Speaker Bio

蘇聖雄，中央研究院近代史研究所副研究員，專注於近現代中國與臺灣軍事史、政治史和冷戰史，發表論著多種。軍事史方面，探討人事、情報、後勤、訓練、戰略、戰術、戰役和重要將領等議題，豐富近代軍事發展的圖像，並闡明其關鍵角色。政治史方面，從高層人物、派系和事件出發，分析冷戰時期臺灣政治的發展，並涉及組織、情報等層面。研究運用中文、英文和日文等多種史料，特別重視最新開放的檔案和日記，並採用全球脈絡下的研究方法，結合軍事史、思想史、制度史等多方面，交互探討，開拓新的研究視野。

Lecture Synopsis

This book is the first to examine the modern Chinese General Staff, demonstrating that, institutionally, the late Qing Dynasty placed great emphasis on the high-level staff organization as a means of centralizing and controlling military power. During the period of the Nationalist government, the General Staff was reestablished, bringing together a group of ‘military staff’ to formulate national defense plans for the impending Sino-Japanese conflict. In terms of thought, the General Staff, affiliated with the War Academy, led in strategic and tactical thinking. Its military studies were deeply influenced by the global flow of military thought, and the national defense plans reflected a background of offensive defense, decisive battle, and protracted war on the battlefield—inspired by Japanese and German military thought. This background significantly influenced the outbreak and course of the Sino-Japanese War and profoundly shaped the long-term evolution of the war situation. Through a comprehensive examination of the institutions and various aspects, this book not only depicts the history of the General Staff but also serves as a comprehensive account of China’s military development from tradition to modern. At the same time, the book also explains how Western military thought crossed borders, spread, and was transplanted to China, adapting to the local context and thus providing a global historical perspective.