Organizing Societies for War: The Process and Consequences of Societal Militarization

by Patrick Regan

Overview

Regan argues that the militarization of a society is a complex political and sociological phenomenon, that can generate a life of its own and that feeds upon itself. Regan combines a statistical and a historical approach with an empirical analysis to serve as the basis for the development of a theory of the power of political symbolism. He examines the extent to which a violent foreign policy and societal militarization are part of a self-amplifying feedback cycle. At a time when permanent and substantial demilitarization are possible, his study reveals the factors that serve to sustain high levels of military mobilization and suggests the keys for defusing them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275946708
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/30/1994
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	1450L (what's this?)

About the Author

PATRICK M. REGAN is a Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. He recieved his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

Table of Contents

The Militarization of Societies
Identifying the Militarization Process: The First Half of the Puzzle
Accounting for Violent Foreign Policy: The Second Half of the Puzzle
The Feedback between Societal Militarization and Violent Foreign Policy
Societal Symbols and Societal Militarization
In Search of Generalizations: The Case of Brazil
Conclusion
Appendixes
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

Regan generates a series of hypotheses regarding the process by which societies militarize, and then develops both theoretical arguments and empirical evidence supporting these hypotheses, which he proceeds to test through the use of a number of statistical techniques, both parametric and otherwise. The bulk of the analytical component of the study comprises longitudinal analyses of both the US and Britain from the turn of the 20th century until 1985. A historical case study of the evolution of the Brazilian military is also used as a descriptive tool of analysis. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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