Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Military thought
(2,965 words)

1. Definition

The term military thought (also military science) came into common use in the mid-18th century, initially in distinction from warcraft, to emphasize the claim of a scientific approach to warfare (War), a claim made by the protagonists of a new kind of officer training, that had been influenced by the Enlightenment [5]. Subsequently the totality of an officer’s duties became the normative guideline for a system of military specialties [7].

A heuristic definition was developed at the end of the 19th ce…

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Hohrath, Daniel, “Military thought”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 08 June 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_022789>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20200128



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