From the Thirty Years War to Napoleon's downfall at Waterloo, nations sought for decisive victory on the battlefield -- a distinct change from the raiding and sieges of the medieval period or the trench warfare that came later. But while this nearly two-hundred-year span from 1631 to 1815 is presented as the glory years of war, Russell F. Weigley questions whether there were decisive battles with clear winners and losers. Was warfare during this period an effective extension of state policy?