Mastering Wartime is the first comprehensive study of a Northern city during the Civil War. J. Matthew Gallman argues that; although the war posed numerous challenges to Philadelphia's citizens; the city's institutions and traditions proved to be sufficiently resilient to adjust to the crisis without significant alteration. Following the wartime actions of individuals and groups-workers; women; entrepreneurs-he shows that while the war placed pressure on private and public organizations to centralize; Philadelphia's institutions remained largely decentralized and tradition bound.Gallman explores the war's impact on a wide range of aspects of life in Philadelphia. Among the issues addressed are recruitment and conscription of soldiers; individual responses to wartime separation and death; individual and institutional benevolence; civic rituals; crime and disorder; government contracting; and long-term economic development. The book compares the wartime years to the antebellum period and discusses the war's legacies in the postwar decade.
#2208789 in Books 2007-10-17 2007-11-10Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.94 x .55 x 6.06l; .75 #File Name: 0811734234208 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. How the Soviets WonBy Dave SchranckMr Dunn was so impressed with the miracle of the Red Army coming back after the disaster of 1941 to defeat the German Army; that he has spent 40 years studying and writing about it.He has built a massive database; a part of which is the identifying and logging of 9000 Soviet units of battalion size and up that fought in WWII. He explains the unusual naming convention and organization structure that to a small extent misled the German intelligence in estimating enemy's strength. He describes how the Soviets were able to mobilize so many men in such a short period of time and other key features that allowed the Russian Army to come back from the brink.Though there are chapters on the Moscow Counteroffensive; Stalingrad; Kursk and Belarus victories; these are not your typical operational battle coverage. Instead Mr Dunn has created tables of divisions and brigades that have been deleted or added to the Order of Battle for each of the above campaigns. In the accompanying narrative; the author also gives totals for men; tanks; guns etc that will impact the particular battle being discussed. In staying with the theme of how the Soviets won; the author also presents production improvements of scale and quality as well as other pertinent data to prove his work.Despite losing millions of men and thousands of tanks and guns; the Soviets had a system in place that could mobilize the manpower as well as supplies and between this book and "Hitler's Nemesis"; Mr Dunn does an admirable job of describing how the Soviets could come back from the edge of disaster to victory. Mr Dunn's other books - Kursk and especially Soviet Blitzkrieg - also have this train of thought and will help describe the Soviet miracle.The Soviets; even after 4 bloody years; actually had more men; tanks; guns in service in 1945 than in 1941. They actually released men from service to go back to their work or farms to start rebuilding their country.This book is in the same vein as the author's "Hitler's Nemesis" and should be considered a supplement to it but this book is not casual reading but sometimes a dry but informed reference book. The first part is a summation of "Nemesis" and the last half a series of tables and corresponding explicating narrative. If your doing research or have a need for data on the Red Army; this book and other books written by Mr Dunn will be invaluable.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Unlike Any Other BookBy Tony Marquise Jr.This book is unlike any other book I have read on the Eastern Front in World War II. It is an excellant history of the Soviet Army's forces in this war. It tells; in much more detail than I can find anywhere else; the organization; equipment; and the number and training of the units of Stalin's Army. This book contains no combat descriptions. However; it is the best book on the Red Army and how it defeated Germany in World War II. This book rates the highest recommendation possible.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Not Dunn's BestBy W. W. TurnbowThis is kind of a re-hash of Dunn's excellent HITLER'S NEMESIS. Still; it contains a wealth of info about how the Red Army was basically re-created as many times as were needed to achieve victory. It does not read as pleasantly as did NEMESIS and I might not buy it having both books.
