The making of Israeli militarism / Uri Ben-Eliezer.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: The "Jewish Problem" and the "Arab Problem" -- Pt. 1. The Emergence of a Military Way, 1936-1942. 1. Quests. 2. The Formation of Military Structures -- Pt. 2. The Military Way and Party Politics, 1940-1942. 3. Hakibbutz Hameuhad and the Palmach. 4. Mapai and Enlistment in the British Army -- Pt. 3. The Military Way as an Ideology, 1942-1944. 5. "In Uniform" and "Without Uniform": Status Struggles. 6. The Holocaust and the Biltmore Declaration: The Demand to Establish a Jewish State by Force -- Pt. 4. The Military Way and the State-in-the-Making, 1944-1947. 7. Saison: The Imposition of Authority as a Principle. 8. Unification of Forces: The Hebrew Resistance Movement -- Pt. 5. Militarism and Praetorianism, 1947-1949. 9. Political Praetorianism in Wartime. 10. Militaristic Politics in Wartime -- Pt. 6. A Nation-in-Arms, 1949-1956. 11. A State Army Constructs a Nation. 12. A Nation Ready for War.

With thoughtful use of primary sources, Uri Ben-Eliezer provides a serious, sustained, and critical look at the place of the military in Israeli society. He maintains that from the early days of the Yishuv, militarism and the military have become a way of life for Israelis.

Focusing on the period between 1936 and 1956, The Making of Israeli Militarism traces the ways in which military force acquired legitimacy in civilian society and the use of organized violence became an acceptable solution to conflicts, especially the Arab-Israeli conflict.