Doughboys, the Great War, and the Remaking of America

War/Society/Culture

by Jennifer D. Keene

How does a democratic government conscript citizens, turn them into soldiers who can fight effectively against a highly trained enemy, and then somehow reward these troops for their service? In Doughboys, the Great War, and the Remaking of America, Jennifer D. Keene argues that the doughboy experience in 1917--18 forged the U.S. Army of the twentieth century and ultimately led to the most sweeping piece of social-welfare legislation in the nation's history -- the G.I. Bill. Keene shows how citizen-soldiers established standards of discipline that the army in a sense had to adopt. Even after these troops had returned to civilian life, lessons learned by the army during its first experience with a mass conscripted force continued to influence the military as an institution. The experience of going into uniform and fighting abroad politicized citizen-soldiers, Keene finally argues, in ways she asks us to ponder. She finds that the country and the conscripts -- in their view -- entered into a certain social compact, one that assured veterans that the federal government owed conscripted soldiers of the twentieth century debts far in excess of the pensions the Grand Army of the Republic had claimed in the late nineteenth century.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War I, Military History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 29, 2001

About the author

As of 2001, Keene is an assistant professor of history at the University of Redlands (California)

Reviews

[Katie Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book about the ways World War I shaped American society. Everybody should read it, I think.

Best book I've been assigned for the class this semester . . . also happens to be the only book so far written by a female historian. #winning

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2001 John Hopkins Press published Jennifer Keene's outstanding book, "Doughboys, The Great War, and the Remaking of America." This book came from Jennifer's doctoral dissertation and reflects her remarkable scholarship using oral histories, secondary sources, and insights about how social and military history intersect to profoundly influence the lives of three generations and their offspring. I was spellbound while reading her work and very grateful for the opportunity to hear her speak about the book in 2017 at the University of Kansas Dole Institute of Politics. (P)

[Tom Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very informative, well-written book on how WWI changed American soldiers and how American soldiers changed the military and the country. The book covers a variety of topics such as how the US created an army of over 4 million from a scant 200,000. It talks of how drafted citizen soldiers influenced army discipline. It addresses race relations and relations between Americans, French, and German soldiers. It finally ends with how these citizen soldiers fought for and won (to some degree) veteran benefits that had not before existed.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend.

[Jim Gulley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A social history of WWI that analyzes the war from the perspective of the “citizen-soldiers” who fought for the US AEF. Kenne argues that the Army’s experience in WWI helped construct a new military establishment and shaped the way the US would enter WWII. She constructs her work around the “citizen-soldiers,” aka doughboys, who were drafted en masse for the first time in American history. At first, the army tried to treat them as regular soldiers, but soon realized that that was an untenable plan. The conscribed troops would not practice unquestioned obedience to orders, and army leaders had difficulty navigating the racial tension between Black soldiers and Southern whites.

The Doughboys returned victorious from Europe, but they were beset by social and economic problems. Their army pay lagged far behind that of civilian labor, which prospered during the war. Black soldiers, who earned respect for their service, came home to an unchanged system of Jim Crow. Veterans organized with the American Legion and labor unions to demand adjusted compensation for their service. The government never satisfied these demands and resulted in the Bonus March of 1932. Keene argues that the sacrifices of the citizen-soldiers led the way for a reformed military in WWII and the postwar GI Bill.