Revolutionary Armies in the Modern Era: A Revisionist Approach

by S.P. Mackenzie

Overview

This presents a major re-evaluation of the standard view of revolutionary armies, the range of attitudes towards the role of heroic individuals, the formation and leadership of armies, and the differences and similarities between such armies.
Beginning with an exploration of the New Model Army of the 1640s, a force whose name itself seems to denote its revolutionary credentials, the author presents ten case studies from around the globe, including the American War of Independence, The French Revolution, The Zulu-Boer War, the Waffen SS and the Viet-Cong. Through a detailed analysis of source material, he examines the images connected with these armies, both historical and recent, and assesses these images in their socio-political and nationalist contexts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781135091194
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/11/2013
Series:	The New International History
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

S. P. MacKenzie

Table of Contents

Introduction; Chapter 1 The New Model Army in the English Civil War, 1645–6; Chapter 2 The Continental Army in the War of American Independence, 1775–82; Chapter 3 The armies of the French Republic and the War of the First Coalition, 1792–7; Chapter 4 The armies of Bolívar and the war for the liberation of Gran Colombia, 1811–24; Chapter 5 The Voortrekkers, Blood River, and the Zulu War of 1838–40; Chapter 6 The armies of the Heavenly Kingdom and the Taiping Rebellion in China, 1850–68; Chapter 7 Sepoys in the Indian Mutiny, 1857–9; Chapter 8 The International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War, 1936–9; Chapter 9 The Waffen-SS in the Second World War, 1939–45; Chapter 10 The Viet Cong in the Second Indochina War, 1960–75; Conclusion; Notes; Index;

Editorial Reviews

Taking examples from a variety of places around the world from the mid-17th century to the present, the author provides a historical and international perspective on armies arising out of reactionary as well as progressive revolutionary movements. In exploring the gap between rhetoric and reality, he highlights and examines the mythical elements, including a tendency to accentuate the positive, the selfless, and the heroic in order to legitimize a particular set of social beliefs. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

'A compelling argument, written with verve and conviction' - Charles Carlton, North Carolina State University

'A thoughtful and interesting study that deserves attention.' - English Historical Review

'Exactly the sort of thing that should be on the reading lists of freshman students.' - The Journal of Military History

'[The] conclusion is certainly a highly valid lesson to be learned from a book which displays an impressive mastery of a very wide range of secondary sources.' - History Review

From the Publisher