The Fiscal Military State (1) absolute monarchy and service states Flashcards
In Spain, why is the argument of linking war with state development weakened?
The military revolution did not promote the permanent establishment of a powerful, centralised state
From the start of the sixteenth century to the middle of the seventeenth, how much did the Spanish Treasury Expand?
At least twenty four fold
What were the three components of Spain’s expenditure?
1.the ordinary budget for the military and naval establishment within the Spanish theatre
2.extraordinary military expenditures within Spain, war became a permanent element of life.
3.3. money sent abroad from Spain to help pay for the wars in the Low Countries, France, Italy and Germany.
Describe how fortification affected the costs of war in Spain:
The fortifications were no means outside the financial capacity of individual provinces, cities and lords.
Fortification construction was fairly modest in Spain
Not only paid by crown, but also appeared in government budgets
Describe how Artillery affected the costs of war in Spain:
i. demand not only in military rev but also naval rev
ii. Gunpowder assignments only attributed to around 3 1/2 percent of the total capital of the Crown debt at that time.
iii. rose substantially between the mid sixteenth and the early seventeenth centuries, however,
the entire annual expenditure on the artillery account hardly ever represented more than about 4 or 5 percent of Castile’s total domestic military budget.
Describe how tactical changes affected the costs of war in Spain:
Saved money from decline in cavalry, making possible a considerable overall increase in army size.
The fall in the number of pikemen was matched after about 1570 by a rising proportion of highly-paid musketeers, from 10 percent initially to over 30 percent i n the 1690s.
Why was manpower the most costly element of the Spanish Army?
The burden of manpower in pay and provisions was overwhelming.
Even in the fleets, the pay and rations of the personnel amounted to some 80 percent of total running costs.
What does Parker argue about Spanish manpower and inflation?
5X as much to put a soldier in the field in the 1630s as it had in the 1530st
it seems that much the most important factor in that increase was not the Military Revolution but monetary inflation.
Why does Spain struggle with its empire during the period of military revolution?
Because of its composite nature
1. each Spanish realm retained its own freedoms and laws, administrative and governance arrangements, different monetary systems and borders.
2. The differing tax arrangements led to a reliance on the revenues from the Kingdom of Castile as opposed to other areas of Spain
Describe the economic failures of Spain according to Thomson
There was the idea that Spain could not sustain their own military ambitions; Philip II borrowed heavily and so did his successors, but they failed to repay this debt, thus the bankruptcy of the crown inevitably resulted in the failure of her military ambitions.
Spain was unable to develop a fiscal system capable of maintaining the necessary levels of military spending demanded by its strategic position, thus becoming self-destructive
What was the problem with Spanish finance after 1576?
financing needs progressively shifted to the colonies as from 1763, the conscious deviation of expenditure to the Americans meant a significant reduction of the money that should have been spent in Spain.
During the American Civil War, compare the English expenditure to the Spanish Expenditure?
Spain fell well behind England’s expenditure capacity after the American War of Independence
What does Sanchez claim is the greatest weakness of the Spanish state
the need of ‘economising’, that is, to save as much as possible and to avoid running up any deficit
What quote does Sanchez say about Spain’s economising
‘the desire and possibility of balancing the books and thus avoiding the dreaded deficit ran counter to the development of a true fiscal-military state’.
Why was England’s military finances more effective than Spain?
Great Britain showed a firm determination to build up and maintain a public debt system as the main means of financing this state and its main priority
Great Britain devoted 38% of its public spending to nursing this debt; Spain never even clocked up 9%.
Why were new Mercenary Officers needed in Russia?
Due to the embrace of the military revolution, such as tactical innovation and new weapons, this demanded more authority and training
What did Patrick Gordens observe about the Russian Military Culture?
It was dominated by the state and the aristocratic elites
give an example of the growth in the Russian Army
1654: 55 000
1663: over 90 000
In Russian context, what does ‘Modernisation’ mean
‘traditional societies’ develop from ‘modern socities’
Russia was seen as inferior to European states
What quote does Reger say about westernisation and mercenary officers?
Notions of ‘westernisation’ through European Mercenary Officers were seen as the necessary evil in the face of threats’ for European armies who were better trained and organised.
Why did Russia become more Europe-Like?
To compete with stronger and more organised European armies
Name the three stages of military innovation in Russia
- The Artillery Stage: by the sixteenth century Russia’s military accomplishments rested in large measure on its artillery
- The hand-held firearm stage: they began to embrace lighter, more efficient muskets.
- Foreign Mercenary Officers: mercenaries became increasingly central to military development in seventeenth century Russia.
Give an example of how mercenary officers in Russia helped their success in 1605
1605 Battle of Dobrinich; Russia victorious over the poles, they used fire volley
During the thirteen years war, what was the relationship between mercenary officers and the Russian state?
the mercenary officers relied on the ability of the state to provide their regiments with men, guns, supplies and money in a timely fashion.
the state relied upon the officers to know their business and train and command soldiers drawn from the lower and middle-service classes and the peasantry.
