"This book is not a campaign history, but rather an examination of the development of warfare in its wider context in the course of the 1800s. David Gates's study not only covers warfare as it evolved throughout the nineteenth century, but also seeks to explore its connection with, and effect on, technical, social, economic, political and cultural change. In this examination of war per se, specific engagements and campaigns are invoked only to highlight the turning points in the development of the way in which military operations were conducted. Indeed, Gates argues, actual fighting became just part of an ever-more complex situation as competition between dynasties gave way to rivalries between peoples and the 'totality' of warfare increased; if attainable at all, victory on the battlefield could, and frequently did, prove cruelly deceptive, for success here might ultimately be nullified by failure elsewhere. Thoughtful, wide-ranging and informed, this book is essential reading."--BOOK JACKET.