Imagining War : French and British Military Doctrine between the Wars / Elizabeth Kier.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kier, Elizabeth, author.

Series:

Princeton studies in international history and politics.

Princeton legacy library.

Princeton Studies in International History and Politics ; 153

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political stability--Great Britain.

Political stability.

Political stability--France.

Military doctrine--Great Britain.

Military doctrine.

Military doctrine--France.

Great Britain--Politics and government--1910-1936.

Great Britain.

France--Politics and government--1914-1940.

France.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (251 pages).

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2017]

Language Note:

In English.

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Summary:

In this innovative theoretical book, Elizabeth Kier uses a cultural approach to take issue with the conventional wisdom that military organizations inherently prefer offensive doctrines. Kier argues instead that a military's culture affects its choices between offensive and defensive military doctrines. Drawing on organizational theory, she demonstrates that military organizations differ in their worldview and the proper conduct of their mission. It is this organizational culture that shapes how the military responds to constraints, such as terms of conscription set by civilian policymakers. In richly detailed case studies, Kier examines doctrinal developments in France and Great Britain during the interwar period. She tests her cultural argument against the two most powerful alternative explanations and illustrates that neither the functional needs of military organizations nor the structural demands of the international system can explain doctrinal choice. She also reveals as a myth the argument that the lessons of World War I explain the defensive doctrines in World War II. Imagining War addresses two important debates. It tackles a central debate in security studies: the origins of military doctrine. And by showing the power of a cultural approach, it offers an alternative to the prevailing rationalist explanations of international politics.Originally published in 1997.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Structure, Function, and Military Doctrine

2. Culture and Military Doctrine

3. Explaining French Doctrine

4. Culture and French Doctrine

5. Explaining British Doctrine

6. Culture and British Doctrine

7. Conclusion

Notes

Works Cited

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [203]-229) and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Jul 2019)

ISBN:

9780691011912

0691011915

9780691653921

0691653925

9780691605043

0691605041

OCLC:

1016789505