Douglas Kriner and Francis Shen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390964
- eISBN:
- 9780199776788
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390964.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Many have long suspected that when America takes up arms it is a rich man's war, but a poor man's fight. Despite these concerns about social inequality in military sacrifice, the hard data to ...
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Many have long suspected that when America takes up arms it is a rich man's war, but a poor man's fight. Despite these concerns about social inequality in military sacrifice, the hard data to validate such claims has been kept out of public view. The Casualty Gap renews the debate over unequal sacrifice by bringing to light new evidence on the inequality dimensions of American wartime casualties. It demonstrates unequivocally that since the conclusion of World War II, communities at the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder have borne a disproportionate share of the human costs of war. Moreover, they show for the first time that when Americans are explicitly confronted with evidence of this inequality, they become markedly less supportive of the nation's war efforts. The Casualty Gap also uncovers how wartime deaths affect entire communities. Citizens who see the high price war exacts on friends and neighbors become more likely to oppose war and to vote against the political leaders waging it than residents of low-casualty communities. Moreover, extensive empirical evidence connects higher community casualty rates in Korea and Vietnam to lower levels of trust in government, interest in politics, and electoral and non-electoral participation. In this way, the casualty gap threatens the very vibrancy of American democracy by depressing civic engagement in high-casualty communities for years after the last gun falls silent.Less
Many have long suspected that when America takes up arms it is a rich man's war, but a poor man's fight. Despite these concerns about social inequality in military sacrifice, the hard data to validate such claims has been kept out of public view. The Casualty Gap renews the debate over unequal sacrifice by bringing to light new evidence on the inequality dimensions of American wartime casualties. It demonstrates unequivocally that since the conclusion of World War II, communities at the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder have borne a disproportionate share of the human costs of war. Moreover, they show for the first time that when Americans are explicitly confronted with evidence of this inequality, they become markedly less supportive of the nation's war efforts. The Casualty Gap also uncovers how wartime deaths affect entire communities. Citizens who see the high price war exacts on friends and neighbors become more likely to oppose war and to vote against the political leaders waging it than residents of low-casualty communities. Moreover, extensive empirical evidence connects higher community casualty rates in Korea and Vietnam to lower levels of trust in government, interest in politics, and electoral and non-electoral participation. In this way, the casualty gap threatens the very vibrancy of American democracy by depressing civic engagement in high-casualty communities for years after the last gun falls silent.
Douglas L. Kriner and Francis X. Shen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390964
- eISBN:
- 9780199776788
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390964.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter begins by presenting the main arguments of the book, which challenge the conventional view that the human costs of war can be understood as a single, aggregate total. To account fully ...
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This chapter begins by presenting the main arguments of the book, which challenge the conventional view that the human costs of war can be understood as a single, aggregate total. To account fully for the costs of war we must consider not only the overall number of casualties but also how this sacrifice has been shared. It discusses the two pathways through which the casualty gap has important political ramifications, and the dearth of studies on casuality gap. An overview of the subsequent chapters is presented.Less
This chapter begins by presenting the main arguments of the book, which challenge the conventional view that the human costs of war can be understood as a single, aggregate total. To account fully for the costs of war we must consider not only the overall number of casualties but also how this sacrifice has been shared. It discusses the two pathways through which the casualty gap has important political ramifications, and the dearth of studies on casuality gap. An overview of the subsequent chapters is presented.
Douglas L. Kriner and Francis X. Shen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390964
- eISBN:
- 9780199776788
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390964.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter presents data that provide strong evidence that U.S. combat casualties are not distributed uniformly across society. Beginning with the Korean War, some communities, particularly those ...
