| Module Identifier |
IP36520 |
| Module Title |
WARFARE IN THE 20TH CENTURY:TECHNOLOGY AND STRATEGY |
| Academic Year |
2007/2008 |
| Co-ordinator |
Dr Alastair J Finlan |
| Semester |
Semester 2 |
| Course delivery |
Lecture | 18 Hours. (18 x 1 hour) |
| |
Seminars / Tutorials | 7 Hours. (7 x 1 hour) |
| Assessment |
| Assessment Type | Assessment Length/Details | Proportion |
|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay: 1 x 3,000 words | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Essay: 1 x 3,000 words | 50% |
| Supplementary Exam | Students may, subject to Faculty approval, have the opportunity to resit this module, normally during the supplementary examination period. For further clarification please contact the Teaching Programme Administrator in the Department of International Politics. | |
|
Learning outcomes
At the end of the module students should be able to:
- identify and discuss the key theories of naval warfare developed in the twentieth century.
- outline the impact of changing technology upon the conduct of war at sea.
- outline the evolution of thinking about land/air warfare from the First World War on, with particular attention to theories of manoeuvre warfare and attritional warfare.
- discuss the impact of nuclear weapons and guided missile technology upon strategy and the battlefield.
- outline the development of air power and discuss the theory and practice of strategic bombing
Brief description
This module examines the evolution of warfare in the twentieth century. It focuses on developments in military technology and how these affected the strategy and conduct of war. The module considers air, land and sea power in three broad historical periods: the late C19 through to the end of the First World War when strategists were forced to think about the impact of industrialization upon the conduct of war; the interwar years and the Second World War, when mechanization and the increased use of air power began to affect military strategy and operations; and the post-war period when rapid technological change, and particularly the development of nuclear and precision-guided weapons, affected the character of war.
Content
The module considers air, land and sea power in three broad historical periods: the late C19 through to the end of the First World War when strategists were forced to think about the impact of industrialisation upon the conduct of war; the inter-war years and the Second World War, when mechanisation and the increased use of air power began to affect military strategy and operations; and the post-war period when rapid technological change, and particularly the development of nuclear and precision guided weapons, affected the character of war.
Lecture topics:
1. Introduction
2. Naval Technology and Strategy from Trafalgar to Overlord.
3. Land Warfare 1900-18
4. Mechanization and the Development of Armoured Warfare 1919-45
5. Strategic Bombing and the Development of Air Power
6. Technology and the Battlefield since 1945
7. The Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) and Contemporary Conflict
8. Conclusion
NOTE. Some lecture topics will require more than one lecture slot.
Seminars:
1. Naval strategy and the two World Wars
2. Strategy and Tactics of the Western Front, 1914-18
3. Blitzkrieg and Attrition: Land Warfare 1939-45
4. Air Power in the two World Wars
5. Navies in the Cold War
6. Land Power after 1945
7. Air Power after the Cold War
Aims
The aim of the module is to discuss the evolution of modern warfare, and in particular the relationship between developments in technology and the conduct of modern war.
Transferable skills
Students will have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of transferable skills which will help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate examples and ideas. Throughout the module, students should practice and enhance their reading, comprehension and thinking skills, as well as self management skills. In lectures students will develop listening and note taking skills, as well as analytical skills. In seminars students will enhance their analytical skills and will practice listening, explaining and debating skills, as well as team work and problem solving. Essay writing will encourage students to practice their independent research, writing and IT skills.
10 ECTS credits
Reading Lists
Books
** Recommended Text
J Baylis et al Strategy in the Contemporary World
J Black Warfare in the Western World 1872 - 1975
Jonathan House Combined Arms Warfare in the Twentieth Century
P Paret Makers of Modern Strategy
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6