This provocative examination of major controversies in military history enables readers to learn how scholars approach controversial topics and provides a model for students in the study and discussion of other historical events.
Front Cover.
Half Title Page.
Title Page.
Copyright Page.
Dedication.
Contents.
Introduction.
Ancient Greece and Rome (500 BCE–500 CE).
1: What Was the Primary Cause of the Peloponnesian War?.
2: Perspective Essay 1. Greek Fears over Growing Athenian Power.
3: Perspective Essay 2. The Significance of Cultural and Economic Differences.
4: Perspective Essay 3. The Impact of Cultural and Political Change on Athenian-Spartan Rivalry.
5: Why Did Alexander the Great’S Empire Fall Apart So Soon After His Death?.
6: Perspective Essay 1. Alexander’s Obsession with Conquest.
7: Perspective Essay 2. Deep-Seated Cultural Differences in Alexander’s Empire.
8: Perspective Essay 3. The Problem of Succession.
9: Why Was the Carthaginian General Hannibal So Successful Against Roman Armies But Ultimately Defeated in His War Against Rome?.
10: Perspective Essay 1. The Flaws in Hannibal’s Great Enterprise.
11: Perspective Essay 2. Why Hannibal Failed to Win the Second Punic War.
12: Perspective Essay 3. Beyond Battlefield Success and Failure.
13: Why Did Julius Caesar Prevail in the Caesarian-Pompeian Civil War Yet Ultimately Lose Support to the Extent That He Was Assassinated by His Own People?.
14: Perspective Essay 1. Caesar’s Desire to Usurp Senatorial Powers Brought His Assassination.
15: Perspective Essay 2. Caesar’s Assassination Was Rooted in Roman Society and Politics.
16: Perspective Essay 3. Personality and Policies Doomed Caesar.
17: What Caused the Fall of the Roman Empire?.
18: Perspective Essay 1. The Long-Term Decline of the Roman Military.
19: Perspective Essay 2. A Series of Crises.
20: Perspective Essay 3. Transition into Byzantium.
The Middle Ages (500–1500).
21: What Is the Explanation for the Rapid Success of the Arab Conquests in the Hundred Years After the Death of Prophet Muhammad?.
22: Perspective Essay 1. On the Success of the Early Arab Conquests.
