Now in its third edition, Ways of War is a comprehensive guide to United States military history and its wider relationship to American society, from the seventeenth century to the present day.
This volume remains an accessible and compelling textbook for students and instructors, combining traditional “drum and bugle” history with “war and society” approaches to highlight the military’s influence on American culture, economics, and politics. The new edition contains over 60 maps, both new and revised, to further illustrate military battles, campaigns, and operations. Each chapter also includes a wealth of images alongside chapter timelines identifying key events, text boxes providing biographical information and first-person accounts, and short bibliographies. The final two chapters have been fully updated to include vital material on the end of the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in 2021, as well as information on new military technology and artifical intelligence that have changed warfare in recent years.
Written by experienced instructors and designed to maximize student engagement, the third edition of Ways of War remains an essential text for American military history and war and society courses.
Instructor and student resources for this book include a test bank of multiple choice, discussion, and essay questions; interactive timelines; annotated and expanded bibliographies for each chapter; and chapter glossaries and flashcards.
Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. Early Colonization and Conflict, 1607–1689 2. Wars Imperial & Regional, 1689–1763 3. The American Revolution, 1763–83 4. Challenges in the Early Republic, 1783–1815 5. Expansion, 1815–1865 6. The American Civil War: Confederate Defiance, 1861–63 7. The American Civil War: Union Triumph, 1863–65 8. Transitions, 1865–1902 9. Early Twentieth Reforms and the Great War, 1902–1918 10. Transformations in the Interwar Years, 1918–1941 11. Mobilizing for the Second World War, 1941–1943 12. Winning the Second World War, 1943–1945 13. National Security in the Early Cold War, 1945–60 14. Confrontations in the Cold War, 1960–73 15. From Cold War to Pax Americana to Uncertainty, 1973–2017 16. Global War on Terror and Global Uncertainty, 2001–2024
About the Author :
Matthew S. Muehlbauer is currently a War Gaming Specialist supporting the Naval War College's War Gaming Department, USA. He previously taught military history and other topics at the U.S. Army's School of Advanced Military Studies, the United States Military Academy at West Point, and a number of civilian institutions.
David J. Ulbrich is the Academic Director of the Master of Arts in History and Military History Programs at Norwich University, USA. He is co-editor of The Routledge History of Global War and Society and co-author of the sixth edition of World War II: A Global History.
Review :
“Ways of War offers clear and engaging accounts of the nation’s wars. It also engages the broader range of military history: the changing structure and composition of military forces, for example, and the social, cultural, political, and technological contexts that have shaped the U.S. military and its 'ways of war.' Kudos to Muehlbauer and Ulbrich for this excellent third edition, and for taking on contemporary issues ranging from the renaming of Army posts to the significance of AI and drone warfare.”
Beth Bailey, Foundation Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas and author of An Army Afire: How the US Army Confronted its Racial Crisis in the Vietnam Era
"The third edition of Ways of War continues in its tradition of providing thorough coverage of U.S. military history, now through the Biden administration. It also continues to provide not just essential historical narrative, but keen social and political insight. American ways of war emerge from the nature of its society, a truism to which Ulbrich and Muehlbauer are finely attuned. Recommended!"
Wayne E. Lee, Distinguished Professor of History at the University of North Carolina and author of Waging War: Conflict, Culture, and Innovation in World History
Praise for the second edition
"This readily accessible book offers a clear and up to date account of military history, one that is highly pertinent in these troubled times. The second edition is a good instance of how best to keep books relevant and clear. Strongly recommended."
Jeremy Black, author of Air Power: A Global History
"Authoritative and well written, Ways of War is a truly cutting edge survey of American military history. Packed with compelling narratives and crisp insights, this is not so much a traditional text book as a personal guided tour by two leading scholars through our military past. An excellent book and one that is certain to become a classic."
John C. McManus, Ph.D., Curators' Distinguished Professor of U.S. Military History, Missouri S&T, USA. Author of Grunts: Inside the American Infantry Combat Experience, World War II Through Iraq
"This new edition brings the work up-to-date through an expanded introduction and the most recent events in international diplomacy and the Global War on Terror, probing into vital questions of national identity formation, technology, unofficial military tradition, and additional international context—from Queen Anne’s War to the effects of the Russo-Japanese war."
Ellen D. Tillman, Associate Professor of History at Texas State University, USA, and author of Dollar Diplomacy by Force: Nation-Building and Resistance in the Dominican Republic
"Matthew S. Muehlbauer and David J. Ulbrich have produced an admirable text built around Russell Weigley’s framework in his now classic American Way of War (...) Highly recommended for all audiences, not just college undergraduate and graduate students."
"The sheer scope of the text is impressive, yet it does not descend overmuch into the weeds of battles and military trivia, instead remaining focused on how conflict involving Americans, and not just European Americans, has evolved over the years."
Dr. John T. Kuehn, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, USA“It is an impressive undertaking to chronicle the breadth of American military history in a single volume, and Muehlbauer and Ulbrich make a significant contribution to the literature in their effort.”
“Around 1980, an increasing number of scholars began moving away from the traditional military history of battles and tactics in order to pay greater attention to the interaction between war and broader society. The “war and society” approach embraces a host of cultural, domestic, gender, economic, political, environmental, and other issues which transcend military history’s traditional focus on the conduct of armed forces, particularly how they fight.”
Kevin Dougherty, The Citadel Charleston, South Carolina
