In the previous chapter, I set out the principal limitations of technological determinism to explain the evolution of warfare in Europe from the early modern period onwards. This chapter aims to explain why technology became a critical variable within the war–state relationship and how it impacted the character of war. In addressing this question, it is also essential to explain why the military became increasingly enamoured with the allure of technology and how they sought to harness it. In constructing this audit, it is helpful to think of technology's direct and indirect effects and why and how it shaped the war–state relationship. Similarly, it is also essential to map out how these changes altered the character of conflict. The rise of modern war is significant because it allowed states to wage war on an unprecedented scale and duration, exemplified in the two world wars of the 20th century. To this end, this chapter is divided into three discrete sections. The first section addresses the question of why technology became fashionable in the military realm. The second looks at the drive for technology in war and how this affected the war–state relationship. The final section concentrates on how this increased focus on the technical means of waging war determined the character of modern war as explored via the impact of technology on strategy, operations and tactics.

I hope to demonstrate that technological innovation's importance had a profound impact on the war–state relationship during the period under scrutiny. However, its rise was facilitated by various factors, including the intensity of competition within Europe's regional security complex in the last third of the 19th century. In addition, internal organizational change within European armies in terms of their order of battle, modus operandi, and command and control, which preceded this revolution, also facilitated the incorporation of new technological enablers. Finally, I believe the principle of being able to mobilize the entire male population in a society to wage war was firmly established in the largely preindustrial era. The Napoleonic Wars demonstrate this point as first France, and then other nations rallied the population for war.

Consequently, this action cannot be credited to the industrial revolution, even if you extend the origins of this episode back to the 16th century as has been claimed (Toffler and Toffler, 1993).