In a world where historians have broadened their focus over historic time, the author looks at American history in the context of a full century of American wars. Curiously, the century ends much as it began, with General Schwarzkopf in the Persian Gulf faced with many of the problems of General Pershing in World War I - maintaining unity of command, preserving American military identity, and maximizing America's unique military capabilities in a world of bewildering alliances and collapsing empires.From turn-of-the-century eagerness to relinquish a policy of isolationism through the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold War at the century's close, this volume covers all the bloodshed, conflicts, alliances, and military policies occurring in between.Between World War I and the Gulf War, the author brings his own experienced eye and singular ability to cull salient insights from his sources to present fresh interpretations of both the major and lesser-known incidents from America's conflicts: World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and less well-known operations in South America and the Middle East. Morrison also covers in depth the long-range struggles for supremacy in military technology.Each war is examined in relation to the American "home front." The author explores how the situation in America affected the aims and conduct of the war, and how each war created both new possibilities and limitations for the nation. Read Less