ipl-logo

Soldiers Statesmen And Cold War Crises Chapter 1 Summary

1526 Words7 Pages

Book Review 2: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Cold War Crises by Richard Betts Summary: Betts starts off his book by recognizing the ambiguity around the advocacy of the use of force in a crisis by military leaders even though there is a prevalent assumption that military professionals are more aggressive than diplomats and politicians. He states he writes the book in order to provide a comprehensive survey of the postwar role of American military men in decisions on their most essential function, their use of force in combat. Betts acknowledges the vast availability of literature on military participation in decisions on defense budgets and weapons procurement, but feels there is a void when looking at decision-making from the perspective of military leadership versus civilian leadership. The book addresses four principle questions. First, when the use of force was an issue, what did military advisers recommend compared to civilian advisers? Second, what effect did the advice of the military have on presidential decisions, and how was their influence brought to …show more content…

Overall, historians and theorists have predicated the Cold War as a learning experience for future decision-making. However, one can draw similarities in current military actions, like Iraq and Afghanistan, where those can argue not much has changed in the demeanor and action of military leadership to civilian leadership. Overall, Betts provides a thoroughly researched and structured framework for the reader to analyze historical evidence from a different perspective but I found his conclusions to be inherently flawed. Bibliography: Betts, Richard K. Soldiers, Statesmen, and Cold War Crises. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1977.

Show More
Related
869 Words | 4 Pages

Part I: Why Didn’t I (or They) Think of That? Though all 23 proposals in A More Perfect Constitution make a compelling case to help mend the flaws of today’s government, there are two that stand out that will greatly improve our country. In chapter one, Sabato begins to explain the national debt stating that “these numbers matter greatly for the future of the nation”- and that they do. In just six years, “America’s total liabilities and unfunded commitments…have soared from about $20 trillion to about $50 trillion” (150).

Read More
1269 Words | 6 Pages

With the military-industrial complex thriving and burgeoning at Eisenhower’s time, the former president sees that more forces and money are joining the industry. The resulting outcome is today the unbeatable U.S. military, whom its power has been seen and recognized worldwide. Yet, with this mighty force comes an alarming danger. As Eisenhower stated in his speech, the temptation for power and profit is too alluring to be disregarded, and people would do anything to seize this

Read More
625 Words | 3 Pages

1. Both the American President John Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev seemed to be realistic about the Cuban Missile Crisis. They both represented the states that were standing apart and had their self-interests in the events that occurred. Besides, from the realistic point of view, Kennedy understood that the only way to withstand the crisis and prevent the new war would be to show their power, which is essential within the Realist framework, and take active actions since the interest of the state required that. Besides, being realists, both leaders understood that there is no way to involve the non-governmental organizations in the solution.

Read More
1129 Words | 5 Pages

And yet, what Reagan and all the others who have worked sleepless nights to ensure, the domestic tranquility that all deserves, the plans did not work out in the way for which they were intended. The USSR, a Communist country, bombarded Eastern Europe with their radical ideals being forced upon innocent civilians via military occupation. This ignited the Cold War, a time period for which political hostility rocked the US and the USSR lasting for 45 years. Reagan transitions into a different tone when talking about this subject. He shifts into an urgent and angry tone when he states that, “Soviet troops that came to the center of this continent did not leave when peace came.

Read More
951 Words | 4 Pages

Moore, Raymond A. "The Reagan Presidency and Foreign Policy." The Reagan Presidency, 1990, 179-98. doi:10.1007/978-1-349-20594-3_9. Reagan Foundation. 1st

Read More
1259 Words | 6 Pages

Despite his popularity in the US as “The Man Who Beat Communism”, Reagan’s presidency during the 1980s was only a sidekick to Gorbachev in the efforts to end the Cold War. Reagan’s actions against the USSR did not scare the nation into reforms, but Gorbachev’s impact in the Cold War, reforming the Soviet Union and oversight of communism’s peaceful transition into democracy during the late 80s overshadows Reagan’s seemingly token actions, portraying clearly that the only man which can hold the title of the “Man Who Ended the Cold War” with any credibility is Mikhail Gorbachev. The claim that Reagan’s increasing actions against communism and the USSR directly led to the appointment of reformist Mikhail Gorbachev to the post of General Secretary

Read More
1134 Words | 5 Pages

The Cold War was a war of threats. After the end of World War II, there was a spread of two different types of government, democracy and communism. There was the Western and the Soviet spheres of influence. The difference between the governments resulted a conflict, which led to the Cold War. Threats were made to stop the spread of each other’s ideology, but one of them must be dominant for peace can be created when there is an unity of a single type of government in Europe.

