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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what way did Caesar excel as a general?

2. In his major engagement with the Scottish, how was Cromwell able to overcome the numerical superiority of the enemy forces?

3. How did most military forces change over the period between 1854 and 1914?

4. How did the Greeks contain the superior numbers of their enemies?

5. Fabius was famous for what tactic?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the factors that caused the Germans to retreat and eventually surrender?

2. Explain the concept of the "center" of a country's military power. What is the importance of "dislocating" this center?

3. What was Caesar's overall strategy in his Mediterranean campaigns?

4. Explain Napoleon's famous quotation regarding moral and physical conditions.

5. What was Marlborough's style of generalship and why was he not able to fully employ it?

6. How did the Greeks achieve victory in the second Greek and Persian war?

7. What was the overall strategy of Fabius in his war against Hannibal?

8. What is the relationship between grand strategy and long-lasting gains?

9. What is a "natural line of expectation"?

10. What was Cromwell's strategy as he moved to engage the Scottish?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The British Civil Wars represented a high point in military strategy. The well-developed techniques of the time led to elegant set-piece battles, but unfortunately, these rarely led to decisive results.

Part 1) Explain the nature of the British Civil Wars. Who were the major combatants? What resources did they have in technology, manpower and leadership?

Part 2) What was the state of generalship during these wars? What methods and strategies were prominent?

Part 3) Why did most engagements during these wars fail to lead to decisive results?

Essay Topic 2

Alexander the Great of Macedon is one of the most famed generals in history. His tactical maneuvers in battle are still studied to this day, but he was also a genius in the field of grand strategy.

Part 1) Explain Alexander's grand strategic goal, and his father's influence in creating and defining this goal.

Part 2) Find and explain one example of Alexander using the direct method of full scale combat to achieve part of his grand strategy.

Part 3) Find and explain an example of Alexander using indirect methods to forward his grand strategy. Explain why this action was indirect, and specifically how it advanced part of Alexander's overall goals.

Part 4) Explain at least one example of a long-lasting benefit gained through one of Alexander's decisive victories.

Part 5) Assess Alexander's accomplishments from a strategic standpoint and explain how successful he was in planning and executing his grand strategy.

Essay Topic 3

The War of Spanish Succession is cited as a major setback in military strategy. This war was fought in disparate theaters by nations with no real interest in the territory under dispute and with only the vaguest of grand strategies. The small number of commanders who endorsed a more indirect approach were consistently hindered by the ignorance of their superiors, and the war devolved into a bloody and indecisive war of direct approaches.

Part 1) Explain the background and progress of this war. What was unusual about the places where and the ways in which this war was fought?

Part 2) In general, what method were employed in this war? What factors contributed to these strategies?

Part 3) What were the grand strategies and national objects of the major participants of this war? How did these goals affects the course of the war? Did any nation succeed in achieving decisive results?

Part 4) Which commander or commanders sought to employ indirect methods during this war? Why were they hindered in their attempts? What would have been some possible results if they had not been blocked in their efforts?

(see the answer keys)

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