American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur, 1880–1964 is a 1978 biography of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur by American historian William Manchester.[1]
 First edition | |
| Author | William Manchester |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Biography |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
Publication date | September 30, 1978 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 793 |
| ISBN | 9780316544986 |
Manchester paints a sympathetic but balanced portrait of MacArthur, praising the general for what he calls his military genius, administrative skill, and personal bravery, while criticizing his vanity, paranoia, and tendency toward insubordination. As the title suggests, Manchester's central thesis is that MacArthur was an analogue of Julius Caesar, a proposition he supports by comparing their purported great intellect, brilliant strategic generalship, political ambition, magnanimity as conquerors, and shared tragic flaw of hubris.
It was made into a series in 1983 hosted by John Huston.
References
edit- ^ Pogue, Forrest (1979). "The Military in a Democracy: A Review". International Security. 3 (4): 58–80. doi:10.2307/2626763. ISSN 0162-2889.
External links
edit- WW2DB: Book review on American Caesar
- Foreign Affairs review by Gaddis Smith
- Wiltz, John Edward (Oct 1979). "William Manchester's American Caesar: Some Observations". Military Affairs. 43 (3): 156–157. doi:10.2307/1986876. JSTOR 1986876.
- Commentary Magazine review
- American Caesar at IMDb
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