Books in American War series

Edwin M. Stanton (1814-1869), one of the nineteenth century's most impressive legal and political minds, wielded enormous influence and power as Lincoln's secretary of war during most of the Civil War and under Johnson during the early years of Reconstruction. In the first full biography of Stanton in more than fifty years, William Marvel offers a detailed reexamination of Stanton's life, career, and legacy. Marvel argues that while Stanton was a formidable advocate and politician, his character was hardly benign. Climbing from a difficult youth to the pinnacle of power, Stanton used his authority--and the public coffers--to pursue political vendettas, and he exercised sweeping wartime powers with a cavalier disregard for civil liberties. Though Lincoln's ability to harness a cabinet with sharp divisions and strong personalities is widely celebrated, Marvel suggests that Stanton's tenure raises important questions about Lincoln's actual control over the executive branch. This insightful biography also reveals why men like Ulysses S. Grant considered Stanton a coward and a bully, who was unashamed to use political power for partisan enforcement and personal preservation.

A century of material progress and growing prosperity led the nations of Western Europe to believe that they were in the vanguard of a new and peaceful world order. But their economic rivalries, backed by growing military establishments, finally degenerated to an extreme level of barbarity. World War I rocked the political balance of Europe, interrupted its economic growth, and decimated a generation of its youth. It began the disintegration of the colonial system that had seemed so permanent in 1914 and launched communism as a world force. World War I, Revised Edition provides a concise, highly readable portrait of this great conflict, with an emphasis on the critical role played by the United States. A new chapter added to this edition includes the military innovations in tactics and weaponry, giving readers a complete picture of the "War to End All Wars."