War, a seemingly inevitable event in history, has shaped the world around us and continues to shape it in the present. War is defined by Merriam-Webster as a state of hostile armed conflict, usually open and declared, between states or nations. Many times these conflicts last many months and sometimes years. Whether it is a long conflict, there are several factors that could determine the outcome of wars and some of these factors may not be tangible. Some might say that most conflicts are won with grit, courage and glory; some might say it was overwhelming military power; while others might say it was a strategic advantage or disadvantage. In this thesis I will take a simple look at some historical wars and battles and address the following questions:1. What was the cause of the war?2. What were the effects or consequences of the war?3. Did the largest and richest state win the war?4. What was the key method used to achieve victory? The American Revolution The American Revolution was an open conflict between colonial Americans and England. England had run up a huge bill during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), in which much of the conflict took place in North America. England felt that the colonists did not play a large enough role in the conflict, be it financially or physically. This was a problem due to the fact that the British army in North America consumed approximately 4% of British government spending. This caused England to become very interested in the colonies, thus imposing taxes on the colonists for imported goods received (Rickard, 2003). After the Battle of Bunker Hill where, although England won, their victory was not as decisive as ...middle of paper......states/vietnam/index-1945.htmlRickard, J. (2003, May 25 ). American Revolutionary War (1775-1782),. Retrieved January 2, 2011, from Military History Encyclopedia on the Web/historyofwar.org: http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_american_independence.htmlRickard, J. (2003, May 21). Bunker Hill, Battle of, June 17, 1775. Retrieved January 2, 2011, from Military History Encyclopedia on the Web/historyofwar.org: http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_bunkerhill.htmlRumsfeld, D. (2003, March 20 ). Operation Iraqi Freedom. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from DefendAmerica.mil: http://www.defendamerica.mil/iraq/iraqifreedom.htmlSingal, J., Lim, C., & Stephey, M. (2010, March 19). Seven Years in Iraq: A Timeline of the Iraq War. Retrieved January 4, 2011, from time.com: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1967340_1967342_1967408,00.html