Avoiding Armageddon : from the Great War to the fall of France, 1918-1940

Here is an original and up-to-date account of a key period of military history, one that not only links the two World Wars but also anticipates the more complex nature of conflict following the Cold War. Black links the two World Wars, between the overcoming of trench warfare in the campaigns of 1918 and the fall of France in 1940. This was a period when militaries, governments and publics digested the lessons of the Great War and prepared for another major struggle. Black also locates the period in terms of long-term questions in military history, including the relationship between symmetrical and asymmetrical warfare, the tensions surrounding innovation, the pressures and possibilities created by technological change and the impact of ideology on the causes and conduct of war. Black's book devotes particular attention to the Far East as part of his worldwide coverage. He also assesses the role of the military in internal politics and establishes the importance of civil wars. FC 1 Half title 2 Title 4 Imprint 5 Dedication 6 Abbreviations 10 Contents 8 Preface 12 Introduction 16 1 The aftermath of the Great War 24 2 Imperial warfare 62 3 Warfare in the ‘Third World’ in the 1920s 86 4 Learning lessons 108 5 Naval developments 124 6 Air power 154 7 The 1930s: economic context 174 8 War in the Far East 180 9 Conflict and the Western Empires in the 1930s 210 10 The Third World in the 1930s 224 11 Politics and the military in the Europe of the 1930s 236 12 Preparing for war 258 13 Conclusions 276 Notes 282 Selected further reading 310 Index 312 An original and up-to-date account of the years between the World Wars which locates the period in terms of long-term questions and military and global history.