History glossary
guerrilla warfare
irregular warfare using mobility, local knowledge, ambushes, and political support.
- Category
- Military term
- Region
- Global
- Date range
- Varies
What it means
Guerrilla warfare is irregular fighting by small groups that use ambushes, mobility, local knowledge, and civilian support rather than formal battlefield confrontation alone. In the Peninsular War, guerrilla resistance helped make French occupation costly and unstable.
Related terms
Stories using this term
Imperial Japan
From Meiji modernisation to colonial rule, militarism, mobilisation and defeat, Imperial Japan rose as a modern empire before collapsing in 1945.
The Anglo Boer Conflict
A war between Britain and Boer republics that exposed imperial costs and reshaped South Africa.
The Cold War
Rivalry between East and West shapes global politics - through proxy wars, propaganda, and nuclear tension.
The Kim Dynasty
North Korea’s Kim dynasty built a nuclear-armed regime, maintaining power through crises and control.
The Korean War
A Cold War conflict that divided Korea, ending in stalemate and a lasting unresolved border.
The Soviets
From revolution to superpower, the Soviet Union rose, struggled internally, and collapsed in 1991.
The Vietnam War
From decolonisation to Cold War conflict, the Vietnam War reshaped Southeast Asia and global politics.
The Pacific War
From imperial expansion in Manchuria to surrender in 1945, the Pacific War remade Asia through conquest, occupation, naval warfare, and devastating defeat.
