2nd Edition

Ways of War American Military History from the Colonial Era to the Twenty-First Century

    548 Pages
    by Routledge

    548 Pages
    by Routledge

    From the first interactions between European and native peoples to the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, military issues have always played an important role in American history. Now in its updated second edition, Ways of War comprehensively explains the place of the military within the wider context of the history of the United States, showing its centrality to American culture, economics, and politics. The fifteen chapters provide a complete survey of the American military's evolution that is designed for semester-length courses.

    Features of the revised and fully-updated second edition include:

    • Chronological and comprehensive coverage of North American conflicts in the seventeenth century and all wars undertaken by the United States;

    • New or expanded sections on Non-English Colonization in Northeast North America, the Beaver Wars, Pontiac’s War, causes of the American Revolution, borderlands conflict from 1848 to 1865, causes of the American Civil War, Reconstruction, the Meuse-Argonne Campaign, Barack Obama’s second term as president, the Syrian Civil War, and the rise of the Islamic State;

    • 50 revised maps, 20 new images, chapter timelines identifying key events, and text boxes providing biographical information and first-person accounts;

    • A companion website featuring a testbank of essay and multiple choice questions for instructors, as well as student study resources such as an interactive timeline, chapter summaries, annotated further readings, links to online resources, flashcards, and a glossary of key terms.

    Extensively illustrated and written by experienced instructors, the second edition of Ways of War remains essential reading for all students of American Military History.

    Introduction

    1. Early Colonization and Conflict, 1607-1689

    2. Wars Imperial & Regional, 1689-1763

    3. The American Revolution, 1763-83

    4. Challenges in the Early Republic, 1783-1815

    5. Expansion, 1815-1865

    6. The American Civil War: Confederate Defiance, 1861-63

    7. The American Civil War: Union Triumph, 1863-65

    8. Transitions, 1865-1902

    9. Early Twentieth Reforms and the Great War, 1902-1918

    10. Transformations in the Interwar Years, 1918-1941

    11. Mobilizing for the Second World War, 1941-1943

    12. Winning the Second World War, 1943-1945

    13. National Security in the Early Cold War, 1945-60

    14. Confrontations in the Cold War, 1960-73

    15. From Cold War to Pax Americana to Uncertainty, 1973-2015

    Conclusion

    Biography

    Matthew S. Muehlbauer is currently an Assistant Professor of History at the United States Military Acdaemy.

    David J. Ulbrich is currently the Program Director of the Master of Arts in History and Military History degrees at Norwich University.

    "This readily accessible book offers a clear and up to date account of military history,one that is highly pertinent in these troubled times. The second edition is a good instance of how best to keep books relevant and clear. Strongly recommended."

    - Jeremy Black, author of Air Power: A Global History

    "This new edition brings the work up-to-date through an expanded introduction and the most recent events in international diplomacy and the Global War on Terror, probing into vital questions of national identity formation, technology, unofficial military tradition, and additional international context—from Queen Anne’s War to the effects of the Russo-Japanese war."  

    - Ellen D. Tillman, Associate Professor of History at Texas State University and author of Dollar Diplomacy by Force: Nation-Building and Resistance in the Dominican Republic

    "Authoritative and well written, WAYS OF WAR is a truly cutting edge survey of American military history. Packed with compelling narratives and crisp insights, this is not so much a traditional text book as a personal guided tour by two leading scholars through our military past. An excellent book and one that is certain to become a classic."

    - John C. McManus, Ph.D., Curators' Distinguished Professor of U.S. Military History, Missouri S&T, Author of Grunts: Inside the American Infantry Combat Experience, World War II Through Iraq

    "Matthew S. Muehlbauer and David J. Ulbrich have produced an admirable text built around Russell Weigley’s framework in his now classic American Way of War (...) Highly recommended for all audiences, not just college undergraduate and graduate students."

    "The sheer scope of the text is impressive, yet it does not descend overmuch into the weeds of battles and military trivia, instead remaining focused on how conflict involving Americans, and not just European Americans, has evolved over the years."

    - Dr. John T. Kuehn, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, USA

    “It is an impressive undertaking to chronicle the breadth of American military history in a single volume, and Muehlbauer and Ulbrich make a significant contribution to the literature in their effort.”

    “Around 1980, an increasing number of scholars began moving away from the traditional military history of battles and tactics in order to pay greater attention to the interaction between war and broader society. The “war and society” approach embraces a host of cultural, domestic, gender, economic, political, environmental, and other issues which transcend military history’s traditional focus on the conduct of armed forces, particularly how they fight.”

    -Kevin Dougherty, The Citadel Charleston, South Carolina