Shield of the Republic: The United States Navy in an Era of Cold War and Violent Peace

by Michael T. Isenberg

Book Overview

From the Japanese surrender to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the first of a two-volume study presents the history of the U.S. Navy in terms of its role as the powerful worldwide symbol of American foreign... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312099118
• ISBN13: 9780312099114
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 948 Pages
• Weight: 3.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.3" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

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Author: Isenberg, Michael T. Title: Shield of the Republic : United States navy in an era of cold war and violent peace / Michael T. Isenberg. Publisher: New York : St. Martin's Press, 1993- Language: English Contents: v. 1. 1945-1962. Projected Pub Date: 9311 Physical Details: v. : ill., maps ; 24 cm. Subjects: United States.--Navy--History--20th century. United States--History, Naval--20th century.

First Rate History

This is a first rate history of the U.S. Navy in the first two decades of the Cold War. It was supposed to be the first of a series of books on the subject but the author died before any of the later books were written. It is already a standard resource for other authors. This book is not a dry recounting of facts. It is an easy read and all of my family who have borrowed the book from me have said as much. I took three courses in History from Professor Isenberg when I was a midshipman at the Naval Academy and his writing style is very much HIS personal conversational style. Not many other history texts use the phrase "bass-ackwards" to describe a situation. The treatment of the Cuban Missile Crisis from the Navy's perspective is the book's most important feature and takes up nearly 100 pages. The personalities involved and how their clashes influenced decision-making over time is particularly instructive. I had never before considered that the Missile Crisis was the result of JFK's failure to win the Bay of Pigs operation because it allowed the Soviets to think they could push him around. Nor have I read that many of our military leaders thought America actually LOST the Cuban Missile Crisis. Very interesting stuff and well documented. In fact, the book is fully footnoted but only with references. The narrative is complete so there is no need to look up the footnotes for amplifying information unless you want to see the sources. This book was written 30 years after the end of the time frame it covers and time allows more of the "Fog of History" to clear. While I regret the early death of Professor Isenberg, I suspect that his second volume in this series detailing the Navy during the latter half of the Cold War would have been premature. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book.

History of the US Navy from WWII to the Cuban Missle Crisis

Michael T. Isenber, an Annapolis history professor, has written a thoroughly enjoyable history of the United States Navy from the close of World War II through the end of the Cuban Missle Crisis in Shield of the Republic. This is not a PR volume for the Navy but rather a history that views the nation's sea service from all angles, exposing the problems of maintaining a Navy in light of the massive post-war draw down, the internal and inter-service rivalries that threatened to destroy the early Department of Defense in the late 1940's, the internal competition between the air, surface, and submarine services, and the scramble to meet the mobalization crisis that came with the invasion of South Korea. It continues with the struggle (and mastery) of the new technologies that challenged the Navy: nuclear power and the role of nuclear delivery by ballistic submarine, the explosive growth of electronics, and the growth of the super carrier. It details the Navy as a "people organization" employing large numbers of young men, the requirement for men to handle the increasing sophisticated weapon systems and electronics, the growth in the number of "flags" (admirals) and the integration of all races in the 1950's. It closes with a view of the Cold War Navy that sustained the blockade of Cuba during the crisis of 1962, a Navy that spanned the globe from the Western Pacific to the Caribbean to the Mediterranean. Shield's 900 pages (including bibliography and notes) is easy to read and almost novel-like in its treatment of the many people and the experiences that were the US Navy in the post-World War II period. It offers many lessons that are applicable to the services of today: Meeting expanding requirements during a (short) period of peace and the attending draw-down, the requirement to fight come-as-you-are wars (police actions), the need to incorporate explosively growing technology into an every aging fleet, and the need to recruit, train, and retain skilled personnel in competition with an attractive commercial job market. Shield is the Samuel E. Morison of the post war period in scope and thoroughness, but is easier to read than an operational history. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in American history, Military history, or the military in general.