For the Common Defense A Military History of the United States from 1607 to 2012

Now fully updated and totally revised, this highly regarded classic remains the most comprehensive study available of America's military history. Dubbed "the preeminent survey of American military history" (Russell F. Weigley, author of The American Way of War), For the Common Defense has established itself as an essential fixture in the field. In this major revision, authors Allan R. Millett and Peter Maslowski add the last twenty years of the story to a meticulously researched, unbiased analysis that has already withstood the test of time. While many books cover different chapters of the nation's military history, only this one tackles the full narrative, examining the characteristics of our evolving military policy alongside the impact that policy has had on America's international relations and domestic development. This latest incarnation, exhaustively revised, includes updates throughout that reflect current dialogues surrounding key moments in history. In addition to replacing chapters on Korea, Vietnam, and the collapsed Soviet Union, the authors have composed new sections on the complex role of war in the United States since 1994 and the War on Terror. An extraordinary accomplishment of research, analysis, and accessible writing on everything from pre-Revolutionary War battles to the fighting in Afghanistan, For the Common Defense is as relevant and important as ever.

Allan R. Millett is Professor of History and Director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies at the University of New Orleans.
Peter Maslowski is professor of history at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. A Dangerous New World, 1607-1689

2. The Colonial Wars, 1689-1763

3. The American Revolution, 1763-1783

4. Preserving the New Republic's Independence, 1783-1815

5. The Armed Forces and National Expansion, 1815-1860

6. The Civil War, 1861-1862

7. The Civil War, 1863-1865

8. From Postwar Demobilization Toward Great Power Status, 1865-1898

9. The Birth of an American Empire, 1898-1902

10. Building the Military Forces of a World Power, 1899-1917

11. The United States Fights in the "War to End All Wars," 1917-1918

12. Military Policy Between the Two World, Wars, 1919-1939

13. The United States and World War II: From the Edge of Defeat to the Edge of Victory, 1939-1943

14. The United States and World War II: The Road to Victory, 1943-1945

15. Cold War and Hot War: The United States Enters the Age of Nuclear Deterrence and Collective Security, 1945-1953

16. Waging Cold War: American Defense Policy for Extended Deterrence and Containment, 1953-1965

17. In Dubious Battle: The War for Vietnam and the Erosion of American Military Power, 1961-1975

18. The Common Defense and the End of the Cold War, 1976-1993

Epilogue

After the Cold War

Appendixes

A. Participation and Losses, Major Wars, 1775-1991

B. The Armed Forces and National Expansion

C. The Armed Forces of the Cold War

General Bibliography

Index