The American Soldier: An Assessment, Several Wars Later

Abstract

This article looks at the significance of the series The American Soldier, and its influences on the development of sociology and of social sciences more generally. Four decades after its publication, it is difficult to appreciate the initial massive impact of the work. Its volumes were widely reviewed, both in scholarly journals and in the press. They were used in military academies and schools, and some of the authors lectured there. The study was intensively discussed in meetings of sociological and psychological organizations. Contributors to the books were called upon for articles, lectures, and consultations, and they typically obliged the requests. The work was roundly criticized and highly praised. It elicited major commentaries, both substantive and methodological. In short, it was a major intellectual event. From the publication of The American Soldier and 1989, the fortunes of research in military sociology and social psychology have fluctuated drastically, and that complex history also cannot be reviewed here. Suffice it to say that the sociology of military affairs never attracted any large number of workers. The few who did persist in carrying on research in the field were responsible for many contributions to basic sociology.