During the prolonged Cold War period, numerous guerrilla forces of varying political beliefs were showered with money, modern weapons, and equipment from assorted benefactors. The role of guerrilla warfare considerably expanded during World War II, when Josip Broz Tito’s communist Partisans tied down and frequently clashed with the German army in Yugoslavia and when other groups, both communist and noncommunist, fought against the German and Japanese enemies. As such, it has scored remarkable successes and has suffered disastrous defeats. Traditionally, it has been a weapon of protest employed to rectify real or imagined wrongs levied on a people either by a ruling government or by a foreign invader. Regardless of terminology, the importance of guerrilla warfare has varied considerably throughout history. The French military writer Henri, baron de Jomini (1779–1869), classified the operations of guerrilla fighters as “national war.” The Prussian general and theorist Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831) reluctantly admitted their existence by picturing partisans as “a kind of nebulous vapoury essence.” Later writers called their operations “small wars.” During the Cold War (1945–91), Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s term revolutionary warfare became a staple, as did insurgency, rebellion, insurrection, people’s war, and war of national liberation.įight for the title of War Wiz with this quiz on famous conflicts throughout history. Frustrated military commanders have consistently damned them as barbarians, savages, terrorists, brigands, outlaws, and bandits. Over the centuries the practitioners of guerrilla warfare have been called rebels, irregulars, insurgents, partisans, and mercenaries. The word guerrilla (the diminutive of Spanish guerra, “war”) stems from the duke of Wellington’s campaigns during the Peninsular War (1808–14), in which Spanish and Portuguese irregulars, or guerrilleros, helped drive the French from the Iberian Peninsula. Guerrilla warfare, also spelled guerilla warfare, type of warfare fought by irregulars in fast-moving, small-scale actions against orthodox military and police forces and, on occasion, against rival insurgent forces, either independently or in conjunction with a larger political-military strategy. Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.
0 kommentar(er)