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This chapter presents data that provide strong evidence that U.S. combat casualties are not distributed uniformly across society. Beginning with the Korean War, some communities, particularly those like Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, have borne a disproportionate share of America's wartime sacrifice. The size of the differences in casualty rates between rich and poor communities may not be as great as some of the rhetoric from the Left suggests. While socioeconomically disadvantaged communities do bear disproportionately large shares of the casualty burden, some wealthy and highly educated communities have also suffered significant numbers of casualties. However, contra the protestations of some on the Right, the casualty gap is real, and, perhaps equally significantly, the data suggest that this gap may have widened over time.Less
This chapter presents data that provide strong evidence that U.S. combat casualties are not distributed uniformly across society. Beginning with the Korean War, some communities, particularly those like Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, have borne a disproportionate share of America's wartime sacrifice. The size of the differences in casualty rates between rich and poor communities may not be as great as some of the rhetoric from the Left suggests. While socioeconomically disadvantaged communities do bear disproportionately large shares of the casualty burden, some wealthy and highly educated communities have also suffered significant numbers of casualties. However, contra the protestations of some on the Right, the casualty gap is real, and, perhaps equally significantly, the data suggest that this gap may have widened over time.
Douglas L. Kriner and Francis X. Shen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390964
- eISBN:
- 9780199776788
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390964.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
A series of controlled experiments were conducted to determine whether knowledge of a casualty gap affects citizens' support for America's war efforts. This chapter shows that explicit discussion of ...
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A series of controlled experiments were conducted to determine whether knowledge of a casualty gap affects citizens' support for America's war efforts. This chapter shows that explicit discussion of the casualty gap has the power to change substantially public support for the nation's military campaigns. When Americans know that the men and women who are sacrificing their lives on foreign battlefields are coming disproportionately from poorer areas of the country, citizens are much more cautious in their support for both the Iraq War and for preemptive warfare more generally. Mere awareness of the casualty gap can significantly reduce the number of casualties Americans are willing to accept in future missions. A follow-up experiment conducted in the spring of 2009 suggests that even when replicating the casualty sensitivity experiment under a new president and in a period in which economic concerns, not Iraq, were first and foremost on Americans' minds, the casualty gap continues to influence substantially the public's willingness to tolerate large numbers of casualties in future military endeavors.Less
A series of controlled experiments were conducted to determine whether knowledge of a casualty gap affects citizens' support for America's war efforts. This chapter shows that explicit discussion of the casualty gap has the power to change substantially public support for the nation's military campaigns. When Americans know that the men and women who are sacrificing their lives on foreign battlefields are coming disproportionately from poorer areas of the country, citizens are much more cautious in their support for both the Iraq War and for preemptive warfare more generally. Mere awareness of the casualty gap can significantly reduce the number of casualties Americans are willing to accept in future missions. A follow-up experiment conducted in the spring of 2009 suggests that even when replicating the casualty sensitivity experiment under a new president and in a period in which economic concerns, not Iraq, were first and foremost on Americans' minds, the casualty gap continues to influence substantially the public's willingness to tolerate large numbers of casualties in future military endeavors.
Douglas L. Kriner and Francis X. Shen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390964
- eISBN:
- 9780199776788
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390964.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Combining individual-level survey data with state and county electoral returns, this chapter empirically investigates whether the relationships between local casualties, public opinion, and voting ...
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Combining individual-level survey data with state and county electoral returns, this chapter empirically investigates whether the relationships between local casualties, public opinion, and voting behavior in Iraq parallel those observed during the Vietnam era. The data reveal that some of these relationships in the contemporary conflict are dramatically different from those observed in Vietnam, while others remain eerily similar. Americans' differential exposure to casualties continues to play a significant role in influencing support for the war and for the political leaders charged with directing it. At their core, the results of the analysis of Iraq strongly reaffirm that the casualty gap has critically important political ramifications for American governance. Public opinion turns increasingly against the war when citizens experience the costs of war first-hand through casualties from their local community. Because high casualty-rate communities historically tend to have lower levels of income and education, and their residents are less engaged with politics than their peers from low casualty-rate communities, the dampening effect of casualties on hawkish military policies is weaker in practice than conventional wisdom suggests.Less
Combining individual-level survey data with state and county electoral returns, this chapter empirically investigates whether the relationships between local casualties, public opinion, and voting behavior in Iraq parallel those observed during the Vietnam era. The data reveal that some of these relationships in the contemporary conflict are dramatically different from those observed in Vietnam, while others remain eerily similar. Americans' differential exposure to casualties continues to play a significant role in influencing support for the war and for the political leaders charged with directing it. At their core, the results of the analysis of Iraq strongly reaffirm that the casualty gap has critically important political ramifications for American governance. Public opinion turns increasingly against the war when citizens experience the costs of war first-hand through casualties from their local community. Because high casualty-rate communities historically tend to have lower levels of income and education, and their residents are less engaged with politics than their peers from low casualty-rate communities, the dampening effect of casualties on hawkish military policies is weaker in practice than conventional wisdom suggests.
