Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century

Martin Crotty, J. Diamant Neil, Mark Edele

Description

What happened to veterans of the nations involved in the world wars? How did they fare when they returned home and needed benefits? How were they recognized-or not-by their governments and fellow citizens? Where and under what circumstances did they obtain an elevated postwar status?In this sophisticated comparative history of government policies regarding veterans, Martin Crotty, Neil J. Diamant, and Mark Edele examine veterans' struggles for entitlements and benefits in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan, the Soviet Union, China, Germany, and Australia after both global conflicts. They illuminate how veterans' success or failure in winning benefits were affected by a range of factors that shaped their ability to exert political influence. Some veterans' groups fought politicians for improvements to their postwar lives; this lobbying, the authors show, could set the foundation for beneficial veteran treatment regimes or weaken the political forces proposing unfavorable policies. The authors highlight cases of veterans who secured (and in some cases failed to secure) benefits and status after wars both won and lost; within both democratic and authoritarian polities; under liberal, conservative, and even Leninist governments; after wars fought by volunteers or conscripts, at home or abroad, and for legitimate or subsequently discredited causes. Veterans who succeeded did so, for the most part, by forcing their agendas through lobbying, protesting, and mobilizing public support. The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century provides a large-scale map for a research field with a future: comparative veteran studies.

Sujets

• Histoire
• World War I
• World War II
• Central

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 octobre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781501751653
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

THE POïTïCS OF VETERAN BENEFïTS ïN THE TWENTïETH CENTURY

THE POïTïCS OF VETERAN BENEFïTS ïN THE TWENTïETH CENTURY

A COMPARAT I VE HI STORY

M a rt i n C r ot t y, N e i l J . D i a m a nt, a n d M a r k E d e l e

CORNE UNïVERSïTY PRESS ïthaca and London

Copyrîght © 2020 y Corne Unîversîty

A rîghts reserved. Exçept or rîe quotatîons în a revîew, thîs ook, or parts thereo, must not e reproduçed în any orm wîthout permîssîon în wrîtîng rom the puîsher. For înormatîon, address Corne Unîversîty Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, ïthaça, New York 14850. Vîsît our wesîte at çornepress.çorne.edu.

Fîrst puîshed 2020 y Corne Unîversîty Press Prînted în the Unîted States o Amerîça

îrary o Congress Cataogîng-în-Puîçatîon Data

Names: Crotty, Martîn, 1969–author. | Dîamant, Neî Jefrey, 1964–author. | Edee, Mark, author. Tîte: The poîtîçs o veteran eneIts în the twentîeth çentury : a çomparatîve hîstory / Martîn Crotty, Neî J. Dîamant, and Mark Edee. Desçrîptîon: ïthaça [New York] : Corne Unîversîty Press, 2020. | ïnçudes îîographîça reerençes and îndex. ïdentîIers: CCN 2020003586 (prînt) | CCN 2020003587 (eook) | ïSBN 9781501751639 (çoth) | ïSBN 9781501751646 (epu) | ïSBN 9781501751653 (pd ) Sujeçts: CSH: Veterans—Servîçes or—Hîstory— 20th çentury. | Veterans—Government poîçy— Hîstory—20th çentury. | Veteran reîntegratîon— Hîstory—20th çentury. | Veterans—Soçîa çondîtîons— 20th çentury. CassîIçatîon: CC UB356 .C76 2020 (prînt) | CC UB356 (eook) | DDC 362.86/80904—dç23 C reçord avaîae at https://ççn.oç.gov/2020003586 C eook reçord avaîae at https://ççn.oç.gov /2020003587

Jaçket îmage: Hero o the Sovîet Unîon, Major Genera Aeksandr Vasîevîçh Gadkov, and hîs wîe, Vera Potapovna, on theîr way to the Kremîn reçeptîon ater the Vîçtory Parade on Red Square, June 24, 1945. Photo y Yevgeny Khadeî. © Anna Khadeî.

Co n t e n t s

Acknowedmentsvîî

 ïntroduçtîon: Veterans în Comparatîve Perspeçtîve  1. Vîçtors Vîçtorîous  2. Vîçtors Deeated  3. BeneIts or the Vanquîshed  4. The Poîtîçay Weak  5. The Poîtîçay Poweru  Conçusîon: Veterans Past, Present, and Future

