The paper discusses the evolution of weapons and warfare throughout history, from the development of gunpowder to the present day. Emphasis is placed on the period of the 17th-21st century, which is divided into five generations of warfare. Each generation of warfare is a upgraded version of the previous one and marks a certain period in the past and differs from others in terms of inventions and methods of warfare. The battles of the first generation, which began in the 17th century, were based on the mass power and not on simple warfare strategies, as can be seen in the examples of the Napoleonic wars. In addition to simple strategies and swords, the simplest forms of guns are also used. The second generation covers the period of the First World War and inventions such as heavy machines that dominated trench warfare. The second generation is marked by the development of tanks, airplanes and chemical-biological weapons. In the third generation, mobility and maneuver bring advantage in winning battles. With the appearance of psychological warfare in the third generation, a sign for a different way of warfare appears. The fourth and fifth generations are generations of unconventional warfare, i.e. information warfare and manipulation of leaders, the military and civilians.