Douglas L. Kriner and Francis X. Shen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390964
- eISBN:
- 9780199776788
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390964.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Through a series of empirical analyses of individual-level survey data from the National Election Study and the Social Capital Benchmark Survey, as well as analysis of aggregate electoral turnout ...
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Through a series of empirical analyses of individual-level survey data from the National Election Study and the Social Capital Benchmark Survey, as well as analysis of aggregate electoral turnout data at the county level, this chapter examines the immediate and lasting effects of the considerable variance in communities' wartime experience in Vietnam, Korea, and World War II, on their residents' patterns of political engagement and participation. The analysis reveals very different dynamics in the wake of the three conflicts. Across the data sets, statistical models find that respondents from communities that suffered higher casualty rates in Vietnam and Korea reported lower levels of trust in government, interest in politics, and electoral and nonelectoral political participation than respondents with identical demographic characteristics from cities and towns that sustained lower casualty rates in these conflicts. By contrast, respondents from communities that endured the heaviest burdens in World War II were just as politically engaged as their peers, if not more so. However, while the conflicts in Vietnam and Korea may have fundamentally reshaped citizens' relationship with the federal government, citizens did not let their resentment toward government policies affect all of their participatory activities. More nuanced data from the Social Capital Benchmark Survey reveal that Vietnam casualty rates had no discernible impact on nonpolitical forms of civic engagement such as charitable giving, volunteering, and organizational activity.Less
Through a series of empirical analyses of individual-level survey data from the National Election Study and the Social Capital Benchmark Survey, as well as analysis of aggregate electoral turnout data at the county level, this chapter examines the immediate and lasting effects of the considerable variance in communities' wartime experience in Vietnam, Korea, and World War II, on their residents' patterns of political engagement and participation. The analysis reveals very different dynamics in the wake of the three conflicts. Across the data sets, statistical models find that respondents from communities that suffered higher casualty rates in Vietnam and Korea reported lower levels of trust in government, interest in politics, and electoral and nonelectoral political participation than respondents with identical demographic characteristics from cities and towns that sustained lower casualty rates in these conflicts. By contrast, respondents from communities that endured the heaviest burdens in World War II were just as politically engaged as their peers, if not more so. However, while the conflicts in Vietnam and Korea may have fundamentally reshaped citizens' relationship with the federal government, citizens did not let their resentment toward government policies affect all of their participatory activities. More nuanced data from the Social Capital Benchmark Survey reveal that Vietnam casualty rates had no discernible impact on nonpolitical forms of civic engagement such as charitable giving, volunteering, and organizational activity.
Douglas L. Kriner and Francis X. Shen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390964
- eISBN:
- 9780199776788
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390964.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter speculates about the future of the casualty gap. It argues that, due to advances in medical technology and the likely small scale of future conflicts, a “wounded gap” will become an ...
