The study of the relationship between professional military establishments and their parent societies is an aspect of military affairs which has acquired new significance in comparatively recent times. Before World War II, the role of the military man, in both liberal and authoritarian societies was more or less clearly defined. In the latter half of the twentieth century the traditional role of force in international relations is no longer automatically accepted. Perhaps more than ever, the position and role of the military in society, most notably American society, is being questioned.