From Waterloo to the Rhine: The British Army 1815-1945

Explore the British Army’s part in the making of the modern world

What topics will you cover?

Week 1 – The British Army at Waterloo

• The composition and organization of the army at the turn of the 19th century
• The image of the Army in British society
• Battlefield performance in a ‘limited war’ as part of an international coalition
• The influence of the Duke of Wellington’s generalship

Week 2 – ‘The British Army and Empire’

• Campaigning in Africa and India
• The Indian Mutiny (1857)
• The Anglo-Zulu War (1879)
• The Second Boer War (1899-1902)

Week 3 – ‘The British Army and the First World War’

• The expansion of the Army
• Gallipoli, the Somme and the 100 days
• The experience of the British soldier throughout the war
• Commemorating the war

Week 4 – ‘The British Army and the Second World War’

• The defeats of 1940 in France and 1942 in the Far East
• Crucial engagements at El Alamein (1942), D-Day (1944) and Operation Market Garden (1944)
• The impact of ‘total’ war and how this influenced the conduct of British military operations
• The extent to which the British Army changed socially, culturally, and militarily between 1815 and 1945

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

No prior experience or qualifications are needed for this course. It would suit anyone with an interest in the British military, or social history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It would also appeal to prospective students of history, or military history.