The diplomat and the democrat: Two American military governors of Germany

This dissertation will examine the comparative performance of the American military governors of Germany after both World Wars to analyze the level of their achievement, and whether the experience and performance of the first governor, Major General Henry T. Allen, affected that of the second, General Lucius D. Clay, through interwar American military experience.;This will show the ability of military leaders to perform this duty, their influence on one another, and the level of effectiveness with which the military institution prepares and influences them. It will also introduce the role of academe in influencing the goals and performance of the military governor of Germany after World War II.;What it will demonstrate is that both were accomplished governors in light of their circumstances, that both made path-breaking contributions to the art of military governorship and to the postwar occupations of the United States, but that their experiences, though in some ways similar, show contrast and only limited continuity. It will show a failure of the military institution to effectively use the experiences and lessons of one occupation, and to capitalize on the example of the very successful American military governorship of the Rhineland, to benefit the military governorship of Germany after World War II.;The dissertation will also demonstrate how a select group of academics justified military government in World War II as an extension of liberal democracy, even as many of them prepared for, or participated in, that government under Lucius Clay in Germany. The limited continuity between Allen and Clay is found in adherence to ideas emphasized by this group of scholars.