Command Failure in War: Psychology and Leadership [Hardcover]

Philip Langer (Author), Robert Pois (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 12, 2004

Why do military commanders, most of them usually quite capable, fail at crucial moments of their careers? Robert Pois and Philip Langer—one a historian, the other an educational psychologist—study seven cases of military command failures, from Frederick the Great at Kunersdorf to Hitler's invasion of Russia. While the authors recognize the value of psychological theorizing, they do not believe that one method can cover all the individuals, battles, or campaigns under examination. Instead, they judiciously take a number of psycho-historical approaches in hope of shedding light on the behaviors of commanders during war. The other battles and commanders studied here are Napoleon in Russia, George B. McClellan's Peninsular Campaign, Robert E. Lee and Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, John Bell Hood at the Battle of Franklin, Douglas Haig and the British command during World War I, "Bomber" Harris and the Strategic Bombing of Germany, and Stalingrad.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Pois (1940-2004) was Professor of History at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Among his books are The Great War; National Socialism and the Religion of Nature; and Friedrich Meinecke and German Politics in the Twentieth Century.

Philip Langer is Professor of Educational Psychology and Faculty Fellow of the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (May 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 025334378X
• ISBN-13: 978-0253343789
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #850,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating perspective, September 26, 2009

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M. S. Fenton (Morris Plains, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Command Failure in War: Psychology and Leadership (Hardcover)

I found the psychological insights to historical military events to be interesting. In a previous incarnation I taught management "science" and the psychological failures/flaws of people like General Lee, Napoleon, Hitler, Churchill, etc. are found in lesser beings in board rooms around the world. The insights in this book would be useful to a student of business and political as well as military leadership. The authors, one a historian and the other a psychologist, and both academics, elected to write about military conflicts of global proportions in order to make their point. This is understandable. The academic tendencies tend to sound a little like a college text book at times (which this may be the case) and this gets a little ponderous at times. But, it is worth sticking with it because the central theme is a common flaw in business, education, government, and every other endeavor where you have people leading other people. If you hold any kind of leadership position you should read this book. I wish I had this book when I was teaching this stuff. It would have made things a little more interesting.