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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 the First World War, which Mediterranean nation did the allies hope to re-unify?

2. What should be the main purpose of any attack?

3. In the First World War, what was Italy's diplomatic status?

4. During World War II, most maneuvers had the intention of attacking the enemy where?

5. According to the author, how should formations be arranged?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe some common tactical movements of the armies of World War II.

2. How does the nature and purpose of strategy relate to people's unwillingness to be convinced of a point contrary to their own beliefs?

3. According to the author, what were some motivating factors behind writing this book?

4. How does policy relate to national object and military aims?

5. Describe the strategies used by the Turks during the First World War.

6. What was the problem with Clausewitz's writings, and why did they have a negative impact on the first World War?

7. What was the state of strategy and tactics on the eastern front during the First World War?

8. Why was Ludendorff mostly unable to enact indirect strategies throughout the war?

9. Explain the relationships between grand strategy, strategy and tactics.

10. How did Hitler's study of Napoleon negatively influence him?

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

Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the most influential and successful military leaders in history. He turned France into a continent-spanning Empire and defeated nearly every opponent who stood before him.

Part 1) Explain the historical and political circumstances that allowed Napoleon to rise to power in France.

Part 2) Describe Napoleon's strategies. What types of methods did he employ? What were his typical tactical and strategic maneuvers? Overall, did he employ direct or indirect approaches?

Part 3) Explain Napoleon's eventual defeat. What factors of grand strategy contributed to this outcome? How could the course of Napoleon's wars have gone differently in order to forestall or prevent this turn of events?

Essay Topic 3

The "center" of a military force is a crucially important concept in the indirect approach. The identification and dislocation of the enemy center is the very essence of the strategy laid out and endorsed by the author.

Part 1) What is the "center" of a military force. What factors contribute to this center?

Part 2) How is the center of a military force identified. Cite examples of military forces from the book and explain what or where their centers are.

Part 3) How can the center of a military force be dislocated? What are the results of this dislocation? Does the dislocation always involve the destruction of enemy forces? Cite examples from the book of the consequences of the dislocation of a military force's center.

(see the answer keys)

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