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This chapter speculates about the future of the casualty gap. It argues that, due to advances in medical technology and the likely small scale of future conflicts, a “wounded gap” will become an increasingly important dimension of inequality that policymakers must consider. Given existing disparities in health care for veterans, a wounded gap may pose a particularly vexing challenge. Finally, whether it is deaths or wounds, raising awareness of the gap is critically important. Because Americans factor in the inequality consequences of conflicts when they evaluate the costs of war and forge their military policy preferences, fostering public recognition and discussion of the casualty gap should have significant consequences for the formulation of military policy.Less
This chapter speculates about the future of the casualty gap. It argues that, due to advances in medical technology and the likely small scale of future conflicts, a “wounded gap” will become an increasingly important dimension of inequality that policymakers must consider. Given existing disparities in health care for veterans, a wounded gap may pose a particularly vexing challenge. Finally, whether it is deaths or wounds, raising awareness of the gap is critically important. Because Americans factor in the inequality consequences of conflicts when they evaluate the costs of war and forge their military policy preferences, fostering public recognition and discussion of the casualty gap should have significant consequences for the formulation of military policy.
T. A. Cavanaugh
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199272198
- eISBN:
- 9780191604157
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199272190.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter considers a number of remaining questions following the arguments of the previous chapters: Does one owe reparations for causing foreseen harm? How (considering cases Quinn proposes) ...
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This chapter considers a number of remaining questions following the arguments of the previous chapters: Does one owe reparations for causing foreseen harm? How (considering cases Quinn proposes) does double effect apply in cases of allowing? Can one employ double effect to evaluate one’s otherwise good act that becomes problematic due to another’s wrongful conduct (material cooperation)? While the i/f distinction has independent ethical relevance, must the law accord it similar independent legal import? How does the Roman Catholic Church receive DER? The chapter also indicates how jurists in constitutional legal systems that incorporate exceptionless legal norms (such as the U.S. Bill of Rights) employ a legal analogue to double effect.Less
This chapter considers a number of remaining questions following the arguments of the previous chapters: Does one owe reparations for causing foreseen harm? How (considering cases Quinn proposes) does double effect apply in cases of allowing? Can one employ double effect to evaluate one’s otherwise good act that becomes problematic due to another’s wrongful conduct (material cooperation)? While the i/f distinction has independent ethical relevance, must the law accord it similar independent legal import? How does the Roman Catholic Church receive DER? The chapter also indicates how jurists in constitutional legal systems that incorporate exceptionless legal norms (such as the U.S. Bill of Rights) employ a legal analogue to double effect.
The Independent International Commission on Kosovo
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199243099
- eISBN:
- 9780191599538
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199243093.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Discusses the aims and the conduct of the NATO bombing campaign against the Yugoslavia; the refugee crisis and civilian casualties of the campaign; and the diplomatic events leading to the final ...
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Discusses the aims and the conduct of the NATO bombing campaign against the Yugoslavia; the refugee crisis and civilian casualties of the campaign; and the diplomatic events leading to the final peace agreement. The chapter argues that the NATO campaign did not itself provoke Serbian military's attacks on Kosovo civilians, but that the intervention and the removal of ground monitors may have created an internal environment that made Belgrade government's cleansing operation feasible. The chapter concludes that the intervention failed to achieve its avowed aim of preventing massive ethnic cleansing, that the Kosovar Albanian population had to endure tremendous suffering before finally achieving their freedom and that Milosevic remained in power, however, as an indicted war criminal.Less
Discusses the aims and the conduct of the NATO bombing campaign against the Yugoslavia; the refugee crisis and civilian casualties of the campaign; and the diplomatic events leading to the final peace agreement. The chapter argues that the NATO campaign did not itself provoke Serbian military's attacks on Kosovo civilians, but that the intervention and the removal of ground monitors may have created an internal environment that made Belgrade government's cleansing operation feasible. The chapter concludes that the intervention failed to achieve its avowed aim of preventing massive ethnic cleansing, that the Kosovar Albanian population had to endure tremendous suffering before finally achieving their freedom and that Milosevic remained in power, however, as an indicted war criminal.
Patrick H. Hase
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789622098992
- eISBN:
- 9789882207592
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789622098992.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
In 1899, a year after the Convention of Peking leased the New Territories to Britain, the British moved to establish control. This triggered resistance by some of the population of the New ...
