
Military history is no longer a compartmentalized area of study with a myopic focus on battlefield tactics and outcomes that pays little heed to societal influences. The "new military history," born in the 1960s, recognizes that military history is as much a product of social factors --such as politics and economics --as a shaping influence on society. Lt. Gen. Hubert R. Harmon, first superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, was a strong advocate of the study of military history to both understand the world we live in and to shape its destiny. As a tribute to his distinguished career, the Academy started a military history lecture series named after him in 1959. This volume consolidates all the Harmon Lectures through 1987, grouping them by theme. The lectures cover a wide range of topics and eras from revolutionary America and Tsarist Russia to contemporary problems in twentieth century warfare and U.S. Air Force doctrine.
This collection investigates the evolution of military history as a discipline by compiling thirty lectures delivered at the U.S. Air Force Academy between 1959 and 1987. Editor Harry R. Borowski, a scholar of military history, organizes these lectures to demonstrate the shift from narrow tactical analysis to a broader understanding of military affairs as products of social, political, and economic forces. The volume serves as both a tribute to Lt. Gen. Hubert R. Harmon and a record of the intellectual development of military studies during the latter half of the twentieth century.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts recognize this volume as a valuable archival resource for understanding the pedagogical approach to military history within the U.S. Air Force Academy. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which reflects the scholarly rigor expected of the invited lecturers.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1989-01-01
Publisher:
United States Govt Printing Office
ISBN-10:
0160022592
ISBN-13:
9780160022593
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