Military Revolution: 1450-1800

This assignment delves into the concept of the Military Revolution spanning from 1450 to 1800. It requires an in-depth analysis of contributing factors, influential military leaders like Frederick the Great and William Pitt, and the broader global consequences of this era. The provided texts offer insights into various aspects of warfare, strategy, and political economy during this period, guiding your exploration and analysis.

Running head: MILITARY REVOLUTION
Military revolution
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1
MILITARY REVOLUTION
Introduction
The Revolution in Military Affairs or RMA is a theoretical hypothesis that concerns
the warfare future and mostly associated with the organizational and technological
recommendations for changing the Military of United States. The primary claim of the RMA
is that within certain periods of time, there are new tactics, strategies and doctrines which
have the potential of bringing an irreversible change within the warfare conduct. Therefore,
these changes may also require adaptation of new strategies and doctrines1. RMA is often
associated with the transformation and system integration of the United States Military.
However, many theorists utilize this term for referring to the technological revolution which
acts as a driving force for the change, on the other hand, some theorists refers to the radical
adaptations which are necessary for dealing with the technological revolutions.
Insight into military revolution
Under the leadership of Michel Roberts, the military field experienced a radical
change in the governmental tactics of dealing with the European War. Although the
happenings were of 1950, Michael focused on safeguarding the Swedish empire from the
firearms2. The reason behind this is maximization of the firearms in Sweden, which
compelled the historians to think about the massive consequences, which occurred in the
form of revolution. Typical components of the revolution were training the troops to make
1 Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military
Conflict from 1500-2000 (New York: Vintage Press, 1987), 73-100.
2 Ágoston, Gábor. "Firearms and Military Adaptation: The Ottomans and the European
Military Revolution, 1450–1800." Journal of World History 25, no. 1 (2014): 85-124.

2
MILITARY REVOLUTION
efficient and judicious utilization of the weapons. This training was thought to stabilize the
consistency of the armies in terms of tackling the political, social and economic attacks from
the enemy countries3. In view of this scenario, the thesis statement of the essay is to speculate
the economic, political and social factors, which took essential position in the military
revolution. This paper also places the argument that the 18th century limited war can be seen
in the light of new progresses in the military doctrines which later paved the path for the real
revolutions such as American and French revolution. The primary features of this war period
can be discussed through the following aspects.
How and why the revolution changed warfare
Answering this segment bears resemblance with exploring how the advent of gun
powder compelled the United Government to think about restructuring the army. The main
objective of this segment, therefore, is to project the social, political and economic factors
and consequences, which transformed the entire situation of warfare.
Political parameter
Here, development of the naval forces gains an important position. Along with this,
formation of modern European colonies is essential for speculating the political parameter.
The political segment can be divided into land based and sea based. This division is similar
to the separation of medieval from the modern colonies4. This necessitated the need for
3 Jacob, Frank, and Gilmar Visoni-Alonzo. The Military Revolution in Early Modern Europe:
A Revision. Springer, 2016.
4 Lynn, John A. "David Parrott. The Business of War: Military Enterprise and Military
Revolution in Early Modern Europe." (2014): 239-240.

3
MILITARY REVOLUTION
forming strong and flexible military. As a matter of specification, increase in the use of fierce
weapons projects the need for revolution. The vision was to prepare the new army more
flexible than the earlier ones. The essential attribute in this direction was discipline, which
defined the army. Governmental support was in full swing, however, maintenance of such an
army was a tedious and complicated task as there was escalation in the number of
bureaucracies, treasuries, taxations and loan payments. Michel was of the view that
adoption of balance of power politics would act assistance in forming a modern state.
Determined attitude led Michel to take stance in favour of four changes, which were the
major drive behind the military revolution. One of the common aspects of these changes was
the application of tactics5. Tactics helped the armies to reuse the discarded cavalry. It was this
tactics, which expanded the scope and arena of the military. Again, it is through tactics,
which formed keystone in helping the armies to undertake strategies for projecting huge
armies. Moreover, it was the tactical application, which posed as the cornerstone in planning
the additional resources needed for fighting the war6. These changes individually are the
examples of parameters of political, social and economic.
5 Romaniello, Matthew P. "GLOBALIZING THE MILITARY REVOLUTION." Journal of
World History 25, no. 1 (2014): 2.
6 Chandler, David G. The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough. New York: Sarpedon,
1997. • Duffy, Christopher. The Military Life of Frederick the Great. New York: Atheneum
Press, 1986. •Hackmann, W. Kent. “William Pitt and the Generals: Three Case Studies in the
Seven Years’ War.” Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies 3:3 (1971):
128-137.