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In 1899, a year after the Convention of Peking leased the New Territories to Britain, the British moved to establish control. This triggered resistance by some of the population of the New Territories. There ensued six days of fighting with heavy Chinese casualties. This forgotten war has been researched and recounted for the first time. After a brief discussion of British Imperialism in the 1890s and British military theory of that period on small wars, the heart of the book is a day-by-day account of the fighting and of the differences of opinion between the Governor of Hong Kong (Sir Henry Blake) and the Colonial Secretary (James Stewart Lockhart) as to how the war should be fought. The book uses knowledge of the people and the area to give a picture of the leaders and of the rank-and-file of the village fighters. New estimates of the casualties are provided, as are the implications of why these casualties are down-played in most British accounts.Less
In 1899, a year after the Convention of Peking leased the New Territories to Britain, the British moved to establish control. This triggered resistance by some of the population of the New Territories. There ensued six days of fighting with heavy Chinese casualties. This forgotten war has been researched and recounted for the first time. After a brief discussion of British Imperialism in the 1890s and British military theory of that period on small wars, the heart of the book is a day-by-day account of the fighting and of the differences of opinion between the Governor of Hong Kong (Sir Henry Blake) and the Colonial Secretary (James Stewart Lockhart) as to how the war should be fought. The book uses knowledge of the people and the area to give a picture of the leaders and of the rank-and-file of the village fighters. New estimates of the casualties are provided, as are the implications of why these casualties are down-played in most British accounts.
Adrian Guelke
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780197265901
- eISBN:
- 9780191772047
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265901.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
The response of Western governments to the threat posed by mass-casualty terrorism has resulted in a widening gulf between their theory and practice of counter-terrorism and their proclaimed ...
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The response of Western governments to the threat posed by mass-casualty terrorism has resulted in a widening gulf between their theory and practice of counter-terrorism and their proclaimed commitment to the maintenance of fundamental human rights. A shocking picture has emerged of wrongdoing perpetrated under the broad terms of counter-terrorist measures adopted since 9/11. This chapter seeks to explain this outcome, especially in the light of the episodic and limited nature of attacks by jihadis on Western societies since 2001. It also examines how President Barack Obama has grappled with the argument that some of the measures designed to protect the public from terrorism pose a threat to constitutional government and to the rule of law. It notes that his readiness to accept that such dangers do indeed exist has been exceptional among Western political leaders and that reliance on secrecy, misinformation, and denial has been the norm.Less
The response of Western governments to the threat posed by mass-casualty terrorism has resulted in a widening gulf between their theory and practice of counter-terrorism and their proclaimed commitment to the maintenance of fundamental human rights. A shocking picture has emerged of wrongdoing perpetrated under the broad terms of counter-terrorist measures adopted since 9/11. This chapter seeks to explain this outcome, especially in the light of the episodic and limited nature of attacks by jihadis on Western societies since 2001. It also examines how President Barack Obama has grappled with the argument that some of the measures designed to protect the public from terrorism pose a threat to constitutional government and to the rule of law. It notes that his readiness to accept that such dangers do indeed exist has been exceptional among Western political leaders and that reliance on secrecy, misinformation, and denial has been the norm.
James W. Cortada
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195165876
- eISBN:
- 9780199789689
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195165876.003.0004
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Business History
This chapter describes the history of how the insurance industry has evolved since the 1950s, and what information technology applications it embraced. It then describes the extent of the use of IT ...
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This chapter describes the history of how the insurance industry has evolved since the 1950s, and what information technology applications it embraced. It then describes the extent of the use of IT and its effects on the work, structure, and services in this industry. It covers both the life and property/casualty insurance industries.Less
This chapter describes the history of how the insurance industry has evolved since the 1950s, and what information technology applications it embraced. It then describes the extent of the use of IT and its effects on the work, structure, and services in this industry. It covers both the life and property/casualty insurance industries.
Douglas L. Kriner and Francis X. Shen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390964
- eISBN:
- 9780199776788
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390964.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter explores the capacity of two mechanisms to explain the casualty gaps that emerged in each of the four wars: selection into the armed forces and occupational assignment within the ...
