Army Civil
History of Psychological Warfare: The Mongols by PSYWAR Stories
Abstract
This is a general review of the advance of various pscychological warfare techniques throughout history. Not intended to be all inclusive, it touches on some prominent points of divergence setting psychological warfare strategies and tactics apart as a military discipline of its own from the time of Cyrusâs Persia to contemporay Asymmetrical Warfare.
History of Psychological Warfare
All war has the simple objective of making the enemy bend to oneâs own will. All losses inflicted upon the enemy, all injuries imposed, and all ammunition expended serve the purpose of changing the enemyâs mind. When leaders can change an enemyâs mind without firing a round, they secure victory while preserving lives and resources on both sides.
Psychological warfare has been practiced to this end since the earliest accounts of conflict. The Biblical account of Gideon presents an ancient example of psychological warfare applied as a force multiplier without regard for the enemyâs lives, but without an overt bloodthirstiness. Gideon tested his volunteers psychologically for willingness to fight, releasing everyone who truly wanted to be elsewhere. He tested them psychologically for aptitude, not wanting any soldiers who lacked the intuition and discipline to lift water to their mouths with one hand, while keeping the other hand free for a weapon. Then, with a force reduced to a few hundred he led a surprise night attack, and routed an army with a few hundred men.
At the other end of the spectrum stand leaders like the more modern Shaka, who inflicted terror not just on his enemies, but even upon his own Zulu warriors. Part of his psychological influence came from technological innovation â” the Zulu spear â” and pushing the boundaries of what contemporaries considered the limits of war. As with any conquerors among the worldâs great historic civilizations, Shakaâs reputation preceded him, until he exceeded that reputation himself. Ironically, when centuries later South Africa faced the challenge of uniting dozens of tribal cultures with Euorpean descendants, while encouraging racial equality, its state run television found yet another psychological purpose for Shaka. The production âShaka Zuluâ used South Africaâs still fledgling television industry to provide a sense of shared heritage for South Africans of any cultural heritage.
The two approaches, one of winning over hearts and minds, one of forcing masses into terrified submission, have had varying degrees of success. History shows that in most cases the former approach produces the most beneficial and longest term results, but the short term results of the latter are often needed for stability first. History ultimately remembers leaders who rely on terror not just for initial victory, but for maintaining influence, as despots and tyrants. The same psychological tactics that once earned leaders reputations for strength now eventually follow them to The Hague. Such methods have become relegated to the realm of terrorism in asymmetric warfare. The Idi Amins and Moamar Khaddafis of history find themselves locked out of the community of nations as impolite company. The psychology of strict terror remains merely as a tool of desperation.
The Mongols:
The effectiveness of Mongol psychological tactics and strategies continues in evidence through modern usage of their word for âarmyâ or âcampâ. In modern times the word âhordeâ conjures images of confusion and massive numbers descending on overwhelmed victims. In fact the Mongols often went into battle outnumbered three to one, yet the spread of their empire under Genghis Khan remains unmatched today.
Mobility and autonomy served as psychological tools for Mongols. Though heavily armed the Mongol hordes served more as a light infantry of their day than did the heavily armored opponents they faced. Genghis Khan trusted enough in his armyâs discipline and training to permit soldiers greater self-direction in the field of battle. Should a unit of 1,000 lose its leader, each unit of 100 understood the strategic priorities and strategies enough to complete the mission.
Combined, these factors generated several valuable psychological results. Because the Mongols coordinated movements over great distances with no apparent communication, they seemed to have near psychic control over movements in battle. Their mobility allowed separate units to traverse great distances before converging on an enemy target. Then they seemed to come from every direction at once. Several men carrying three torches apiece made the forces seem larger.
Some also benefitted from Chinese silk in undergarments. This was strong enough to prevent full penetration from arrows fired at a distance. It also protected pierced skin when arrows were tipped in poison. The effect on an enemy of seeing a Mongol fighter get shot by an arrow, pull it out, and keep on fighting would have been unsettling at best. Like the Persians and Greeks before them, the reputation of the Mongols arrived before they did. It made cities more amenable to negotiation and surrender without fighting, especially since Mongols intentionally let some survivors escape to spread the tales of their ferocity in actual combat.
the mongols, psychological torture, army psyops, psyops army, psychological warfare examples, civil affairs, the author is James Scott at PCS. Read all the Psycholgical Warfare articles at their blog.
Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/History-of-Psychological-Warfare–The-Mongols/1871051
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