Wars of National Liberation

Cassell History of Warfare

by Daniel Moran

The impact of World War II opened the door for weak and impoverished nations to develop military means of defeating modern armies. In China, Korea, Vietnam, Palestine, Cuba, Ireland, Africa, and the former Soviet Union, where battles still rage today-indeed, all over the globe-impassioned revolutions, marked by irregular warfare, guerilla insurgency, and terrorism, turned nations upside down in the name of liberation. Vividly illustrated and packed with punch, this dynamic account of endemic violence, epic character, and astonishingly resourceful commanders and combatants probes the nation in arms as a product of the Western presence, and of communism, religion, and tribal or familial loyalties. A chronology and biographies of crucial figures clarifies the lines leading backward to the prewar era.

Genres: History, Military History, War, Military Fiction, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2001

Reviews

[Gort · Rating 2 out of 5]

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[Fabian Blattsalat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, the Cameroon War of the 50s is not covered.

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent little book on various conflicts for independence in the 20th century, especially with respect to decolonization. It's not that big, but I only paid a few bucks for it and I felt like it was good enough given the price. The section on Algeria really interested me as it was one of the major colonial conflicts for France which had a crucial role in their development of COIN strategy, yet is overshadowed by the First Indochina War because of future American involvement. Yet the Algerian experience, especially with the French's widespread use of torture in dealing with the FLN would threaten the stability of the French government itself, despite the appearance that the government had delivered a fatal blow to the insurgency's network. The book also covers more famous wars, such as the Chinese Civil War, the Korean War, the First and Second Indochina Wars, the Angolan War for Independence, and The Six Day and Yom Kippur Wars.

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb summation of warfare since 1945, laudably fair about a subject given to romantic hyperbole by both right and left wing ideologues