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This chapter explores the capacity of two mechanisms to explain the casualty gaps that emerged in each of the four wars: selection into the armed forces and occupational assignment within the military. Selection mechanisms capture the complex mix of volunteering, active military recruitment, and conscription policies that shape the composition of the military. Occupational assignment mechanisms capture the process through which the military assigns some recruits to positions with high risks of combat exposure, and others to occupations with considerably lower combat risks. Changes in these selection and assignment policies over time help explain both variance in the nature of the casualty gaps observed across wars and even, in the case of Vietnam, temporal changes in the casualty gap within a single conflict.Less
This chapter explores the capacity of two mechanisms to explain the casualty gaps that emerged in each of the four wars: selection into the armed forces and occupational assignment within the military. Selection mechanisms capture the complex mix of volunteering, active military recruitment, and conscription policies that shape the composition of the military. Occupational assignment mechanisms capture the process through which the military assigns some recruits to positions with high risks of combat exposure, and others to occupations with considerably lower combat risks. Changes in these selection and assignment policies over time help explain both variance in the nature of the casualty gaps observed across wars and even, in the case of Vietnam, temporal changes in the casualty gap within a single conflict.
Douglas L. Kriner and Francis X. Shen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390964
- eISBN:
- 9780199776788
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390964.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
The death of a soldier can affect an entire community. Friends and neighbors, politicians and community leaders, and even just readers of the local newspaper join in the grieving, mourning, and ...
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The death of a soldier can affect an entire community. Friends and neighbors, politicians and community leaders, and even just readers of the local newspaper join in the grieving, mourning, and healing. This chapter seeks to understand the mechanisms through which local casualties can have these community-wide effects. Specifically, it focuses on three possibilities. The casualty rate suffered by each American's local community can affect (1) one's sense of personal contact with fallen soldiers; (2) the type of elite cues one receives; and (3) the scope and tenor of war coverage one sees in the local media. It is argued that through each of these mechanisms, the casualty gap can create politically salient cleavages in Americans' wartime opinions and behaviors, and these in turn can fundamentally influence the course of politics and policy.Less
The death of a soldier can affect an entire community. Friends and neighbors, politicians and community leaders, and even just readers of the local newspaper join in the grieving, mourning, and healing. This chapter seeks to understand the mechanisms through which local casualties can have these community-wide effects. Specifically, it focuses on three possibilities. The casualty rate suffered by each American's local community can affect (1) one's sense of personal contact with fallen soldiers; (2) the type of elite cues one receives; and (3) the scope and tenor of war coverage one sees in the local media. It is argued that through each of these mechanisms, the casualty gap can create politically salient cleavages in Americans' wartime opinions and behaviors, and these in turn can fundamentally influence the course of politics and policy.
Douglas L. Kriner and Francis X. Shen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390964
- eISBN:
- 9780199776788
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390964.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter addresses the following questions: All else being equal, do high local casualty rates erode residents' support for war and increase their willingness to vote against incumbent ...
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This chapter addresses the following questions: All else being equal, do high local casualty rates erode residents' support for war and increase their willingness to vote against incumbent politicians? Or, do citizens from high-casualty communities, on average, rally behind a military operation and its political leaders? To answer these questions, the analysis proceeds in two parts. Beginning with the Vietnam War, the chapter first examines the effect of casualties on changes in public evaluations of the war over time. Specifically, it examines the influence of local casualties on respondents' judgment of whether the United States should ever have entered the Vietnam War at all and on their support for withdrawing U.S. forces from the fight. Having established a strong link between local casualty rates and policy attitudes, the analysis next investigates whether these differential opinions on the war manifested themselves in different voting patterns.Less
This chapter addresses the following questions: All else being equal, do high local casualty rates erode residents' support for war and increase their willingness to vote against incumbent politicians? Or, do citizens from high-casualty communities, on average, rally behind a military operation and its political leaders? To answer these questions, the analysis proceeds in two parts. Beginning with the Vietnam War, the chapter first examines the effect of casualties on changes in public evaluations of the war over time. Specifically, it examines the influence of local casualties on respondents' judgment of whether the United States should ever have entered the Vietnam War at all and on their support for withdrawing U.S. forces from the fight. Having established a strong link between local casualty rates and policy attitudes, the analysis next investigates whether these differential opinions on the war manifested themselves in different voting patterns.
