Soldiers and Politics

Abstract

When discussing the American military tradition, writers usually state that the US military has always been divorced from political affairs. Even cursory research into the subject reveals the opposite; the military has often played a major role in domestic politics, and for most of our history that role was considered normal and healthy. During the nineteenth century it was common practice for US generals to dabble in politics and to actually run for political office while still in uniform. Yet, such events are passed over lightly by historians, and many still write of an American military tradition stressing the noninvolvement of the military in politics throughout our history. That is a misreading of events, but the situation did change in the aftermath of World War II, especially around the time of the Vietnam War.