Origins of the National Security State and the Legacy of Harry S. Truman

The Cold War profoundly transformed American society, perhaps most significantly through the development of national security institutions that are very much alive more than two decades after the end of the Cold War. This volume explores the great divide between those in the Truman administration who defended tradition and those who spoke for the new ideology of national security. In a highly charged political environment that pitted not only Republican against Democrat, but also civilian authority against military authority and the legislative branch against the executive, Americans struggled to adapt to a new world order while retaining ideals of freedom and individuality. At issue were basic questions about the nation's post-war purpose and political identity, the role of the military in civilian life, and even the rights of the individual versus the rights of the state.