The Professional Soldier: A Social and Political Portrait

A timeless resource that describes the evolution of the US military in the first half of the 20th century.

More than 50 years after its publication, The Professional Soldier remains a path-breaking study of civil-military relations. In the Cold War era, Morris Janowitz was among the first to recognize that the military was a fruitful subject for social science to study. Asking who soldiers are, what they do, and what they believe, Janowitz’s studies of armed forces and society have guided the work of scholars and policy makers for three generations.

The Professional Soldier identifies three issues that confront civil-military relations to this day: how to judge the political consequences of military conduct, how to solve problems of international relations while using less force, and how to strengthen civilian control of the military while preserving professional military autonomy. A vital resource for students and anyone interested in understanding the past, present, and future of the armed services.

Morris Janowitzz was an American sociologist. His research focused on subjects ranging from the military and patriotism to urban studies and racial prejudice. Janowitz taught at the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago. He founded the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society. Janowitz served in the US Army during World War II, and was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.