All the President's Generals: Civil-Military Relations in the US and Beyond
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this political science course on the relationship between militaries and the civilian governments and societies they serve. The syllabus traces the modern history of tension and cooperation between US presidents and the armed forces, including coups and military governments abroad, the postwar racial integration of US forces, public trust in the military over time, and the military-industrial and tech complex. Materials include readings, a full syllabus, and assignments developed by MIT faculty, free to access through OCW with no certificate attached. The course treats the military as a distinct institution with its own culture and incentives, asking what keeps armed forces loyal to civilian rule in some countries and not others, using the United States as the central case while drawing comparisons to military coups elsewhere.