1995). Warfare in the Western History. Boston, MA: Academic Press.
Blackmore, T.N., & Stoneridge, G.M. (2001). World History of War. New York, NY: Academica.
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