It had often been interpreted as 'Unifying the whole country with military power,' but from recent research, it is often understood as 'Controlling the whole country by a military government.'
「武力を持って天下を取る」という風に解釈されることが多いが、近年の研究では「武家の政権を以て天下を支配する」という意味に取ることが多い。