American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur, 1880–1964 is a 1978 biography of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur by American historian William Manchester.[1]

American Caesar
First edition
AuthorWilliam Manchester
LanguageEnglish
SubjectBiography
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherLittle, Brown and Company
Publication date
September 30, 1978
Publication placeUnited States
Pages793
ISBN9780316544986

Manchester paints a sympathetic but balanced portrait of MacArthur, praising the general for what he calls his military genius, administrative skill, and personal bravery, while criticizing his vanity, paranoia, and tendency toward insubordination. As the title suggests, Manchester's central thesis is that MacArthur was an analogue of Julius Caesar, a proposition he supports by comparing their purported great intellect, brilliant strategic generalship, political ambition, magnanimity as conquerors, and shared tragic flaw of hubris.

It was made into a series in 1983 hosted by John Huston.

References

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  1. ^ Pogue, Forrest (1979). "The Military in a Democracy: A Review". International Security. 3 (4): 58–80. doi:10.2307/2626763. ISSN 0162-2889.
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