Strong Armies, Slow Adaptation: Civil-Military Relations and the Diffusion of Military Power

Summary

Why did the great powers of Europe adapt to the so-called military revolution of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries while the Ottoman Empire failed to do so? This puzzle is best explained by two factors: civil-military relations and historical timing. The Ottoman standing army was able to block reforms that it believed challenged its interests. Absent a similar challenge, European rulers motivated officers and military entrepreneurs to participate in military reforms.