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The Crimean War

When you'll study it
Semester 2
CATS points
15
ECTS points
7.5
Level
Level 4
Module lead
David Brown
Academic year
2025-26

Module overview

The Crimean War (1853-56) was the most important Great Power conflict fought between the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the outbreak of World War One in 1914. Yet its causes are uncertain and the way it was fought was often paradoxical: modern techniques of warfare, media reporting and medical care did not prevent this being a war characterised by blunder and incompetence, all played out in the glare of public scrutiny. Reputations were made and broken, Great Powers were humbled; we might ask did anyone win this war? Yet on the battlefield and beyond the implications and lessons of the war were wide-reaching for societies, economies and governments. This module therefore asks why did the war break out and how was it fought, while also examining its impact and legacy beyond the battlefield.