George Washington and Civil-Military Relations During the Revolutionary War: A Study of the Establishment of Civilian Control

The civil-military structure in which our military and its civilian authorities currently operate has grown and matured since the formation of the Army in 1775. George Washington went to great lengths to establish civilian control of the military as the Commander in Chief during the Revolutionary War. This thesis explores the dynamics between Washington and the Second Continental Congress as well his relationship with the individual state governments during this time. In order to give these relationships more context, this thesis presents an overview of five modern (Cold War period to present) theories of civil-military relations and their applicability to the experiences of George Washington. In doing so, this thesis provides a more current understanding of George Washington with regard to civil-military relations and his contributions to its growth and maturation of the pattern of civil-military relations currently enjoyed by our military and its civilian authorities.