Library Catalog
Amazon cover image
Image from Amazon.com

Presidents and Their Generals : An American History of Command in War / Matthew Moten.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, [2014]Copyright date: ©2014Description: 1 online resource (416 p.) : 1 halftoneContent type:
Media type:
Carrier type:
ISBN:
  • 9780674058149
  • 9780674736016
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 355.00922 23
Other classification:
  • online - DeGruyter
Online resources: Available additional physical forms:
  • Issued also in print.
Contents:
Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- Preface -- INTRODUCTION -- I. SETTING PRECEDENTS -- 1. George Washington and the Continental Congress -- 2. Adams, Washington, and Hamilton -- 3. Mr. Madison's War -- 4. Polk against His Generals -- 5. Lincoln's Letter to Hooker -- II. THE POLITICS OF COLLABORATION -- 6. Lincoln and Grant -- 7. The Pershing Paradox -- 8. Roosevelt, Marshall, and Hopkins -- III. THE PERILS OF PARTISANSHIP -- 9. Exit MacArthur -- 10. Taylor's Theory -- 11. Powell's Doctrine -- 12. Rumsfeld's Assumptions -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Index
Summary: Since World War II, the United States has been engaged in near-constant military conflict abroad, often with ill-defined objectives, ineffectual strategy, and uncertain benefits. In this era of limited congressional oversight and "wars of choice," the executive and the armed services have shared the primary responsibility for making war. The negotiations between presidents and their generals thus grow ever more significant, and understanding them becomes essential. Matthew Moten traces a sweeping history of the evolving roles of civilian and military leaders in conducting war, demonstrating how war strategy and national security policy shifted as political and military institutions developed, and how they were shaped by leaders' personalities. Early presidents established the principle of military subordination to civil government, and from the Civil War to World War II the president's role as commander-in-chief solidified, with an increasingly professionalized military offering its counsel. But General Douglas MacArthur's insubordination to President Harry Truman during the Korean War put political-military tensions on public view. Subsequent presidents selected generals who would ally themselves with administration priorities. Military commanders in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan did just that-and the results were poorly conceived policy and badly executed strategy. The most effective historical collaborations between presidents and their generals were built on mutual respect for military expertise and civilian authority, and a willingness to negotiate with candor and competence. Upon these foundations, future soldiers and statesmen can ensure effective decision-making in the event of war and bring us closer to the possibility of peace.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number URL Status Notes Barcode
eBook eBook Biblioteca "Angelicum" Pont. Univ. S.Tommaso d'Aquino Nuvola online online - DeGruyter (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Online access Not for loan (Accesso limitato) Accesso per gli utenti autorizzati / Access for authorized users (dgr)9780674736016

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- Preface -- INTRODUCTION -- I. SETTING PRECEDENTS -- 1. George Washington and the Continental Congress -- 2. Adams, Washington, and Hamilton -- 3. Mr. Madison's War -- 4. Polk against His Generals -- 5. Lincoln's Letter to Hooker -- II. THE POLITICS OF COLLABORATION -- 6. Lincoln and Grant -- 7. The Pershing Paradox -- 8. Roosevelt, Marshall, and Hopkins -- III. THE PERILS OF PARTISANSHIP -- 9. Exit MacArthur -- 10. Taylor's Theory -- 11. Powell's Doctrine -- 12. Rumsfeld's Assumptions -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Index

restricted access online access with authorization star

http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec

Since World War II, the United States has been engaged in near-constant military conflict abroad, often with ill-defined objectives, ineffectual strategy, and uncertain benefits. In this era of limited congressional oversight and "wars of choice," the executive and the armed services have shared the primary responsibility for making war. The negotiations between presidents and their generals thus grow ever more significant, and understanding them becomes essential. Matthew Moten traces a sweeping history of the evolving roles of civilian and military leaders in conducting war, demonstrating how war strategy and national security policy shifted as political and military institutions developed, and how they were shaped by leaders' personalities. Early presidents established the principle of military subordination to civil government, and from the Civil War to World War II the president's role as commander-in-chief solidified, with an increasingly professionalized military offering its counsel. But General Douglas MacArthur's insubordination to President Harry Truman during the Korean War put political-military tensions on public view. Subsequent presidents selected generals who would ally themselves with administration priorities. Military commanders in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan did just that-and the results were poorly conceived policy and badly executed strategy. The most effective historical collaborations between presidents and their generals were built on mutual respect for military expertise and civilian authority, and a willingness to negotiate with candor and competence. Upon these foundations, future soldiers and statesmen can ensure effective decision-making in the event of war and bring us closer to the possibility of peace.

Issued also in print.

Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.

In English.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 30. Aug 2021)