Hegemony and Culture in the Origins of NATO Nuclear First-Use, 1945–1955

In This Book Johnston Argues That The Preemptive First Use Of Nuclear Weapons, Long The Foundation Of American Nuclear Strategy, Was Not The Carefully Reasoned Response To A Growing Soviet Conventional Threat. Instead, It Was Part Of A Process Of Cultural Socialization, By Which The United States Reconstituted The Previously Nationalist Strategic Cultures Of The European Allies Into A Seamless Western Community Directed By Washington.--jacket. Introduction : The Persistence Of Nuclear First-use -- Ch. 1. Culture, War, Empire -- Ch. 2. The Persistence Of The Old Regime : British, French, And American Strategic Thinking Before 1949 -- Ch. 3. Disembodied Military Planning : The Political-economy Of Strategy, 1949-50 -- Ch. 4. Mind The Gap : The Paper Divisions And Cardboard Wings Of The Lisbon Force Goals -- Ch. 5. Strategies Of Perpheralism : France, Britain, And The American New Look -- Ch. 6. Two Cultures Of Massive Retaliation : Neo-isolationism And The Idealism Of John Foster Dulles -- Ch. 7. Hegemony Versus Multilateralism : Nuclear Sharing And Nato's Search For Cohesion -- Ch. 8. Our Plans Might Not Be Purely Defensive : Leading Nato Into The Nuclear Era. Andrew M. Johnston. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [254]-317) And Index. Johnston argues that the preemptive first-use of nuclear weapons, long the foundation of American nuclear strategy, was not the carefully reasoned response to a growing Soviet conventional threat. Instead, it was part of a process of cultural 'socialization', by which the United States reconstituted the previously nationalist strategic cultures of the European allies into a seamless western community directed by Washington. Building a bridge between theory and practice, this book examines the usefulness of cultural theory in international history. Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction....Pages 1-19 Culture,War, Empire....Pages 20-48 The Persistence of the Old Regime....Pages 49-68 “Disembodied Military Planning”....Pages 69-94 Mind the Gap....Pages 95-126 Strategies of Peripheralism....Pages 127-154 Two Cultures of Massive Retaliation....Pages 155-186 Hegemony Versus Multilateralism....Pages 187-209 “Our Plans Might Not be Purely Defensive”....Pages 210-241 Conclusion....Pages 242-253 Back Matter....Pages 254-329