Civil wars leave durable military institutions

The American Civil War is presented as a stronger structural inheritance than the War of Independence: expend materiel and technology when doing so can spare personnel. World War I reinforced that lesson while Civil War bloodshed remained within living memory. Britain's Wars of the Three Kingdoms left the New Model Army's small professional core as a model that could expand during major wars. Revolutionary outcomes also determine whether old units survive, because forces aligned with the winning side often preserve their traditions and organization. Spain and France illustrate how military formations can retain long lineages by repeatedly emerging on the successful side of political upheaval.