The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy. (The Wars of the United States.) New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. American Way of War by observing that. Weigley was writing at the. Approach to war see: R. Weigley, The American Way of War: A History of the United States Military Strategy and Policy, Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 1973. Readings in American Military History. The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy. The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy. Weigley, Russell F.: (The Wars of the United States Series): New York: The Macmillan Co., 584 pp., Publication Date: June 7, 1973. PDF Click to increase image size Click to decrease image size. Article Metrics Views 27.
WAGING MODERN WAR
The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy. For libraries, history buffs, and armchair warriors, it is a must. For political science students, career diplomats, and officers in the armed services, its reading should be required.' —History 'A particularly timely account.' —Kansas City Times 'It reads easily but is not a popularized history. Nor does the book become a history of battles.
'The American way of war.' That phrase -- popularized by the military historian Russell Weigley in his 1973 book -- has come to refer to a grinding strategy of attrition: the strategy employed by Ulysses S. Grant to destroy Robert E. Lee's army in 1864-65, by John J. Pershing to wear down the German army in 1918, and by the U.S. Army Air Force to pulverize all the major cities of Germany and Japan in 1944-45. In this view, the Civil War, World War I, and World War II were won not by tactical or strategic brilliance but by the sheer weight of numbers -- the awesome destructive power that only a fully mobilized and highly industrialized democracy can bring to bear. In all these conflicts, U.S. armies composed of citizen-soldiers suffered and inflicted massive casualties.
Much the same methods characterized the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, though with decreasing levels of success; the former being a costly draw, the latter a bloody failure. The first Gulf War was much more successful, but in many ways, it still fit the traditional, firepower-intensive mode: more than five weeks of relentless bombing was followed by a massive armored onslaught. Although the 'left hook' that swept around Iraqi forces entrenched in Kuwait showed some operational flair, it was hardly a gamble -- the eight-division allied force was so heavy that it simply crushed everything in its path.
As with all generalizations, this view of the American way of war has always needed some qualification. There have always been some generals, such as Stonewall Jackson and George S. Patton, who favored dazzling maneuvers over costly frontal assaults. And there have been many 'small wars' in America's past that were carried out in a far more modest manner. But as a description of the main U.S. approach to major conflicts, the American way of war has stood the test of time.
Its time is now past, however. Spurred by dramatic advances in
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the military historian Russell Weigley in his book-has come to refer to a As with all generalizations, this view of the American way of war has always. Weigley’s analyses and interpretations are searching, competent, and useful. The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy. Serious study of the American approach to waging war began in the early s with the publication of Russell Weigley’s The American Way of War: A History of.
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The Draining of the Fens: Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. Most users should sign in with their email address.
The American Way of War Debate: Email alerts New issue alert. Amefican those who define themselves entirely as military historians the debate over the American Way of War is largely confined to a discussion over the demerits and merits of the late Professor Weigley’s thesis.
Our obsession with the tragedy of Vietnam faded as the U. With much oversimplification, this essay attempts a broad categorization of four of the more prominent interpretations of the American Way of War advanced by either military historians or by analysts who make extensive use of history. Gaffney, or others—is ameican vibrant and evolving discussion about current and future U.
Weigley could not have been timelier. Following the Civil War, Weigley concluded, we grew addicted to a style of conflict that demanded massive resources, overwhelming force, superior technology, a dash of hubris and decisive, complete victory. Sign In or Create an Account. To purchase short term access, please sign in to your Amdrican Academic account above.
Russell Weigley
A Better American Way of War
In the past few years scholars have proposed a number of alternative explanations for the American Way of War. American Historical Association members Sign in via society site. Antulio Echevarria, a scholar at the U.
Gender and the Politics of Anti-Semitism. Brian McAllister Linn bio. If you originally registered with a username please use that to sign in. In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Birtle’s two-volume study of U. After that humiliating defeat, American strategists entered into an intense state of soul-searching.
And, to understand why we battle the way we do, we must fhe at the decisions political and military leaders have made—not some ephemeral spell that forced them to fight one way or another. Then the Pentagon struck out in the postwar occupation of Iraq and bogged down in Afghanistan. For example, the difference between culturalists and policy advocates is often one of degree and emphasis: Close mobile search navigation Article navigation.
The American Way Of War Summary
Army counterinsurgency operations and doctrine provides the best overview of the “alternative” way of unconventional war. Contact Contact Us Help. The historian blamed our history.
American Way Of War Pdf
Citing articles via Google Scholar. In The Echo of Battle: In part, America still exists because it has not been completely stupid in how it weigoey military force.
A Better American Way of War | The National Interest
Within the context of these requirements, the U. Sign In Forgot password? And strategists are always eager to understand our way of war—especially when it seems to have failed us. Generally unchallenged for many years, Weigley’s thesis has recently been criticized weiglley some military historians for blurring the annihilation-attrition dichotomy, for being more applicable to certain wars than others, and for failing to allow for strategic improvisation and evolution during the course of a conflict.
American Way Of War Book
It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Don’t have an account? Jay Luvaas; Russell F. That prompted another round of soul-searching.