ABSTRACT
Throughout all the previous chapters the pre-eminent importance for military affairs of various social and political factors inherent in the very revolutionary situation has been stressed. The forms of military organisation and modes of combat were not discrete phenomena explicable in terms of abstract, timeless ‘rules of war’. They were rather reflections of social reality at a particular time and in a particular country. With this in mind it is possible to organise the factors that have been isolated in the various chapters under two broad sub-headings. The first of these relates to general ideological considerations. Revolution must represent the possible fulfilment of grass-roots aspirations. Revolutionary power can only be effective if it is based upon a manifest willingness to satisfy such aspirations. If the exercise of revolutionary power demands that some sort of armed force be created then that army will only fight with any enthusiasm if military service is generally seen to be an indispensable method of satisfying rank-and-file grievances. The people at large will only fight in the revolutionary army if the act of being a soldier is made inseparable from the desire to be a more fulfilled citizen. But it is utopian to suppose that effective political power rests only upon a benevolent identification with popular desires. This is a necessary condition but not a sufficient one. The exercise of power also demands effective administrative structures and strong central leadership, particularly in a time of bitter social upheaval. Thus the second sub-heading relates to organisational factors and the mechanics of revolutionary power. If the engine of revolutionary war cannot run without the fuel of popular support, nor can it last very long if the machinery itself is not well maintained.
