Great Empires were Built on Military Might
I have been reading many articles and carried out studies on military history. Being an Alumnus of the Staff College at Wellington, military history is my forte. I have studied the great empires of the world and have concluded that right from ancient times to the present age i.e. the 21st century, the only standing of a nation is based on its military might. When we say military might, it includes a massive industrial base to sustain this military force.
One of the oldest empires in world history is the Roman empire. This empire that lasted for almost 300 years was solely built on the fighting capabilities of the Roman legions. These legions converted the entire Mediterranean Sea into a Roman Lake. Earlier to the Roman Empire, the campaign of the Greeks under Alexander the Great, who led a great conquering expedition over 4000 miles is something that cannot be understood. He moved in an age when the horse was the main agent of transportation, yet he conquered vast lands, but his empire did not last much longer after his death.
The other big names are the Ottoman Empire and the Empires of Central Asia led by Timur Lang, Chengiz Khan, and Muhammad of Ghazni. All these empires were solely the product of armed might. These armies followed the principles of war and were highly successful.
In this scenario, we have the Chinese empire which was a world by itself. The Indian empire of Aurangzeb was again built on the military might of the Mughal army which decimated most of the Hindu kingdoms of India. From the middle ages we have the British and the French Empires. The British Empire was the greatest empire in world history. It must be understood that the population of England in the 17/18 century is estimated at 20 million, while the Indian population was about 250 million. Yet this small nation colonised the whole of India. Its flag ran all over the world and the adage " the sun never sets on the British Empire" is something that is ingrained in world history. The British empire was built on the strength of its Navy which made it the most powerful nation on earth.
In the 20th century again the Japanese and the Germans did carve their empires on military might. These empires collapsed with their defeat, when their army lost the war..
Modern age again is a pointer that without a strong military a nation is a pushover. China is a factor on its military might and even the USA is wary of it. Coming to the USA, despite its economy being mortgaged to China , it asserts its world power on the strength of the most efficient fighting machine in the world.
It's a matter of regret that India, even now, has not learned the lesson. We are even unable to tame Pakistan and the Indian leadership has not realised that without dominant military might, one is a cipher. Yet the Indian armed forces are not given their due and I am afraid it's at the peril of the nation. An example is the agitation for pension by soldiers. Can it happen in any other country? What about the effect on morale?
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