The Marine Corps' Search for a Mission, 1880-98 (Modern War Studies) - Hardcover

Shulimson, Jack

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0700606084 ISBN 13: 9780700606085

Publisher: University Press of Kansas, 1993

Synopsis

Heirs to a storied past and glamorized as modern-day knights, the Marine Corps-the elite fighting force in America's military-in fact has not always been so highly regarded. As Jack Shulimson shows, only a century ago the Corps' identity and existence were much in question. Although the Marines were formally established by Congress in 1798 and subsequently distinguished themselves fighting on the Barbary Coast, their essential mission and identity remained unclear throughout most of the nineteenth century. But amid the crosscurrents of industrialization, technological change, professionalization, and reform that emerged I Gilded Age America, the Corps underwent a gradual transformation that ultimately secured its significant and enduring military role. In this enlightening study, Shulimson argues that the Marine Corps officers' inextricable ties to the Navy both hampered and aided their attempt to define their own special jurisdiction and professional identity. Often treated like a poor relation, the Marine officers frequently found themselves in direct competition with their counterparts in the Navy and at times the object of the latter's scorn. Shulimson reveals the processes, politics, and personalities that converged to create these tense and sometimes embattled relations, but he goes on to show how Marine officers (with the Navy's blessing) eventually transcended their second-class role.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Heirs to a storied past and glamorized as modern-day knights, the Marine Corps - the elite fighting force in America's military - in fact has not always been so highly regarded. As Jack Shulimson shows, only a century ago the Corps' identity and existence were much in question. Although the Marines were formally established by Congress in 1798 and subsequently distinguished themselves fighting on the Barbary Coast, their essential mission and identity remained unclear throughout most of the nineteenth century. In this enlightening study, Shulimson argues that the Marine Corps officers' inextricable ties to the Navy both hampered and aided their attempt to define their own special jurisdiction and professional identity. He reveals the processes, politics, and personalities that converged to create tense relations before Marine officers (with the Navy's blessing) eventually transcended their second-class role.

Edition details

• Publisher: University Press of Kansas
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0700606084
• ISBN 13: 9780700606085
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256