Notes173 ïndex225

1 14 32 63 93 120

162

A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s

We have a açquîred dets o gratîtude to others în the researçh and wrîtîng that have ed to thîs ook, most separatey, ut some çoeçtîvey as a trîumvîrate. Martîn wîshes to thank the staf at the Natîona îrary o Austraîa, where muçh o the prîmary researçh or the seçtîons on Austraîa was undertaken, and the Austraîan Researçh Counçî and the Unîversîty o Queensand or undîng portîons o thîs researçh. Neî ofers hîs gratîtude to Dîçkînson Co- ege’s Researçh and Deveopment Commîttee, the Unîversîty o Queensand, and the Unîversîty o Meourne or provîdîng trave unds to Austraîa, as we as to Davîd Gerer, a pîoneer în the çomparatîve study o veterans, and the Sçhoo o Soçîa Work at the Unîversîty at Bufao or the opportunîty to dîs- çuss some o the preîmînary Indîngs o thîs ook. He aso açknowedges Shuto Sekoguçhî or hîs researçh assîstançe, Aex Bates or hep wîth transa- tîon, and Sam Aert or rewîng many exçeent çups o çofee whîe wrîtîng at Crazy Moçha. Mark gîves hîs thanks to Brîgîtte Edee or hepîng to re- memer Ernst Jand and to Dera MçDouga or Indîng the ost voume o hîs poetry, to Rustam Gadzhîev, who provîded researçh assîstançe, and to Oeg Beyda and Faon Mody, who heped wîth edîtîng. He aso açknow- edges the assîstançe o an Austraîan Researçh Counçî Future Feowshîp (FT140101100). We woud a îke to thank Emîy Andrew, senîor edîtor at Corne Unîver- sîty Press, or her enthusîastîç emraçe o our proposed ook; Mîçhee Wît- kowskî o Westçhester Puîshîng Servîçes or her skîu and kînd shepherdîng o the manusçrîpt through produçtîon; the anonymous readers or theîr thoughtu and çonstruçtîve çrîtîçîsm; and Ange Açade o the Unî- versîty o Meourne, who read the entîre manusçrîpt and provîded detaîed eedaçk and advîçe on urther sourçes, whîçh ed to varîous ast-mînute çhanges to our text. And we are a appreçîatîve o the support ofered y partners and amîîes. They toerated our asençes and kept the home Ires urnîng whîe we dîd atte wîth arçhîves that were reuçtant to revea theîr seçrets, or drats that resîsted takîng the shape we wanted them to—and put

v i i

v i i i

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

up wîth the Its o asent-mîndedness that aLîçt a sçhoars înçîned to mu over îdeas at înopportune tîmes. Perhaps se-îndugenty, we’d a îke to thank eaçh other too. The wrîtîng meetîngs în Canerra, Meourne, Carîse, and Brîsane have învarîay een ruîtu as we as un, and we have a eneIted enormousy rom exposure to eaçh other’s îdeas, însîghts, and înspîratîon. Earîer versîons o seçtîons în çhapters 2 and 4 were Irst puîshed as part o Martîn Crotty and Mark Edee, “Tota War and Entîtement: Towards a Goa Hîstory o Veteran Prîvîege,”Poîtîcs & HîstoryAustraîan Journa o 59, no. 1 (2013): 25–31. We thank Wîey Puîshîng Goa or permîssîon to reuse some o the materîa here.

ïntroduçtîon Veterans în Comparatîve Perspeçtîve

Sîx sodîers returned rom a war: an Austraîan, an Amerîçan, a Chînese, a Russîan, a German, and a Brît. Eaçh saîd, în theîr respeçtîve anguages to theîr respeçtîve governments and soçîetîes: “War was he; we saçrîIçed; we deserve çompensatîon and respeçt.” Governments çon- sîdered these requests. O these sîx, however, ony three—the Amerîçan, the Austraîan, and the German—reçeîved eves o çompensatîon that çame çose to restorîng what they had ost through theîr war servîçe. Theîr Chînese, Rus- sîan, and Brîtîsh çounterparts reçeîved very îtte. They were pushed asîde wîth arguments rangîng rom “Cîvîîans sufered too,” to “What you dîd was what was expeçted and nothîng more,” to “On the atteIed you may have een a hero, ut here you are just îke everyone ese.” What expaîns suçh wîde varîatîon în postwar outçomes or veterans? Where and under what çondîtîons dîd veterans emerge rom the argest wars în the twentîeth çentury wîth sîg- nîIçant materîa reçompense and hîgher status than theîr çîvîîan çounterparts? Thesearethequestîonsthîsookseekstoanswer. Fîndîng answers wî not e easy—sodîerîng and then veteranhood were experîençed very dîferenty açross spaçe and tîme. Surveyîng the road and- sçape o mîîtary engagements în the twentîeth çentury, we çan Ind sodîers în çuttîng-edge Ighter aîrçrat at thîrty thousand eet, în sumarînes, în tanks and armored personne çarrîers, and most çommony on theîr eet or eîes în Maayan junges, Ukraînîan steppes, and North Arîçan deserts. Asîde rom

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