Publisher's Synopsis
Professor Norman Gibbs spent a good deal of his academic life at Oxford University teaching the history of warfare and illustrating for the benefit of his many students, the severe limitations that have circumscribed the successful and effective application of military power to a wide variety of disputes in the past. The essays in this volume carry on from Gibbs's special interest in teaching Carl Von Clausewitz's On War, noting in particular, Clausewitz's clear understanding of the limits of war as an instrument of policy.;The volume is divided into three parts. The first traces the development of military studies at Oxford over more than a century, showing Norman Gibbs' role in the broad context of its development. The second includes essays which suggest additional themes, beyond Clausewitz's suggestions, that provide limitations on military power. The third section contains five case studies from 20th century history which illustrate a wide range of limiting factors.
