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David Fitzgerald

@davidfitzgerald.bsky.social
1.8K followers 641 following 40 posts

Historian of war, militarization and the US in the world at University College Cork. Author of Uncertain Warriors: The United States Army betwen the Cold War and the War on Terror (cambridge.org/9781009235808).

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Reposted by David Fitzgerald
Maria Farrell @mariafarrell.eurosky.social · 27/09/2026
I cannot ever forget how the marching bands refused to be silent, as requested, going past the house where the mother of those three murdered boys took refuge in the weeks after her unthinkable loss. A small detail that exposes everything this march is for.
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SMH Historians @smh-historians.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
The Board of Trustees of the Society for Military History has approved the following statement of protest regarding the recent closure of public access to the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC).
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David Fitzgerald @davidfitzgerald.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
This is such a huge loss. I genuinely couldn’t have written two of my books without access to DTIC.
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David Fitzgerald @davidfitzgerald.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Really enjoyed writing this article for the Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Military History, even though I ended up reading way more du Picq in the process than I had expected academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
academic.oup.com
Indoctrination and Motivation
Abstract. For most people, fighting is an unnatural act. Militaries have long worked to ensure that their personnel would endure military service and, when
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David Fitzgerald @davidfitzgerald.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Really enjoyed writing this article for the Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Military History, even though I ended up reading way more du Picq in the process than I had expected academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
academic.oup.com
Indoctrination and Motivation
Abstract. For most people, fighting is an unnatural act. Militaries have long worked to ensure that their personnel would endure military service and, when
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Amy J. Rutenberg @amyjay401.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I'm super biased, but this is a banger of a book (as academic edited collections go, anyway). Check out the amazing scholars who contributed to it and the nice thing reviewers have said here: kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700643530/. And while you're there, consider pre-ordering with the discount below. 🗃️
Flyer advertising a 30% discount for the book Conscription in the Twentieth Century: Coercion and Resistance in Global Perspective at the University Press of Kansas using the code 24rutenberg
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Jonas Kreienbaum @kreienbaumj.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
I have written about „Railway Construction and the Labour Question in German Southwest Africa, 1903–1909“ arguing that construction comp. used two key strategies to meet the central problem of labour scarcity: forcing concentration camp prisoners to work and tapping transimperial labour networks.
academic.oup.com
Forced Labour and Transimperial Connections: Railway Construction and the Labour Question in German Southwest Africa, 1903–1909
Abstract. The colonial project required the construction of infrastructure both to integrate overseas territories into the global economy and to make colon
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The English Historical Review @enghistrev.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
New article! Jay Roszman @jayroszman.bsky.social on 'An O’Connellite Empire? Irish Nationalism, British Imperial Trouble, and the Limits of Anti-Imperialism in the Age of Reform' academic.oup.com/ehr/advance-...
academic.oup.com
An O’Connellite Empire? Irish Nationalism, British Imperial Trouble, and the Limits of Anti-Imperialism in the Age of Reform*
Abstract. This article explores the way Irish nationalists in the 1830s and 1840s understood and condemned British imperial policy in times of trouble, whi
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Dr. Gabriel Baker @gabrielbaker.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
I don't understand the point of this comment. Because from where I'm sitting, it is actually not a Good Thing for a world class university--situated in a democracy that is frequently at war, where a disproportionate number of future policy makers are educated--to NOT teach military history.
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David Fitzgerald @davidfitzgerald.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
I recently had the strange (but not unpleasant) experience of publishing a piece in Military Review, the outlet that was an important primary source for my PhD research a long time ago. www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Mil...
armyupress.army.mil
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Carrie A Lee @carriealee.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
My latest this AM with @warontherocks.bsky.social. Of note: "[Military officers] will be active participants with choices to make about the degree to which they continue to serve civilians intent on undermining the liberal values enshrined in the Constitution." 1/ warontherocks.com/2025/12/the-...
warontherocks.com
The Soldier in the Illiberal State is a Professional Dead End
The American political system today is indeed in crisis. Government function is in doubt, the administration has politicized and weaponized a previously
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James Cameron @jjjcameron.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Calling all historians of US foreign relations. @shafrhistorians.bsky.social
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Dead Carl @deadcarl.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
There’s the joke about Sun Tzu being basic instructions for idiots like “feed your troops” but the most important part of Clausewitz is also just “think about what you are actually trying to accomplish”
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Bobby Lee @bobbylee.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
A nice job has opened in my department at Cambridge: Assistant Prof. in US History since 1920. Please share widely! No references letters required up front. Applications close 27 Oct. 2025.🗃️ www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...
