Models of Contemporary American Civil-Military Relations
Abstract
The major issues raised in modern theories of civil-military relations are rooted in Harold D. Lasswell's developmental construct of 'the garrison-state.' In a world in which modern military technology would make civilians as vulnerable to armed attack as military personnel would be, Lasswell projected that 'specialists in violence,' i.e., military elites, would add management to their repertoire of skills and would become a major force in ruling elites. Among their skills, they would count the manipulation of symbols, in the interest of mobilizing the entire population for defense efforts. Income would be somewhat equalized, in order to reduce opposition to the regime by the underprivileged. Economic production would be regularized and geared primarily toward military rather than consumption goods. Democratic elections would be replaced by plebiscite. What was new in Lasswell's thinking was not that military forces would play a major role in the governance of a state. Indeed, there is a large literature on the role of the military lin politics. This literature, however, focusses on pre-industrial nations. What was new in Lasswell's construct was that, as part of the normal course of development, military elites might gain ascendency in modern industrial states.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA077856
Entities
People
- David R. Segal
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences