A Cultural History of War in the Age of Empire

This volume covers the cultural history of warfare during the “Age of Empire” defined as the period between 1800 and 1920. This long 19th century is typically considered a period of global change as people switched from agrarian lives into urban factory workers in their own lands or by immigration overseas. Change became increasingly common and desirable because of the industrial revolution. A voyage that took weeks in the age of sailing ships was only days with the perfection of steam power. An army in 1800 relied on draft animals but by the Great War railroads directly connected the frontlines with the factories as death acquired the same efficiency as the assembly line, but they still needed draft animals. In reaction to the extremes of warfare in the French Revolution and Napoleon there was a shared European desire for restraint if war could not be avoided, until the Great War. Thus the Age of Empire witnessed limited warfare in Europe but not in the rest of the world. The long 19th century is also famous for the conquests of Africa, Asia and other lands with total warfare and the intentional targeting of civilians in the name of civilization, as the chapters in this volume demonstrate. Not only had the pace of change accelerated but by 1920 transformation was constant and permanent. A Cultural History of War is part of The Cultural Histories Series. Titles are available as hardcover sets for libraries needing just one subject or preferring a tangible reference for their shelves or as part of a fully-searchable digital library. The digital product is available to institutions by annual subscription or on perpetual access via www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com. Individual volumes for academics and researchers interested in specific historical periods are also available in print or digitally via www.bloomsburycollections.com.