In this classic work, Samuel P. Huntington challenges most of the old assumptions and ideas on the role of the military in society. Stressing the value of the military outlook for American national policy, Huntington has performed the distinctive task of developing a general theory of civil-military relations and subjective it to rigorous historical analysis, on the United States primarily, but also on Europe and Asia. Establishing his basic propositions, Huntington formulates his theoretical, and analyses historical and contemporary developments in the United States and its soldiers and abroad with skill and insight. This book is an effort to suggest a more useful and relevant framework and to raise and define the principal theoretical issues involved in the study of civil-military relations.