Read More
1466 Words | 6 Pages

Even the most important book on Cold War, written by John Lewis Gaddis entitled The Cold War is a teleological discourse on the topic. This essay will bring one source from each side and analyze the narration of the story in order to provide a more balanced view of the events that led to the outbreak of the Cold War. Hence, the main

Read More
501 Words | 3 Pages

Reviewing the speech given in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan that addressed the nation about the limitations and lack of armaments and weapons available at the time to effectively fight the Soviet Union in an instance of an attack, President Reagan stressed the need to not argue against the budgetary amount but in fact, talk to members of Congress to reaffirm the need to fund the budget for additional weaponry. In the speech, President Reagan stressed that the United States has never been the aggressor in any of the previous worldwide conflicts (Reagan, 1983). There were several zingers in the speech aimed at the previous liberal president’s that questioned allowing the budgetary means to protect the country to significantly dwindle while at the same time spending those same funds to take care of the social ills of the United States citizens. Previous Presidential administrations advocated for methods of deterrence of war

Read More
1210 Words | 5 Pages

Whether it be the involvement of the U.S. in the Vietnam War or the decision to drop the nuclear bombs on the Japanese islands of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, wherever conflict arises, controversy is not far behind. It is easy to view military actions as great triumphs, but one must ask if they adhere to our values as human beings. General William T. Sherman’s destruction of the South in his march to the sea was not only unnecessary in terms of the outcome of the war, but the extent of its brutality was inhumane and negatively impacted the cause for peace between the North and the South during and after the war. Sherman’s obliteration of the South in his march to the sea was uncalled for and against the very purpose of the war.

Read More
995 Words | 4 Pages

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was building what he termed a “spiritual arsenal” for the defense of America against the atheistic communism of the USSR. Eisenhower’s combination of military acumen and sudden spiritual commitment made him a unique defender of home and faith. As the Cold War waged on, Eisenhower, the former General, had one more battle to wage in defense of his country. This was a war of ideology fought in the hearts and minds of the combatants.

Read More
906 Words | 4 Pages

Individuals growing up in today’s society tend to view the Cold War era as a time of “happy days”. Instead, many political scientists just like Dr. Franke view the Cold War era in two very different perspectives that allow students to learn that the Cold War was in fact a time of fear tribalism, bigotry, ambition and demagoguery. Dr. Franke stated his reasoning for exposing students to the Cold War era in this light is to ensure that they will gain a better understanding of the Cold War era. Nonetheless, as stated above Dr. Franke want students to view the Cold War era in a sense of reality .

Read More
575 Words | 3 Pages

In the late 1940’s until the early 1990’s, there was a state of political and military tension after World War ll that caused a global conflict. It was known as the Cold War, fought between powers in the United States and their allies and powers in the Soviet Union; also known as Russia, and its allies. Along with this major history changing event, were many other events such as the Space Race, the Vietnam war, and the Korean War. The Korean War had become known as the “The Forgotten War” due to it being overshadowed by the more immediate memories of Vietnam, Desert Storm and the 15 anniversary commemorations of World War II.

Read More
1847 Words | 8 Pages

After the conclusion of World War II, tensions arose between the USSR and the US between 1947-1991. During World War II, the two powerful nations were unalike in most ways–geologically, ideologically, and economically– but were unified with their goal to defeat their common enemies. But, after World War II, both superpowers strove to prove superiority over the other. One important distinction between the two were their support of different governmental systems, which created a large amount of tension because the US, filled with anticommunist sentiments, wanted to contain the spread of communism while spreading the ideals of democracy. Amongst this conflict of ideals, the issues extended to military power competition, consisting of an arms

Read More
496 Words | 2 Pages

At the end of the second world war there was an argument about who was more responsible for the cold war the Soviet Union or United States. Many people thought that the Soviet Union was responsible because the ruling insecure the nation. The Soviet Union wanted to expand and influence the world wide. " Instead of continuing Roosevelt

Read More

More about Soldiers Statesmen And Cold War Crises Chapter 1 Summary

Open Document