Kirjahaku

Kenneth J. Hagan pulls the curtain back for American civilians as he shares a sweeping account of the country’s naval experience.Including the wooden Continental Navy to contemporary projections of the service’s high-tech mission in the next century, The People’s Navy shares the complete making and growth of America’s sea power. “…provides a clear, interesting, and through-provoking introduction to the history of the American sea power and should be read by all historians of the United States… This book will provide standard interpretation for a long time to come.” – Reviews in American History

This 30th anniversary edition of a highly acclaimed classic covers the entire span of the American naval experience from the Revolution to the present. It avoids descending into a dry chronology of naval battles and instead focuses on the use of the navy as a diplomatic instrument in peacetime and wartime. When dealing with war, the authors sketch in the political background and explain the grand strategy before dealing with individual battles and leaders. Each essay about the navy in war concludes with an assessment of the importance of naval operations to the outcome of the war and the significance of the war to America's role in world affairs. This book also traces changes in administrative premises and style, the evolution of technology, and the strategic revolutions characteristic of American naval history. This fully revised, 30th anniversary edition includes new chapters by current experts in the field so as to continue its relevance in the 21st century. An entirely new and up-to-date bibliography containing secondary sources help make this title better than ever.

In "Unintended Consequences", Ian J. Bickerton and Kenneth J. Hagan describe and analyse the unintended consequences of ten major wars fought by the United States, pointing out critical turning points in the conflicts and the remarkable similarity of dilemmas that followed the conclusion of hostilities. The effect is to demonstrate that the unintended consequences of the wars not only outweighed the intended consequences in shaping subsequent events, they produced sharp and significant shifts in United States foreign, military and domestic policy. Most wars embarked upon by the United States when measured against this criterion were not only catastrophic and destructive, they were avoidable, unnecessary and unpredictable in outcome. Once they understand this reality, Americans concerned with contemporary foreign and military policy can approach Iraq, and any prospective conflict, with greater sophistication. More importantly, policy-makers thinking of undertaking wars in the future may be made more cautious and circumspect in their planning than were those who launched the war in Iraq.It will also prove to be an invaluable corrective to the traditional views of American wars to which we are routinely exposed.