50 Battles that Changed the World: The Conflicts that Most Influenced the Course of History

Military Review,  July-August, 2005  by Stephen R. Spulick

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50 BATTLES THAT CHANGED THE WORLD: The Conflicts that Most Influenced the Course of History, William Weir, New Page Books, Franklin Lakes, NJ, 2004, 320 pages, $17.95.

In the tradition of Edward Creasy, J.F.C. Fuller, and Sir Basil H. Liddell-Hart, William Weir puts together a subjective list of important battles. A well-written introduction lays out the rationale for his particular approach. Weir meshes together the battles he feels ensured democracy and freedom, describes battles that gave Western civilization domination over the East, and provides examples of the political decline of the West--a recent trend in the examination of world history.

Weir thoroughly researched the battles he includes in his book and has a good grasp of their effect on the world. He includes several appendices, one of which includes several battles that did not make his list for more extensive treatment. He also includes a bibliographical glossary that addresses major leaders of the battles, a glossary of military terms, and a thorough index.

A chronological listing of battles is broken down by five different criteria:

1. A straight historical chronology, which is helpful because the book lists battles by order of importance, and often jumps from ancient to modern times and back again.

2. A list of battles pertaining to the development of democracy.

3. Battles of East versus West.

4. Battles dealing with European nationhood.

5. Battles reacting to Europe's domination and control.

I have a few criticisms: the bibliography, while extensive and complete, does not cross-reference battles; there is a lack of maps; it is difficult to keep up with national and cultural boundaries because battles cross vast time spans; there is little for those interested in troop movements; and the space allotted to each battle is insufficient.

In every entry, Weir attempts to define the world, provide insight into the mindset of military leaders on both sides of a battle, and describe the battles themselves. Doing this is a daunting task, and Weir's writing style suffers for it. While his narrative is informal and relaxed, a more structured approach would have better defined characters and events.

Weir concludes each entry with a brief discussion of how the battle affected the world or laid the foundation for the present world culture.

The book is best used as an introduction to battles for those new to military history. Although Weir obviously put a lot of work into the book, he does not explore each battle in enough detail to be of use to more than the casual reader.

CPT Stephen R. Spulick, USA, Schwetzingen, Germany

COPYRIGHT 2005 U.S. Army CGSC
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning