Motivation in War
The Experience of Common Soldiers in Old-Regime Europe

'… this is an impressive first monograph from an extremely adept and promising military historian. Berkovich's argument is thoughtful, compelling, and bold.' Joe Cozens, Reviews in History

'This fine book deserves to be widely known and posted to course reading lists on the history of armies everywhere.' Gregory Hanlon, The Journal of Military History

'By searching the archives and of Europe and North America, he [Berkovich] has identified some 250 memoirs, letter collections, and diaries left by common soldiers of the eighteenth century. Taken together, these records enable Berkovich to revise our understanding of the motivation and outlook of the soldiers of the 'old regime' … Berkovich convinces us that the soldiers of the Old Regime were not that different from the Roman legionnaires of antiquity or the GIs of more recent times. This book is recommended.' Scott Stephenson, Military Review

'… a seminal analysis making a convincing case for eighteenth-century common soldiers as neither passive nor indifferent, not victims but actors.' Dennis E. Showalter, Journal of Modern History

'… this is a hugely impressive first book, with a geographical and chronological sweep that we see all too rarely in historical writing nowadays. Its thesis is bold and will have important implications both for military history and for social and cultural histories of war. The vision of Britain as a fundamentally European state is nothing if not timely.' Matthew McCormack, The English Historical Review

'Motivation in War offers a new view of ordinary soldiers, their motivations, and their experiences. Ilya Berkovich rightly argues for 'the importance of seeing old regime soldiers as actors rather than victims of historical processes' …' Brian Sandberg, The American Historical Review