Abstract
In the introductory chapter of The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century: A Comparative History, Crotty, Diamant, and Edele (2020: 1) report that throughout the twentieth century, ‘veteranhood [was] experienced very differently across space and time’. Throughout the book they adequately demonstrate that there was, indeed, ‘wide variation in postwar outcomes for veterans’ across the globe, and thus seek to answer the following question: ‘Where and under what conditions did veterans emerge from the largest wars in the twentieth century with significant material recompense and higher status than their civilian counterparts?’ (p. 1). By its very nature, this question is comparative. The book thus benefits immensely from the regional and international expertise of the three authors: Crotty, whose research focuses on Australia, read further on cases in the Unites States and the United Kingdom; Diamant, whose research focuses on China, explored the cases of Japan and Taiwan; and Edele, whose research focuses on the Soviet Union, explored veteran experiences and outcomes in Germany and Poland. While the book capitalizes on the diversity of the authors’ regional and international expertise, it also benefits from their varied academic approaches. The level of detail in and narrative style of the book is reportedly the result of Crotty’s and Edele’s training as historians, and the incorporation and application of social scientific concepts and ideas – mostly concepts and ideas drawn from those that constitute collective action theory – is the product of Diamant’s specialization in comparative politics and political science. The result of this diversity of interest and expertise is a detail-rich and accessible social scientific comparative study of historical, political, and cultural conditions that affect the material and symbolic rewards granted to veterans. With well described positive cases, negative cases, and comparative analyses, the authors provide ample support for their conclusion that the deciding factors affecting the social status and material compensation granted to veterans are the political activities and efforts of veterans, veteran organizations, and their allies, as well as the social, cultural, economic, and political conditions that enable or constrain their efforts.
Before providing a thorough accounting of the evidence that led them to their conclusion that the ‘critical ingredient’ of veterans’ recognition and compensation is ‘robust engagement in the political process’ (p. 9), the authors strategically and effectively rule out two key variables that one may assume explain differences in veteran treatment. In the initial substantive chapters of the book (Chapters 2 and 3), the authors provide evidence contradicting the seemingly intuitive assumptions that veteran treatment and benefits are the result of war victory or defeat, or regime type. Detailing historical examples spanning numerous countries, regions, and wars, the authors demonstrate that victory does not always coincide with generous treatment, defeat does not always lead to poor treatment, and differences in veteran treatment are evident within democratic and authoritarian political systems. While they do not present a systematic or statistical analysis of data, and they admittedly report on only a limited number of cases in their comparative study, their approach of rich description and thorough explanation of cases adequately and effectively dispels the assumptions that may, at first, appear self-evident. These initial substantive chapters are thus extremely important in lending credit to their primary claims in the chapters that follow. Reframing their research question at the beginning of Chapter 4, the authors thus ask the following: ‘[W]hat determines veterans’ status if it is not victory or defeat, and if it is not authoritarian versus democratic systems of government?’ (p. 93) Their answer is presented in the final two substantive chapters of the book aptly titled ‘The Politically Weak’ (Chapter 4) and ‘The Politically Powerful’ (Chapter 5).
Chapter 4 begins with a clear central claim: ‘[U]ltimately’, the authors note, ‘to grant a special status [to a group], to expend taxpayers’ money, or to do the opposite and refuse to do so, is a political decision’ (p. 93). They thus turn their attention to political processes and, in light of their comparative case study, focus on ‘attempts to convert claims into entitlements’ (p. 94), and the domestic and international environments in which these attempts take shape. With a focus on veteran treatment after World War I, Chapter 4 presents varied accounts of the intractability of veterans’ activism in China, the Soviet Union, Britain, and the United States. To borrow from the chapter’s title, the authors present detailed cases in which ‘the politically weak’ were unable to secure a privileged status and generous material rewards for military service. These cases are contrasted with those presented in Chapter 5 – cases in which (again to borrow from the chapter title) ‘the politically powerful’ were able to leverage environmental conditions to their benefit, thus gaining high social status and securing significant material rewards. In this final substantive chapter, the authors present compelling arguments – supported by detailed case comparisons – in support of their claim that ‘[t]he single most important variable for veteran success is the existence of a well-organized, tactically clever, purposeful, and united veterans’ movement’ (p. 121). The authors demonstrate that among the cases they explored, it was the combination of activism and a favorable political opportunity structure that produced favorable outcomes for veterans. They thus conclude that ‘context, or opportunity, is not cause’, but rather substantial veterans’ recompense ‘is largely a product of successful mobilization, skilled framing, and the exploitation of emerging opportunities – domestic and international’ (p. 161). This theoretically informed conclusion is supported by the detailed case comparisons presented throughout the book, and the application of social scientific theories and concepts to interpret them.
Owing to the disciplinary practices of historians, The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century presents deep, thorough, and expansive case descriptions rich in detail. This descriptive approach allows for the explication of relevant empirical observations comprehensive enough to support the primary claims and arguments advanced in the book; detailed descriptions of the uniqueness of each case enables comparisons of what, in a broader sense, is shared among them. These comparisons are rendered theoretically meaningful and informative through the application of social scientific concepts and ideas relevant to studies of collective action and social movements. Throughout the book, the authors rely on social scientific concepts, theories, and ideas to support their interpretations and claims. Those familiar with theories of social movements and collective action will find reference to and application of numerous relevant concepts. The theoretical interpretations offered by the authors rely on, for example, explicit references to and observations of mobilization, countermobilization, framing, path dependency, resource mobilization, and political opportunity structure. Still other relevant social scientific concepts are relied on to support the authors’ claims and interpretations. Social scientists will find reference to and the application of familiar concepts such as social hierarchy, social exclusion, social status, self-identity, cultural capital, and social capital. While the book does not offer a deep, thorough, and expansive application of these concepts, the theoretical insights are well supported with detailed case descriptions. While this may leave more theoretically minded social scientists wanting more in the form of theoretical interpretation, analysis, and offerings, it renders the book accessible to a broader audience by aptly demonstrating and supporting the primary empirical insights and theoretical arguments advanced by the authors. The theoretical insights are relevant and informative, without requiring the reader to be well-versed in social scientific theories. In result, The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century is a relevant, informative, and accessible book with insights relevant for academics working in various disciplines – namely, history, political science, and sociology – as well as for politicians, practitioners, activists, veterans, veterans’ organizations, and the public. While the politics of veteran benefits of the twenty-first century may markedly differ from those of the twentieth century, the empirical and theoretical insights presented in this book will be informative and insightful for those who wish to understand or affect them.