Doughboys, the Great War, and the Remaking of America

Americans have largely forgoten the United States war effort during World War I. There are obvious reasons for this -- the larger role played during World War II, the failure of the politicians to live up to the rhetoric of lasting peace, the limited combat exposure and comparatively low casualties suffered by US troops, etc. But World War I did more than prepare the US for World War II, it fundamentaly changed a whole generation of Americans (Stein called Hemingway and company the lost generation because of World WarI) and as Keane effectively argues changed the way the Army works and the nature of the social contract between citizens and the government. Along the way Keane discusses changes in Army procedures and, somewhat disapointingly, the precarious nature race relations during the war. This book exposes little that is relavatory to those who study American history, but by skillfully aranging the facts and details that are known or obvious Keane carefully builds an air tight case in support of her thesis: The soldiers who served during World War I paved the way not only for the GI Bill but for a wider acceptance of government aid to those in need. The modern concept of Entightlements began with the veterans of the "War To End All Wars."