Major Problems in American Military History: Documents and Essays (Major Problems in American History Series) (Paperback)

by John Chambers (Author), G. Kurt Piehler (Author), Thomas Paterson (Author)

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Product Description

This volume traces the evolution of the American military, its institutions, strategic doctrines, and technology. The selections provide a social and institutional focus of the "new" military history, and follow the metamorphosis of the militia, the professionalization of the officers' corps, and the course of civilian control of the military.

About the Author
Thomas G. Paterson, professor emeritus of history at the University of Connecticut, graduated from the University of New Hampshire (B.A., 1963) and the University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D., 1968). He is the author of Soviet-American Confrontation (1973), Meeting the Communist Threat (1988), On Every Front (1992), Contesting Castro (1994), America Ascendant (with J. Garry Clifford, 1995), and A People and a Nation (with Mary Beth Norton et al., 2001). Tom is also the editor of Cold War Critics (1971), Kennedy's Quest for Victory (1989), Imperial Surge (with Stephen G. Rabe, 1992), The Origins of the Cold War (with Robert McMahon, 1999), Explaining the History of American Foreign Relations (with Michael J. Hogan, 2004), and Major Problems in American Foreign Relations (with Dennis Merrill, 2010). With Bruce Jentleson, he served as senior editor for the Encyclopedia of American Foreign Relations (1997). A microfilm edition of The United States and Castro's Cuba, 1950s–1970s: The Paterson Collection appeared in 1999. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of American History and Diplomatic History. A recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, he has directed National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminars for College Teachers. In 2000 the New England History Teachers Association recognized his excellence in teaching and mentoring with the Kidger Award. Besides visits to many American campuses, Tom has lectured in Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Russia, and Venezuela. He is a past president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, which in 2008 honored him with the Laura and Norman Graebner Award for "lifetime achievement" in scholarship, service, and teaching. A native of Oregon, Tom is now informally associated with Southern Oregon University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 1 edition (October 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 066933538X
• ISBN-13: 978-0669335385
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,678 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Collection of Essays, April 17, 2006

By	Daniel Calandro (Fairfield, New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The collection of documents contained in the book provides a good look at major problems and issues spanning the entire three-hundred (say from the founding of Jamestown) or so years of American military history. Of particular interest to me was General Patton's commentary on the U.S. Army's position on tanks during the period between World War I and World War II.

There are also some articles on doctrine and on the establishment of a professional standing army. The documents do a good job of tracing the evolution of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. In the end, the book provides a good collection of opinions on important subjects in the military's past and present.