Ocean State Libraries

In World War II, primary sources, historical examination, and illustrations explore the causes, strategies, and resolutions of the largest conflict in human history. Alongside the comprehensive text studying the major battles, powers, and people affected by World War II, over three hundred illustrations and graphics bear witness to real individuals, places, and moments on the battlefield. Fact boxes tell the stories of the political leaders on all...

"A spirited and sweeping account of how the crusades really worked--and a revolutionary attempt to rethink how we understand the Middle Ages. The story of the wars and conquests initiated by the First Crusade and its successors is itself so compelling that most accounts move quickly from describing the Pope's calls to arms to the battlefield. In this highly original and enjoyable new book, Christopher Tyerman focuses on something obvious but overlooked:...

Ken Burns's Emmy Award-winning documentary brings to life America's most destructive and defining conflict. The Civil War is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one.

This course delivers an inside look at both the content and historical context of the world's greatest war strategists. Professor Wilson discusses the subtleties and complexities of strategy and reveals how nations and military leaders have adapted to the dynamic realm of fog, friction, and chance.

"What were ancient battles really like? What weapons, tactics, armor, training, and logistics were used? And what were the crucial factors that could turn the tide of battle, giving one side victory and consigning the other to slaughter, capture, or, at best, escape to fight another day? To answer these questions the course describes and discusses in some of the most notable battles fought in the Mediterranean region from prehistoric times to the...

A single day in the heat of armed conflict can shape the future of the world. Throughout history, individual battles have inspired the birth of nations, the devastation of cultures and the triumph of revolutions. Yet while some battles rise up as the cornerstones of history, others fade in our cultural memory, forgotten as minor skirmishes. Why is this so? What makes a battle 'important'? Celebrated veteran and military expert Michael Lee Lanning...

"Military strategy matters. Civilizations with the greatest strategists-often coupled with the greatest resources-have had a powerful edge over competing civilizations. From Napoleon's revolutionary campaigns to the way insurgency, terrorism, and nuclear weaponry have defined the nature of warfare in the 21st century, the results of military strategy have changed the course of history. Masters of War: History's Greatest Strategic Thinkers gives you...

"Many of the most decisive turning points in the history of the world have been battles. More than just conflicts between armies, such moments often represent fundamental clashes among rival religions; cultures; and social, political, and economic systems. The outcomes of these battles have dramatically transformed and shaped the course of history, often sending it on unexpected or completely new paths. This course examines more than three dozen such...