cam.ac.uk
Assistant Professor, History of the United States since 1920
The Faculty of History is seeking to appoint an Assistant Professor in post-1920 U.S. political history and/or the history of the United States in the World since 1920, beginning 1 October, 2026. The
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Des Fitzgerald @desfitzgerald.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
I spoke to the Irish Times for this very good and rounded piece on the real-world effects of C***GPT in the humanities classroom: www.irishtimes.com/ireland/educ...
irishtimes.com
‘It’s a monster’: How generative AI is forcing university professors to rethink learning
As students turn to ChatGPT, educators warn that critical thinking, academic integrity and the future of the humanities are at stake
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David Fitzgerald @davidfitzgerald.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
Shameless self-promotion and all of that, but it is genuinely unsettling to see how some of the most cartoonish ideas that I came across while writing the book have turned into actual policy.
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Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
maybe 10% of the current crop of GOFOs legitimately understand that the US public's default position towards the military historically is somewhere between ambivalence and dislike, and that the last several decades have been different because a variety of institutions made efforts to change it
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David Milne @davidjmilne.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
An excerpt in @foreignpolicy.com from Andrew Preston's superb new book, Total Defense: The New Deal and the Invention of National Security. foreignpolicy.com/2025/05/30/f...
foreignpolicy.com
How FDR Invented National Security
A presidential speech in 1937 marked an unexpected turn in U.S. strategic thought.
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Ruth Lawlor @lawlorruth.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
Not your dad’s WW2–find out more in this interview I did recently and get 50% off the book at the same time 🥳
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David Fitzgerald @davidfitzgerald.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
It was great to catch up with @ceceliacancellaro.bsky.social but also really cool to see my book out in the wild again!
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Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
The spicier take is while this will never happen, there objectively should be an investigation into what unauthorized/unknown to the rest of DoD/the executive communications CENTCOM was having off the books with the Israeli government, because suffice to say I have my suspicions
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David Fitzgerald @davidfitzgerald.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Never thought that writing a piece years ago on the post-Gulf War parades would be of contemporary relevance, but here we are.
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Amy J. Rutenberg @amyjay401.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
I hate when my historical research is relevant. The GI Rights Hotline has a history going back to before its 1994 founding by a network of peace activists after the Gulf War. GI counseling has been a cornerstone of peace activism since the Vietnam War. Some of the same ppl are still doing it. 🗃️
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Carrie A Lee @carriealee.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
OK, I know more about the CA case and we have more information on the deployments coming out, so a few thoughts. 1. This is a massive overreach of POTUS authority. Using Section 12406 to federalize/deploy military forces w/out also invoking the Insurrection Act is literally unprecedented. 1/
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Carrie A Lee @carriealee.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Friends, followers, and colleagues: some professional news, as they say. After four wonderful years with the US Army War College, I resigned my position effective May 2, 2025. 1/
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Brad Simpson @bradleyrsimpson.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Utterly disgraceful and an open assault on the historical profession. These are utterly professional, non-partisan advisors, overseeing and giving advice to the State department on the declassification of US government documents.
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David Fitzgerald @davidfitzgerald.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Took a while, but the ad is also now up on an actual jobs website! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DMV502/l...
jobs.ac.uk
Lecturer in International Economic History at University College Cork
Discover Lecturer in International Economic History jobs and more in higher education on jobs.ac.uk. Apply for further details on the top job board.
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Bethany Wasik @bethanywasik.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
ICYMI, Team #MilitaryHistory - the stellar volume edited expertly by Andrew Buchanan and Ruth Lawlor, "The Greater Second World War: Global Perspectives," has reached its publication date! Head to @cornellupress.bsky.social's page to get one. I'll wait... www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
A book cover with the main title in white text reading "The Greater Second World War" and subtitle in yellow text reading "Global Perspectives" in front of a brown wall with holes and deterioration.
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Vanda Wilcox @vandawilcox.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
wow the US Army now has officially less understanding of and care for their soldiers' morale & wellbeing than the Italian army of 1918! way to go, guys! happy to sell Pete Hegseth a copy of my book to explain why this is Not Smart but it might have too many long words for him to understand
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David Fitzgerald @davidfitzgerald.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Job alert! My dept is hiring a lecturer in international economic history. This a permanent, full-time post and it's (hopefully) a really good time to be joining the School of History here. Very happy to chat with anyone about the role, UCC, or life in Cork in general. 🗃️ www.ucc.ie/en/future-hu...
ucc.ie
Lecturer in International Economic History | University College Cork
UCC wishes to appoint an academic to the role of Lecturer in International Economic History. Reporting to the Head of School of History.
