The essays in this volume analyze war, its strategic characteristics, and its political and social functions over the past five centuries.

The variety of their topics and their broad perspective make this book a work of general history. It is also a scientific presentation, based on in-depth research, of the theory and practice of war from the Renaissance to the present day.

The book discusses major theorists of war and prominent military and political leaders, as well as the impersonal forces that drive history.

Regardless of the topic, each essay situates the specific characteristics of military thought and action within the context of their political, social, and economic environment.

The result is a reference book that reinterprets and illuminates war, one of the most powerful forces in history, a force that cannot be controlled in the future without understanding the past.