Subtitled A Study of American Military History - this is actually
an examination of the philosophy behind the changing scene in
America's military history, rather than a closeup of wars and
battles, strategy and tactics. Of that there is enough to
illustrate the major premises, as he goes from the day when farmers
pulled their triggers at Lexington and Concord to the stalemate of
atomic war today. The American revolution was a triumph of
improvisation, not only in war but in government, finance, opinion,
and it was won because the British were fighting an armed populace,
a loose knit democratically organized administration, over a huge
terrain- and fighting with an outmoded mercenary army. The
conception of militia obligation of the citizenry came into being
after that, the war making machinery power with the national
government, with state troops the nucleus. Successive periods of
military insecurity gave birth to a spate of military legislation,
but it was actually the industrial revolution that brought drastic
change in 25 years of technical development, spurred on by
expansion and emigration in the period following. The Civil War was
the next major turning point; in scale of participation it exceeded
all earlier wars; technology was responsible for the mounting
intensity in a war that was first in many counts. By the '70's, the
philosophy of war underwent another change in the "managerial
revolution". Germany led the way with the conception of the General
Staff system. Mahan became the spokesman here with his emphasis on
sea power. American imperialism began to stir. The Spanish-American
war, the Russo-Japanese war, the Mexican "punitive expedition" were
dress rehearsals for the First World War and conversion to large
scale intervention. The "scientific revolution" had arrived- and
war became an affair for technicians, scientists, as well as army,
navy and air forces. The mechanical revolution triumphed over
manpower. Or as World War II seemed to prove, until the Korean War
demonstrated the impossibility of discounting total war- men and
machines and experts- total war of the centralized modern state.
The significance of the atomic bombs lay in the future. Successive
post war crises - the Berlin airlift, the nuclear armament race,
the inconclusive ending of the Korean war spelled confusion for
military policies:- NATO - the Summit Conference-the recognition of
a major war as unacceptable. The old hope of total disarmament
yielded to the still nebulous neutralization of armament proposal.
The "hypertrophy of war" as a basis of survival is unacceptable....
This is a valuable survey-for students of war and politics. It is a
ncessary basis for a new turn of military philosophy, though Millis
does not attempt to present the answer. His name will carry this
beyond the ordinary market for such books. But the text demands
reader concentration as well as interest. (Kirkus Reviews)
"A classic..., a brilliant interpretation of the origins of mass
warfare. In Arms and Men, Walter Millis has helped to explain not
only how war has come to dominate our age, but the often troubled,
anomalous relationship between the military and the rest of
American society. For everyone, from the beginning student to the
advanced scholar, there is not a more comprehensive, more
stimulating, or more lively introduction to the men, the ideas, the
policies, and the forces that have shaped the development of
American military power." --Richard H. Kohn "In my opinion Arms and
Men is a splendid piece of work, clearly organized, well argued and
beautifully written. We have long needed an informed and
intelligent commentary on the evolution of American military
policy; and in Mr. Millis' book we have it. I think that his book
will awaken great interest and be widely used. I am sure also that
professional students of the subject will find it possible, after
reading this book, to see the course of American military affairs
with a new perspective. That is one of the great services performed
by Mr. Millis. He has covered the whole subject with authority, but
- thank heaven - in a short book, in which the arguments are not
blunted by unnecessary detail." --Gordon A. Craig "This author
knows weapons, politics and human nature. His perceptive grasp of
these complexes shines in the writing." --The New York Times
General
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