Information wars: The government, the military, the media and the people, 1941--1991

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dc.contributor.advisorGruber, Ira D.en_US
dc.creatorThompson, Matthew Andrewen_US
dc.date.accessioned2009-06-04T08:40:34Zen_US
dc.date.available2009-06-04T08:40:34Zen_US
dc.date.issued2000en_US
dc.description.abstractThis study examined the tensions between the military and the media; the need for governments to articulate clear war aims, win public, and international support; and the public's power to hold a government accountable in a democracy for actions during wartime in a fifty-year period. The long view of history demonstrated the complex and multidirectional. interactions among the government, the military, the media, and the people of a democracy during wartime. In the past, historians and scholars have focused almost exclusively on the relationship between the military and media during wartime. Talking that approach as a starting point, this thesis expanded upon those earlier studies and moved beyond technical disagreements between officers and journalists to examine the broader context of national unity during times of conflict. By looking at the level of national unity during the major conflicts that the United States was involved between 1941 and 1991---and examining the British experience during the Falkland Islands War---the interaction between government leaders and the public overshadowed the relationship between the military and the media. Government leaders were most successful in building and sustaining public support when they clearly articulated war aims, and maintained those aims throughout the period of the conflict. This study also suggested a correlation between the successful building of domestic support for war and the government's prior acquisition of the international community's support for its actions. These findings showed that the relationships among the government, the military, the media, and people have been very nuanced and complex during times of war between 1941 and 1991. The struggles on the homefront and in the international community have been just as heated as clash of armies on the battlefield. While not always victorious, democratic nations have fought and re-fought battles to build and maintain support for during times of war---an element essential for any hope of victory in modern warfare.en_US
dc.format.extent601 p.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.callnoTHESIS HIST. 2000 THOMPSONen_US
dc.identifier.citationThompson, Matthew Andrew. "Information wars: The government, the military, the media and the people, 1941--1991." (2000) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/19559">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/19559</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/19559en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjectAmerican historyen_US
dc.subjectModern historyen_US
dc.subjectPolitical scienceen_US
dc.subjectMass communicationen_US
dc.titleInformation wars: The government, the military, the media and the people, 1941--1991en_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentHistoryen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineHumanitiesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
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