Technology and the Era of the Mass Army

Abstract

We provide the …rst systematic examination of the determinants of military mobilization over the very long run. Focusing on a sample of thirteen great powers between 1600 and 2000 we argue that changes in transport and communications technology were the single most important factor in both ushering in the era of the mass army and in leading to its eventual demise. During the nineteenth century the development of the railroad made it possible for the …rst time to mobilize and feed armies numbering in the millions. During the late twentieth century further advances in transport and communications technology made it possible to deliver explosive force from a distance and with precision. This development has made mass armies less relevant. We …nd strong support for our technological interpretation using a new data set that measures army size, population mobilization, and methods of recruitment from the beginning of the seventeenth century. In so doing we also consider several other plausible determinants of military mobilization. Contrary to what is so often suggested by political scientists, we …nd little evidence that the French Revolution and the invention of the concept of "the nation in arms" was associated with a substantial increase in levels of mobilization across nations. Even for the French case alone, the magnitude of what is sometimes referred to as the "Napoleonic watershed" was smaller than what is often believed.

The Long-run Effects of Agricultural Productivity on Conflict, 1400-1900

“…For example, Onorato et al (2014) In looking at long-run effects, we ask a similar question as studies of how natural resource endowments affect conflict. For example, Caselli et al (2013) provide cross-sectional evidence that the likelihood of inter-state conflict increases when at least one of the countries has mineral resources, especially if the resources are close to the border.…”