4
MILITARY REVOLUTION
Decline of the cavalry gave rise to infantile revolution, which exposed the public to
different formations of the armies. For the convenience of the armies, they were instructed to
make shallow formations. The architecture of the castles to be conquered was an additional
assistance7. The thick walls in the shape of the stars were flexible enough to ensure the secure
the safety of the defenders from open attacks of fire. Here, trace italienne is appropriate in
terms of introducing canons in the Italian threshold through invading the French colonies.
Shallow to thin formations of the armies reflects the application of oriental tactics towards
confronting the attacks of the opposite enemies.
Pondering on the economic aspect, the charges for constructing such massive
fortresses for secret firing on the enemies was sky-rising. Mention can be made of the plan to
invade Rome, where bastions were needed. High prices of the bastions, 10,000 pounds
resulted in rejection of the plan8. In modern times, this amounts to almost 4 million pounds,
which is a huge strain over the economy. Along with this, bankruptcy deprived the armies of
secured fortress, which resulted in their tragic fate. On the other hand, Dutch armies were
conscious about financing for the fortress. Practice of mercantilism enabled the Dutch forces
to conquer 100,000 pound for taking shelter in the fortresses of Antwerp. Netherlands had to
bear more than 1 million charges for constructing the fortress required for providing
7 Jones, David Martin, and M. L. R. Smith. "Counterinsurgency (COIN): The Post-9/11
Military Revolution and Its Consequences." In Sacred Violence, pp. 77-104. Palgrave
Macmillan UK, 2014.
8 Gilpin, Robert. The political economy of international relations. Princeton University Press,
2016.

5
MILITARY REVOLUTION
protecting shelter to the armies. The major drive behind this financial crisis was the re-
introduced tax reforms and renewed network chain of the government9.
The story was similar for the sea based military. The creation of the naval forces can
be considered as an addition in the security of the forces on land. Typical evidence of this
fact lies in the presence of gun power in the ships in the era of 1500.
The social parameter relates to the impact of the military revolution on medicine,
education and science. Science and medicine can be correlated in terms of the new
medicines, which were available for curing the wounds of the soldiers10. Along with this,
hospitals were built for providing the necessary treatment to the injured soldiers. Apart
from this, medical schools were constructed for providing medical education to the doctors
regarding the best ways of medication11. An evidence of its reality is the mass vaccinations
for small pox for the soldiers in 1789. Along with the medical schools, army schools were
built for imparting the basic military skills to the young boys.
Concluding remarks
9 Gilpin, Robert. The political economy of international relations. Princeton University Press,
2016.
10 Anderson, Fred. Crucible of War: The Seven Years War and the Fate of Empire in Marine
Corps University / Command and Staff College Evolution of Warfare to 1945 17 British
North America, 1754-1766. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.
11 Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military
Conflict from 1500-2000 (New York: Vintage Press, 1987), 73-100.

6
MILITARY REVOLUTION
Insight into the military revolution takes the readers back to the historic times. It acts
as nostalgia for the people, who have witnessed the revolution. For the children, the
widespread effects of the revolution enhance their preconceived historic information.
Viewing it from the other perspective, these benefits reflect development of the society not
only in the threshold of United States, however, in the whole world in terms of warfare.
Establishment of the schools is an attempt to train the future generation towards creating a
better place to live in. Military education is the best way to inculcate discipline in the lives of
the children in order to become successful in their future lives.

7
MILITARY REVOLUTION
Bibliography
Ágoston, Gábor. "Firearms and Military Adaptation: The Ottomans and the European
Military Revolution, 1450–1800." Journal of World History 25, no. 1 (2014): 85-124.
Anderson, Fred. Crucible of War: The Seven Years War and the Fate of Empire in Marine
Corps University / Command and Staff College Evolution of Warfare to 1945 17 British
North America, 1754-1766. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.
Chandler, David G. The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough. New York: Sarpedon,
1997. • Duffy, Christopher. The Military Life of Frederick the Great. New York: Atheneum
Press, 1986. •Hackmann, W. Kent. “William Pitt and the Generals: Three Case Studies in the
Seven Years’ War.” Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies 3:3 (1971):
128-137.
Gilpin, Robert. The political economy of international relations. Princeton University Press,
2016.
Hew Strachan, European Armies and the Conduct of War (London: Unwin Hyman, 1983), 8-
22.
Hitsman, J. Mackay. “Order Before Landing at Louisbourg, 1758.” Military Affairs 22:3
(1958): 146-148. • Kennett, Lee. The French Armies in the Seven Years War: A Study in
Military Organization and Administration. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1967.
Jacob, Frank, and Gilmar Visoni-Alonzo. The Military Revolution in Early Modern Europe:
A Revision. Springer, 2016.
John Shy, A People Numerous and Armed: Reflections on the Military Struggle for American
Independence (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1990), 31-41.

8
MILITARY REVOLUTION
Jones, David Martin, and M. L. R. Smith. "Counterinsurgency (COIN): The Post-9/11
Military Revolution and Its Consequences." In Sacred Violence, pp. 77-104. Palgrave
Macmillan UK, 2014.
Lowenthal, Abraham F., ed. The Peruvian experiment: Continuity and change under military
rule. Princeton University Press, 2015.
Lynn, John A. "David Parrott. The Business of War: Military Enterprise and Military
Revolution in Early Modern Europe." (2014): 239-240.
Markoff, John. Waves of democracy: Social movements and political change. Routledge,
2015.
Olson, Donald W., et al, “Perfect Tide, Ideal Moon: An Unappreciated Aspect of Wolfe’s
Generalship at Quebec, 1759.” The William and Mary Quarterly 59:4 (2002): 957-974.
Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military
Conflict from 1500-2000 (New York: Vintage Press, 1987), 73-100.
R.R. Palmer, “Frederick, Guibert, Bülow: From Dynastic to National War” in Makers of
Modern Strategy, ed. Peter Paret (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986), 91- 119.
Romaniello, Matthew P. "GLOBALIZING THE MILITARY REVOLUTION." Journal of
World History 25, no. 1 (2014): 2.