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David Fitzgerald @davidfitzgerald.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Job alert! My dept is hiring a lecturer in international economic history. This a permanent, full-time post and it's (hopefully) a really good time to be joining the School of History here. Very happy to chat with anyone about the role, UCC, or life in Cork in general. 🗃️ www.ucc.ie/en/future-hu...
ucc.ie
Lecturer in International Economic History | University College Cork
UCC wishes to appoint an academic to the role of Lecturer in International Economic History. Reporting to the Head of School of History.
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David Fitzgerald @davidfitzgerald.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
We're hiring! I can echo what Jay says in his second post that there's a lot of exciting stuff on the way in our dept and that Cork is a really great place to live.
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Wayne E. Lee @milhistlee.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
The Society for Military History is now archiving historical materials related to military history that are disappearing from federal or state websites. We are open to submissions, anonymously or otherwise. Please see www.smh-hq.org/archivedreso... and note there the submission links.
smh-hq.org
Archived Resources | The Society for Military History
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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
I am a recent member of the Society for Military History @smh-historians.bsky.social, so I'm not in charge or anything, but I have mutuals who are members, too. What is SMH saying about the erasures from public military history sites? Is there a statement? Is it on the agenda for the conference?
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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
not by any stretch the first person to say this but: it is darkly funny how nakedly imperialist Trump turned out to be given the lengths to which some professional opinion havers went to take his "isolationism" intellectually seriously
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Amy J. Rutenberg @amyjay401.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
For those historians keeping track, esp #milhist folks, “history” is now a flagged word bc of its apparent connection to #DEI. Canary in a coal mine, indeed. @smh-historians.bsky.social 🗃️ www.tpr.org/military-vet...
tpr.org
U.S. military removes words 'history,' 'respect,' 'dignity' from digital presence as part of DEI review
The Department of Defense issued a Digital Content Refresh document to comply with DEI removal from the armed services. TPR obtained a document laying out the guidance of what to remove.
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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
now seems like a good time to welcome "real rules-based liberal international order has never been tried" libs to the Popular Front group chat
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Carly Goodman @carlygoodman.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
The intentional decimation of archival infrastructure sounds like something a scholarly society might object to
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Joe Stieb @joestieb.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
IF YOU THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO HAVE A FOREIGN POLICY IF RESTRAINT YOU SHOULD NEVER BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AGAIN
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Amanda Demmer @amandademmer.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
Happy to share that the @cambridgeup.bsky.social Three-Volume History of the Vietnam War is now available, including a chapter on "Refugees and US-Vietnamese Relations" that I wrote for Volume 3 "Endings and Aftermaths." www.cambridge.org/core/books/c...
cambridge.org
The Cambridge History of the Vietnam War
Cambridge Core - History after 1945 (General) - The Cambridge History of the Vietnam War
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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
The White House didn't say "stop teaching about the Tuskegee Airmen when you do US history." The White House said "stop doing DEI and wokeness," and the military interpreted it as "stop saying the Tuskegee Airmen were heroes, and maybe stop teaching about them altogether." Yeah, that's bad.
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David Fitzgerald @davidfitzgerald.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
In a lot of ways, 'warrior culture' is itself responsible for the rise of Hegseth.
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Nicole Hemmer @pastpunditry.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
could’ve sent this to the full membership for a vote, but the council outright vetoed it instead. if you’re not interested in your members’ views, i’m not sure why your members should remain part of the organization.
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Paul Renfro @renfro.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Stunning cowardice by the AHA Council. For shame. "The Council considers the Resolution to Oppose Scholasticide in Gaza ... to contravene the Association’s Constitution and Bylaws because it lies outside the scope of the Association’s mission and purpose." 🗃️ www.historians.org/news/busines...
historians.org
Business Meeting Resolution Update - AHA
Update as of January 17, 2025: The AHA Council deplores any intentional destruction of Palestinian educational institutions, libraries, universities, and archives in Gaza. The Council considers the “R...
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James @gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
Sorry, it sucks that you saw some cool gear on Instagram, or that the guy on the podcast talked about that sick ass kill/capture raid he went on, but wars are won by hundreds of thousands of people manning tanks and artillery.
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James @gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
People don't hear this enough, but SOF is vastly overemphasized. They're enablers that function to help provide advantageous conditions for line units in the same way intel does. If people want to talk about the DOD focusing on core warfighting tasks, deemphasizing SOF is something to talk about.
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