War and International Relations: A Military-Historical Perspective 2100-ERASMUS-WIRP

**1. Introduction to the Theory of the Art of War**

– A case study discussing the basic principles of the art of war through the example of the Napoleonic campaign of 1805 and the Battle of Austerlitz.
– General theory of the art of war.
– The concepts of war and the army and the essence of war in the history of civilization.
– Periodization of war and military history.
– Typology of wars and conflicts.
– War: its theory and meaning in history.
– Basic concepts and definitions relating to the art of war.
– The concept of armed forces and models of their functioning.

**2. The Art of War in Antiquity**

– Periodization of history.
– The army of ancient Greece.
– The tactics of the Greek phalanx.
– Discussion of the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE.
– Discussion of the principle of economy of force through the example of the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BCE.
– The conquests of Alexander the Great.
– The army of ancient Rome.
– The organizational structure of the Roman army.
– Roman tactics and armament.
– Examples of Roman military tactics, including the Battle of Cynoscephalae in 197 BCE and the Battle of Cannae in 216 BCE.

**3. The Art of Warfare in the Middle Ages**

– Characteristics of the period.
– The structure and functioning of the feudal monarchy.
– Knighthood as a social group.
– The ethos and traditions of chivalry.

**4. Changes in the Art of War from the Sixteenth to the Nineteenth Century**

– Characteristics of the period.
– The influence of geographical discoveries.
– The influence of the Reformation.
– The end of the era of chivalry and the spread of firearms and artillery on the battlefield.
– The seventeenth-century battlefield and the tactics employed during this period.
– Military characteristics of the period of revolutions and capitalist transformations.
– The Napoleonic Wars and the period of the Concert of Europe.
– The end of the Vienna order and the wars of the mid-nineteenth century.
– Wars and military thought between 1871 and 1914.
– The colonial era and its influence on warfare.

**5. The Development and Transformation of Warfare in the Twentieth Century**

– Characteristics of the period at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
– The international situation at the beginning of the twentieth century.
– The causes of the outbreak of the First World War.
– Warfare and military developments during the interwar period.
– The Second World War.
– Discussion of the main theatres of the Second World War.
– Differences between the Western and Eastern Fronts.
– Warfare in the Atlantic and Pacific.
– Basic differences between the First and Second World Wars.
– The role of armoured forces and aviation.
– Blitzkrieg compared with trench warfare.
– The influence of First World War military thinking on the conduct of Polish and French generals during the Second World War.
– Innovations introduced through blitzkrieg tactics.

**6. History of Naval Warfare and the Principles of War at Sea**

– The history of naval warfare in the age of sail and steam.
– Naval warfare in antiquity, with particular reference to the battles of Salamis and Actium.
– The introduction and use of artillery at sea, illustrated by the Spanish Armada and the Battle of Lepanto.
– Colonial rivalry, the rise of the Royal Navy and the decline of Dutch and Spanish maritime power.
– The Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 as an example of a confrontation between ships of the line.
– Technical transformations of naval fleets in the nineteenth century.
– The development of ironclad ships and their influence on warfare at sea.
– Analysis of the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862 as the first battle between ironclad warships.
– Analysis of the Battle of Lissa in 1866 as an example of the use of mixed wooden and iron-hulled ships.
– Naval operations during the First and Second World Wars.
– Naval warfare in the era of battleships, illustrated by the Battle of Tsushima in 1905 and the Battle of Jutland in 1916.
– The growing importance of naval aviation, illustrated by the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the Battle of Midway in 1942.

**7. The Role of the Commander in War**

– Presentation of the biographies of selected military leaders and commanders from different historical periods.
– Alexander the Great.
– Hannibal.
– Gustavus Adolphus.
– Napoleon Bonaparte.
– Robert E. Lee.
– Major commanders of the Second World War, including George S. Patton, Bernard Montgomery, Erwin Rommel, Erich von Manstein and Georgy Zhukov.
– Analysis of the biographies of individual commanders.
– Analysis of their command styles and methods.
– Discussion of the political, social and military realities of their campaigns.
– Assessment of their influence on the development of the art of war.
– Major military mistakes made throughout history and their consequences.
– Characteristics of military leadership in the past and present.

**8. Development of Military Technology**

– Military technology, weapons and armament in ancient and medieval times.
– The era of gunpowder and firearms.
– The evolution of firearms between the fifteenth and twentieth centuries.
– The Industrial Revolution and its influence on the art of war.
– The evolution of artillery.
– The formation and development of armoured forces and military aviation.
– The history and development of military architecture.

**9. Uniform Studies, Symbolism and Military Ceremonial**

– Vexillology, understood as the study of flags, heraldry, understood as the study of coats of arms, and phaleristics, understood as the study of decorations and medals.
– Discussion of military symbolism.
– Military uniforms, including their traditions, characteristics and symbolism.
– Military ranks in the Polish Armed Forces and the major armed forces of the world.
– Orders and decorations, including their traditions, classification and rules governing the manner in which they are worn.
– Military ceremonial.
– The influence of military traditions on the symbolism and ceremonial practices of other uniformed services.