Castles, Battles, and Bombs

"Castles, Battles, and Bombs" reconsiders key episodes of military history from the point of view of economics - with dramatically insightful results. For example, when looked at as a question of sheer cost, the building of castles in the High Middle Ages seems almost inevitable: though stunningly expensive, a strong castle was far cheaper to maintain than a standing army. The authors also reexamine the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II and provide new insights into France's decision to develop nuclear weapons. Drawing on these examples and more, Jurgen Brauer and Hubert van Tuyll suggest lessons for today's military, from counter terrorist strategy and military manpower planning to the use of private military companies in Afghanistan and Iraq.

ISBN 0226071642   Pages 432 ISBN13 9780226071640 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher The University of Chicago Press   Weight (grammes) 567 Imprint University of Chicago Press   Published in Chicago, IL Format Paperback   Height (mm) 229 Publication date 18 Sep 2009   Width (mm) 152 Library of Congress 2007031667   Spine width (mm) 23 DEWEY 909   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC22

		List of Figures and Tables
1		Economics		1
2		The High Middle Ages, 1000-1300: The Case of the Medieval Castle and the Opportunity Cost of Warfare		45
3		The Renaissance, 1300-1600: The Case of the Condottieri and the Military Labor Market		80
4		The Age of Battle, 1618-1815: The Case of Casts, Benefits, and the Decision to Offer Battle		119
5		The Age of Revolution, 1789-1914: The Case of the American Civil War and the Economics of Information Asymmetry		159
6		The Age of the World Wars, 1914-1945: The Case of Diminishing Marginal Returns to the Strategic Bombing of Germany in World War II		197
7		The Age of the Cold War, 1945-1991: The Case of Capital-Labor Substitution and France's Force de Frappe		244
8		Economics and Military History in the Twenty-first Century		287
		Notes		329
		References		367
		Index		387

"In bringing economics into assessments of military history, the authors turn their interdisciplinary lens on the mercenary arrangements of Renaissance Italy; the wars of Marlborough, Frederick the Great, and Napoleon; Grant's campaigns in the Civil War; and the strategic bombings of World War II. The results are invariably stimulating." - Martin Walker, Wilson Quarterly "This study is serious, creative, important. As an economist I am happy to see economics so professionally applied to illuminate major decisions in the history of warfare." - Thomas C. Schelling, winner of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Economics "The authors have cogently synthesized an extensive literature to effectively demonstrate to nonspecialists how basic economic concepts can provide insights into the nature of war." - Choice"

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