--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was the concentration of resources and…" description: "\"“It was the concentration of resources and power in hierarchical political organizations, the millions of cannon-fodder citizens subject to their dispo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/lawrence-h-keeley-39443_guerrilla-warfare_it-was-the-concentration-of-resources-an_1556821.jpg" --- # It was the concentration of resources and power in… ![“It was the concentration of resources and power in hierarchical political organizations, the millions of cannon-fodder citizens subject to their disposal, the galleon, compass and sextant, the ox-wagon, steam engine, railroads, and factory production, as well as smallpox, measles, and weeds, that…” quote by Lawrence H. Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/lawrence-h-keeley-39443_guerrilla-warfare_it-was-the-concentration-of-resources-an_1556821.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/lawrence-h-keeley-39443_guerrilla-warfare_it-was-the-concentration-of-resources-an_1556821.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/lawrence-h-keeley-39443_guerrilla-warfare_it-was-the-concentration-of-resources-an_1556821.jpg) > ““It was the concentration of resources and power in hierarchical political organizations, the millions of cannon-fodder citizens subject to their disposal, the galleon, compass and sextant, the ox-wagon, steam engine, railroads, and factory production, as well as smallpox, measles, and weeds, that allowed the nations of western Europe to gain ascendancy over the uncivilized world during the past half-millennium. It was not the much discussed and theatrical weaponry, discipline, and tactical techniques that gave soldiers their eventual triumphs, but their mastery of the rather pedestrian arcana of logistics. In modern guerrilla warfare, when superior primitive tactics are wedded to even very limited civilized logistics, more completely civilized adversaries are very commonly discomfited. Guerrilla warfare merely incorporates manpower and supply capacities on a civilized scale and uses more up-to-date weaponry. Primitive warfare is simply total war conducted with very limited means. The”” [Lawrence H. Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-h-keeley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success in warfare often hinges on logistical capacity rather than just weapons or tactics. **In simple terms:** Logistics win wars more than weapons. Key Takeaway Focus on supply and organization. Themes logistics military history technology colonialism strategy Mood analytical critical historical Type educational reflective strategic When to use this quote - colonial expansion - modern insurgencies - defense planning - historical analysis Key Concepts resource management transportation communication medicine industrialization Questions to Reflect On - How do modern supply chains affect conflict outcomes? - What logistical innovations could shift power balances? A Different Perspective Logistics can be disrupted by political or environmental factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Guerrilla warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guerrilla-warfare/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Total war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/total-war/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Primitive (and guerrilla) warfare consists of war stripped to its essentials: the murder of enemies; the theft or destruction of their sustenance, wealth, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-h-keeley/primitive-and-guerrilla-warfare-consists-of-war-stripped-to-its/) [Lawrence H. Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-h-keeley/) > [“Except in geographical scale, tribal warfare could be and often was total war in every modern sense. 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On battlefields, we have no facilities for shaving, and that was why I first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasser-arafat/how-can-i-shave-in-the-midst-of-guerrilla-warfare-on-battlefields-we/) [Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasser-arafat/) > [“And then—the languid hands dropped the uncut book. 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Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-h-keeley/) > [“To a great extent, the superior transportation and agricultural technology of Europe and its efficient economic and logistic methods made possible its triumph over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-h-keeley/to-a-great-extent-the-superior-transportation-and-agricultural/) [Lawrence H. Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-h-keeley/) > [“Primitive (and guerrilla) warfare consists of war stripped to its essentials: the murder of enemies; the theft or destruction of their sustenance, wealth, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-h-keeley/primitive-and-guerrilla-warfare-consists-of-war-stripped-to-its/) [Lawrence H. Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-h-keeley/) > [“Efficiency is a ratio, not an absolute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-h-keeley/efficiency-is-a-ratio-not-an-absolute/) [Lawrence H. 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Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-h-keeley/) > [“Military ferocity is not a fixed quality of any race or culture, but a temporary condition that usually bears the seeds of it own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-h-keeley/military-ferocity-is-not-a-fixed-quality-of-any-race-or-culture-but-a/) [Lawrence H. Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-h-keeley/) [Explore all 11 Lawrence H. Keeley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-h-keeley/) ## More Guerrilla warfare quotes > [The situation in the West Bank and Gaza involves a military occupation amid urban guerrilla warfare, analogous to the British security measures in Northern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schwartz/the-situation-in-the-west-bank-and-gaza-involves-a-military/) [Jack Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schwartz/) > [“Primitive (and guerrilla) warfare consists of war stripped to its essentials: the murder of enemies; the theft or destruction of their sustenance, wealth, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-h-keeley/primitive-and-guerrilla-warfare-consists-of-war-stripped-to-its/) [Lawrence H. Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-h-keeley/) > [“the wilderness should be preserved for political reasons. 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War, revolution, an absurd marriage, being chosen as the “dictator of his home town,” putting his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teffi/and-then-the-languid-hands-dropped-the-uncut-book-war-revolution-an/) [Teffi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teffi/) > [How can I shave in the midst of guerrilla warfare? On battlefields, we have no facilities for shaving, and that was why I first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasser-arafat/how-can-i-shave-in-the-midst-of-guerrilla-warfare-on-battlefields-we/) [Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasser-arafat/) > [Afghanistan is ideally suited for guerrilla warfare, as the Soviets discovered in the 1980s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/afghanistan-is-ideally-suited-for-guerrilla-warfare-as-the-soviets/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [We are not going to succeed because Taliban are masters of guerrilla warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imran-khan/we-are-not-going-to-succeed-because-taliban-are-masters-of-guerrilla/) [Imran Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imran-khan/) > [Guerrilla warfare is used by the side which is supported by a majority but which possesses a much smaller number of arms for use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/guerrilla-warfare-is-used-by-the-side-which-is-supported-by-a/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [Raising kids is part joy and part guerrilla warfare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/raising-kids-is-part-joy-and-part-guerrilla-warfare/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [“The term terrorism is widely misused. It is utilized in its generic sense as a form of shorthand by governments and the media and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-livingstone/the-term-terrorism-is-widely-misused-it-is-utilized-in-its-generic/) Neil Livingstone > [“Frank Fiorini, better known as Frank Sturgis, had an interesting career that started when he quit high school during his senior year to join…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/frank-fiorini-better-known-as-frank-sturgis-had-an-interesting-career/) [Captain Hank Bracker, The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/) > [“How can we fight a whole people that just keeps on melting away before us but is always in the background awaiting a chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-kramer/how-can-we-fight-a-whole-people-that-just-keeps-on-melting-away/) [Michael G. Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-kramer/) [Browse all 34 Guerrilla warfare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guerrilla-warfare/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was the concentration of resources and power in hierarchical political organizations, the millions of cannon-fodder citizens subject to their disposal, the galleon, compass and sextant, the ox-wagon, steam engine, railroads, and factory production, as well as smallpox, measles, and weeds, that allowed the nations of western Europe to gain ascendancy over the uncivilized world during the past half-millennium. It was not the much discussed and theatrical weaponry, discipline, and tactical techniques that gave soldiers their eventual triumphs, but their mastery of the rather pedestrian arcana of logistics. 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