STRATEGIC CULTURE AND WAYS OF WAR - AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

National strategies and approaches to warfare are, to a significant extent, culturally determined. The concept of national 'ways of war' dates from the 1930s, when Basil H. Liddell Hart theorized that there was a 'British Way in Warfare'. The concept of 'strategic culture' dates from the 1970s, when Jack Snyder introduced it to explain why leaders of the Soviet Union did not behave according to rational choice theory. These ideas have gained wide acceptance among historians of international politics and warfare, and remain controversial for political scientists seeking general or universal theoretical understanding of such subjects. This study will provide a badly-needed survey and synopsis of the scholarly literature on strategic culture and ways of war. Because political scientists have focused on strategic culture and historians on ways of war, the work will benefit both audiences and provide each with valuable exposure to the ideas of the other.