POLLY LOW
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197264669
- eISBN:
- 9780191753985
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264669.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This chapter discusses one of the best-known instances of classical commemoration: the public funeral and collective burial and commemoration of the Athenian war dead. Its particular aim is to ...
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This chapter discusses one of the best-known instances of classical commemoration: the public funeral and collective burial and commemoration of the Athenian war dead. Its particular aim is to explore the various contexts in which Athenian practice might be understood. How do these monuments fit into the wider picture of Athenian burial and commemoration, in terms of both form and physical location? How do they relate to the political system and ideology of the city that created them? And how might these contexts shape the way in which the monuments were used and understood by contemporary and later viewers?Less
This chapter discusses one of the best-known instances of classical commemoration: the public funeral and collective burial and commemoration of the Athenian war dead. Its particular aim is to explore the various contexts in which Athenian practice might be understood. How do these monuments fit into the wider picture of Athenian burial and commemoration, in terms of both form and physical location? How do they relate to the political system and ideology of the city that created them? And how might these contexts shape the way in which the monuments were used and understood by contemporary and later viewers?
Mark Harrison
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199575824
- eISBN:
- 9780191595158
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199575824.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Military History
During the First World War, Great Britain invested a great deal in its medical services, and in most theatres of the war they were considered vital to military efficiency. It was at that point widely ...
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During the First World War, Great Britain invested a great deal in its medical services, and in most theatres of the war they were considered vital to military efficiency. It was at that point widely recognized that medicine improved manpower economy and morale. Medicine was also important in sustaining public support for war and civilians contributed to the medical welfare of soldiers either directly, as volunteers, or indirectly as donors. Medical themes figured prominently in propaganda, too, and in uniting Britain with its imperial territories. But the centrality of medicine to war in 1914–18 stands in marked contrast to previous campaigns. The recent war in South Africa revealed that medicine had been given little attention by military commanders, and that disease prevention and casualty disposal were poorly organized. This book examines the differences and similarities between medical arrangements in 1914–18 and earlier conflicts. It attempts to explain why medicine became central to military operations during the First World War and to account for variations in medical arrangements in different theatres of the war. The book also examines military medicine in all major theatres as well as neglected facets of wartime medicine such as work among civilians, imperial armies, and the imperial labour corps.Less
During the First World War, Great Britain invested a great deal in its medical services, and in most theatres of the war they were considered vital to military efficiency. It was at that point widely recognized that medicine improved manpower economy and morale. Medicine was also important in sustaining public support for war and civilians contributed to the medical welfare of soldiers either directly, as volunteers, or indirectly as donors. Medical themes figured prominently in propaganda, too, and in uniting Britain with its imperial territories. But the centrality of medicine to war in 1914–18 stands in marked contrast to previous campaigns. The recent war in South Africa revealed that medicine had been given little attention by military commanders, and that disease prevention and casualty disposal were poorly organized. This book examines the differences and similarities between medical arrangements in 1914–18 and earlier conflicts. It attempts to explain why medicine became central to military operations during the First World War and to account for variations in medical arrangements in different theatres of the war. The book also examines military medicine in all major theatres as well as neglected facets of wartime medicine such as work among civilians, imperial armies, and the imperial labour corps.
Linda L. Fowler
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151618
- eISBN:
- 9781400866465
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151618.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter examines partisan calculations about party reputations as influences on routine and event-driven public hearings, using the classic typology of police patrols and fire alarms. It ...
