ABSTRACT
Popular work in military history, discussed in the next chapter, tends to concentrate on an established list of topics, rather than ranging further afield; and, for such an account, it is necessary to turn to a far less extensive literature, much, but by no means all, of which is more academic in its tone and origin. With this literature, however, it is important to be wary about meta-narratives (overarching interpretations), and to be cautious about paradigms, mono-causal explanations and much of the explanatory culture of long-term military history. Instead, it is important to emphasize the diversity of military practice, through both time and space, and to be hesitant in adducing characteristics and explanations for military capability and change.
