ABSTRACT
This paper assesses the validity of the military revolution model (or models) in global comparative perspective during the early modern period (1400–1800), with a focus on East Asia. Although scholars have recently argued that the military revolution model is “passé” or that it doesn’t suit non-western cases, this chapter argues that in fact the model can still be of much use. For instance, it suggests, based on East Asian evidence, that the Parkerian argument, which focuses on musket countermarch techniques, ships of the line, and, most importantly, the artillery fortress, is about half right for East Asia. More importantly, this chapter argues that the military revolution in Europe was perhaps a regional variation of a deeper, transhistorical process. If we examine “warring states periods” in comparative perspective, we find that high rates of warfare within a given region stimulated not only the development within that region of military technologies and techniques but also the cross-cultural transfer of military technologies and techniques. During the early modern period, the Portuguese empire played a key role in this process of global military innovation and transfer.
