When Soldiers Quit - by Bruce Watson (Hardcover)

About the Book

After an introduction showing three examples of military disintegration, the author examines six historical occurrences in depth: The India Mutiny of 1857; the 1917 French Army mutinies; the depredations following the British siege of San Sebastian, 1813; the surrender of the U.S. 106th Infantry Division in 1944; the Sand Creek Indian Massacre, 1864; and the My Lai massacre in 1968. The final chapter begins with a recapitulation of the four processes shown to be the foundations of disintegration--leadership failure, collapse of the units' internal primary groups, alienation, and desperation among the troops--and continues with an analysis of the crowd behaviors to which these processes give rise. The book ends with a brief discussion of the moral dilemma that disintegration imposes on military institutions.

Book Synopsis

After an introduction showing three examples of military disintegration, the author examines six historical occurrences in depth: The India Mutiny of 1857; the 1917 French Army mutinies; the depredations following the British siege of San Sebastian, 1813; the surrender of the U.S. 106th Infantry Division in 1944; the Sand Creek Indian Massacre, 1864; and the My Lai massacre in 1968. The final chapter begins with a recapitulation of the four processes shown to be the foundations of disintegration--leadership failure, collapse of the units' internal primary groups, alienation, and desperation among the troops--and continues with an analysis of the crowd behaviors to which these processes give rise. The book ends with a brief discussion of the moral dilemma that disintegration imposes on military institutions.

Review Quotes

?[A] worthy addition to a professioal military leader's library....[I]t should be added to professional development readings lists....Despite the apparent "touchy-feely" potential of the approach, if not the subject matter, Watson's greatest triumph is that he brings complex theories down to the level of comprehension of the average reader. This alone is a feat in the notoriously complex field of sociology. If you cannot afford to purchase this book, request that your local library buy it. Military leaders from sergeant through general can easily read, understand and benefit from the important observations made here.?-ARMY Magazine

"ÝA¨ worthy addition to a professioal military leader's library....ÝI¨t should be added to professional development readings lists....Despite the apparent "touchy-feely" potential of the approach, if not the subject matter, Watson's greatest triumph is that he brings complex theories down to the level of comprehension of the average reader. This alone is a feat in the notoriously complex field of sociology. If you cannot afford to purchase this book, request that your local library buy it. Military leaders from sergeant through general can easily read, understand and benefit from the important observations made here."-ARMY Magazine

"[A] worthy addition to a professioal military leader's library....[I]t should be added to professional development readings lists....Despite the apparent "touchy-feely" potential of the approach, if not the subject matter, Watson's greatest triumph is that he brings complex theories down to the level of comprehension of the average reader. This alone is a feat in the notoriously complex field of sociology. If you cannot afford to purchase this book, request that your local library buy it. Military leaders from sergeant through general can easily read, understand and benefit from the important observations made here."-ARMY Magazine

About the Author

BRUCE ALLEN WATSON is Professor Emeritus of Art History and past chairman of the Division of Applied and Fine Arts at Diablo Valley College. In addition to books and articles on sociology and art history, he has written three books on military history: The Great Indian Mutiny: Colin Campbell and the Campaign at Lucknow (Praeger, 1991), Sieges: A Comparative Study (Praeger, 1993), and Desert Battle: Comparative Perspectives (Praeger, 1995).