The Last Word?
Essays on Official History in the United States and British Commonwealth
1st Edition
Published on 30. November 2003
192 pages
978-0-313-05232-3 (ISBN)
Description
Official history is a misunderstood genre of historical writing, which attracts much negative comment from (non-official) historians but about which very little detail is actually known. This book examines the development of official history programs in Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand over the course of the twentieth century, looking at the ways in which they developed and the contributions each made to their respective national historiography. The second part of the work develops some themes from the first and takes the official histories of the Second World War as case studies.
Drawing on programs in Australia, Britain, and the United States, these essays examine the relationship between the histories, the historians, and their sponsoring institutions. They assess the impact of the histories on historical understanding of the Second World War. They also consider the impact that contemporary events during the Cold War had on the writing of the official history.
Drawing on programs in Australia, Britain, and the United States, these essays examine the relationship between the histories, the historians, and their sponsoring institutions. They assess the impact of the histories on historical understanding of the Second World War. They also consider the impact that contemporary events during the Cold War had on the writing of the official history.
More details
Series
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Interest Age: From 7 to 17 years
ISBN-13
978-0-313-05232-3 (9780313052323)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
11/2003
Praeger Publishers Inc
€113.40
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
JEFFREY GREY is Associate Professor in the School of History at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra, Australia. He is the author or editor of twenty books and numerous other publications in the fields of Australian, Commonwealth, and comparative military history.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction by S. F. Wise
National Traditions
Canadian Official Military History: The End of and Era? by S. F. Wise
Contested Histories: Official History and the South African Military in the Twentieth Century by Ian van der Waag
'Something of Them Is Here Recorded': Official History in New Zealand by Ian McGibbon
Continuity and Change in the Australian Official History Tradition by Peter Edwards
Aspects of Official Histories of the Second World War
Change Becomes Continuity: The Start of the U.S. Army's 'Green Book' Series by Edward J. Drea
Gavin Long and History at the Australian War Memorial by Peter Stanley
Exploiting Enemy Records: The Enemy Documentation Section and the Official Histories of the Second World War by Jeffrey Grey
British Official Histories of the Air War by Christina J. M. Goulter
Setting the Historical Agenda: Webster and Frankland and the Debate over the Strategic Bombing Offensive against Germany, 1939-1945 by Sebastian Cox
Index
Introduction by S. F. Wise
National Traditions
Canadian Official Military History: The End of and Era? by S. F. Wise
Contested Histories: Official History and the South African Military in the Twentieth Century by Ian van der Waag
'Something of Them Is Here Recorded': Official History in New Zealand by Ian McGibbon
Continuity and Change in the Australian Official History Tradition by Peter Edwards
Aspects of Official Histories of the Second World War
Change Becomes Continuity: The Start of the U.S. Army's 'Green Book' Series by Edward J. Drea
Gavin Long and History at the Australian War Memorial by Peter Stanley
Exploiting Enemy Records: The Enemy Documentation Section and the Official Histories of the Second World War by Jeffrey Grey
British Official Histories of the Air War by Christina J. M. Goulter
Setting the Historical Agenda: Webster and Frankland and the Debate over the Strategic Bombing Offensive against Germany, 1939-1945 by Sebastian Cox
Index