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This chapter examines partisan calculations about party reputations as influences on routine and event-driven public hearings, using the classic typology of police patrols and fire alarms. It considers committee choices regarding the content of national security oversight hearings by comparing routine inquiries to reviews of major crises and scandals. The chapter uses the unique characteristics of fine-grained coding of hearings to develop measures for police patrol and fire alarm oversight of national security. It also discusses expectations about committee behavior as well as the distribution of patrols and alarms for the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, particularly as they relate to changes in military casualties from 1947 to 2008. Finally, it explores crisis oversight as a form of committee review that is particularly important to democratic accountability.Less
This chapter examines partisan calculations about party reputations as influences on routine and event-driven public hearings, using the classic typology of police patrols and fire alarms. It considers committee choices regarding the content of national security oversight hearings by comparing routine inquiries to reviews of major crises and scandals. The chapter uses the unique characteristics of fine-grained coding of hearings to develop measures for police patrol and fire alarm oversight of national security. It also discusses expectations about committee behavior as well as the distribution of patrols and alarms for the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, particularly as they relate to changes in military casualties from 1947 to 2008. Finally, it explores crisis oversight as a form of committee review that is particularly important to democratic accountability.
Geoffrey Campbell Cocks
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199695676
- eISBN:
- 9780191738616
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199695676.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The rigours of war intensified not only patriotism but further retreat into private concern for the well-being of self and body. Plunder from occupied Europe compensated for some shortages inside ...
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The rigours of war intensified not only patriotism but further retreat into private concern for the well-being of self and body. Plunder from occupied Europe compensated for some shortages inside Germany, but health in the Reich declined during the war years due to direct and indirect effects of the war. Health care was based on utility rather than need. Medical care became an arena of control over the productive capacities of the population and individual and corporate search for resources, relief, and advantage. Inside Germany illness, including epidemics, spread due to air raids, the poor health and working conditions of foreign labourers, and displacement of large numbers of civilians. Doctors, drafted in large numbers into the armed forces, were in short supply on the home front. Millions of German soldiers became physical and mental casualties. Heightened fear and suffering contributed to even greater German military brutality against foreign civilians and enemy soldiers.Less
The rigours of war intensified not only patriotism but further retreat into private concern for the well-being of self and body. Plunder from occupied Europe compensated for some shortages inside Germany, but health in the Reich declined during the war years due to direct and indirect effects of the war. Health care was based on utility rather than need. Medical care became an arena of control over the productive capacities of the population and individual and corporate search for resources, relief, and advantage. Inside Germany illness, including epidemics, spread due to air raids, the poor health and working conditions of foreign labourers, and displacement of large numbers of civilians. Doctors, drafted in large numbers into the armed forces, were in short supply on the home front. Millions of German soldiers became physical and mental casualties. Heightened fear and suffering contributed to even greater German military brutality against foreign civilians and enemy soldiers.
Mark Harrison
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199575824
- eISBN:
- 9780191595158
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199575824.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Military History
This introductory chapter places the First World War in the context of previous conflicts and sets the scene for the following chapters, with an overview of developments in British military medicine ...
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This introductory chapter places the First World War in the context of previous conflicts and sets the scene for the following chapters, with an overview of developments in British military medicine from around 1850 through to 1914. It also provides a historiographical orientation, showing how the aims and content of this book differ from existing scholarship on war and medicine. The book's main themes are set out and the importance of manpower and morale (both of soldiers and their families) is emphasized. It is argued that the growing prominence of medicine in war can only be understood in relation to public expectations; not just scientific advances or operational efficiency.Less
This introductory chapter places the First World War in the context of previous conflicts and sets the scene for the following chapters, with an overview of developments in British military medicine from around 1850 through to 1914. It also provides a historiographical orientation, showing how the aims and content of this book differ from existing scholarship on war and medicine. The book's main themes are set out and the importance of manpower and morale (both of soldiers and their families) is emphasized. It is argued that the growing prominence of medicine in war can only be understood in relation to public expectations; not just scientific advances or operational efficiency.
