War Comes Again: Comparative Vistas on the Civil War and World War II

The provocative thesis of this work involves comparing two defining events of American history: the Civil War and WWII. Despite a distinguished list of contributors, the effort does not succeed. The conflicts were so dissimilar that essay after essay is able to do no more than juxtapose events as opposed to compare them. As examples, Gerald Lindeman's presentation of the experiences of combat highlights dissimilarities. The racial issues analyzed by Ira Berlin reflect only basic points of commonality. Direct comparisons between Grant and Eisenhower as generals (Stephen Ambrose) and Lincoln and Roosevelt as war presidents (Arthur Schlesinger Jr.) are more convincing but cannot salvage a project that, by its nature, was arguably impossible to execute. Illustrations. (May)