The Western Way of War

The Greeks of the classical age invented not only the central idea of Western politics—that the power of state should be guided by a majority of its citizens—but also the central act of Western warfare, the decisive infantry battle. Instead of ambush, skirmish, or combat between individual heroes, the Greeks of the fifth century B.C. devised a ferocious, brief, and destructive head-on clash between armed men of all ages. In this bold, original study, Victor Davis Hanson shows how this brutal enterprise was dedicated to the same outcome as consensual government—an unequivocal, instant resolution to dispute. Linking this new style of fighting to the rise of constitutional government, Hanson raises new issues and questions old assumptions about the history of war. A new preface addresses recent scholarship on Greek warfare.

Victor Davis Hanson is Professor of Classics at California State University, Fresno, and author and coauthor of many books, including The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War.

Introduction by John Keegan
Preface
Preface to the 2009 Edition
Chronological Table

I
The Greeks and Modern Warfare
1 Ordinary Things, Ordinary People
2 A Western Way of War
3 Not Strategy, Not Tactics
4 The Hoplite and His Phalanx:
War in an Agricultural Society
5 Sources of Inquiry

II
The Ordeal of the Hoplite
6 The Burden of Hoplite Arms
and Armor
7 The Old Men
8 The Dread of Massed Attack

III
The Triumph of Will
9 A Soldier’s General
10 Unit Spirit and Morale: The
Origins of the Regimental System
11 Drink

IV
Battle!
12 The Charge
13 A Collision of Men
14 Tears and Gaps
15 The Push and Collapse
16 Confusion, Misdirection, and
Mob Violence

V
Aftermath
17 The Killing Field
18 The Wounded
19 Epilogue

Abbreviations of Ancient Authors
and their Works Used in this Book
Select Bibliography
Supplementary Bibliography
Index
Index Locorum