20세기 초 미 육군 개혁과정

United States Army Reform in the early 20th Century: The Beginning of Reform, the Root Reform Period

United States had had unique tradition of supporting local volunteer militia and avoiding large scale standing army, 'the Anti-Military Tradition,' since colonial time till the early 20th century. After experiencing the record increase of economic power and population, United States was changed in large scale in all aspects, and it finally turned from the isolation of the agricultural republic to become an empire true to the name especially after the advent of Mckinley administration and Spanish American War. United States Army Reform became possible when the new political groups who recognized the new status of their country cooperated with the reform minded officer corps raised after the Civil War. The turning point of army reform was made by the appointment of Elihu Root as a new Secretary of War who had much political acumen and knew very well the long existing political split lying in army reform. Based on these recognition, Root accomplished a series of fundamental reform of army institutions through leading public opinion by using various media, searching for harmony with traditions, providing new logics to overcome traditions and negotiating and compromising with opposing groups actively. With several compromises, Root reform could not help but have considerable limitations and defects, but the reform became the basis for the following efforts of reform group, and contributed much to the accomplishment of final army reform objectives in the early 20th century.