Historical Perspectives of War

A historical perspective, taught until recently in schools, has depicted kings and their wars as glorious markers in the progress of civilization.

Some have classified wars: Revolutions, uprisings, wars of independence, and civil wars were internal wars. External wars occurred between states and had different features: conquests such as by Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte; invasions by barbarians such as the Goths and Vandals; religious wars such as the Crusades and the Thirty Years' War; colonial wars, such as between Britain and India and the Anglo-Zulu wars.

Military history has examined tactics used to wage wars: from chariots in the early empires ...