Sociology

Smedley Butler was nothing short of a gifted war veteran. His services were rendered at a time when America was under intense physical strain, ranging from the Spanish-American War, the Philippine War, the battle at Honduras and the resistance in Mexico in late 19th to early 20th century. He proved to be a devout American citizen as a soldier, lieutenant, General and then Major General throughout his 33 years and four months in service (Butler) and was the most decorated soldier America has ever produced at the time of his demise in 1940 (Shetterly). He led army men into battle several times, fought with valor and winning a record number of medals in the process, courtesy of his audacious display of camaraderie in World War I. It was not until he retired in 1931 that he started being truly vocal about his humanitarian side, declaring his own war against capitalism and fascist ideologies that according to him were the real reason countries engaged in war in the first place. His credibility as an anti-war spokesman stemmed mainly from his outstanding fulfillment of marine duties.

List of Achievements
Butler was a celebrated army veteran. He joined the army on his own accord in 1898 going against his fathers wishes at a time when he was too young, had to bluff his way in and only had a few months till he graduated, displaying a deep sense of patriotism (Schmidt). For his efforts in the army he was awarded two Medal of Honors during the course of his service, a feat achieved by a mere 19 people in total and one Marine Corps Brevet Medal, and considering how only 2 others marines have ever managed to receive both the Marine Corps Brevet and the Medal of Honor together, that alone put him in an exclusive league on its own (Shetterly). His practical experience extends further with him being appointed as the Director of Public Safety in Philadelphia, a post he actively served for 2 years. For his rather audacious war time performances, he came to be known as The Fighting Quaker and Old Gimlet Eye (Zabecki). His adherence to the American flag and his loyalties to his job could hardly be doubted. He once led a platoon while stationed at Nicaragua while running a 104 degree fever. His list of awards include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the French Order of the Black Star (United States Marine Corps). Butler was continually promoted in ranks throughout his years in service and ended up as a Major General in 1929. It was his interaction with the Chinese on a foreign peacekeeping mission in the late 1920s, his experiences in World War I and the many wars he fought prior to those that began to alter his views about the way American leaders handled the intricacies of war (Zabecki).

Butlers Socialist Views
After having fought a number of wars throughout the turn of the 19th century and witnessing the whole aura of battle first hand for 33 years and some months, Butler began advocating against the fascist system of government that seemed to be engulfing American ideologies. His own views regarding the concept of war began to change developing into more sound criticisms of American foreign and military policies by the late 1920s (Zabecki). His more than occasional finger pointing at the adherence to fascist culture the American leaders seem to have generated did not win him any courtesy points with President Herbert Hoover either. However, that did not hinder Butlers movement and in 1931, he openly criticized Mussolini (the Italian Prime Minister) and his war loving antics, thereby inviting strict repercussions and a court-martial. He voluntarily retired from the army as a result in 1931, and began a campaign in strict defiance of his soldierly loyalties to subjugate and disarm the country as much as possible (Zabecki).

According to Butler, war is a business that is only sponsored by and profited big American Corporations who lured individuals to fight for the country on the ticket of patriotism. He himself proclaimed to have fallen victim to the same lure. His anti-capitalist views led him to stipulate in his book, I served in all commissioned ranks from second lieutenant to Major General. And during that period I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for capitalism (Butler). At one instance, he blamed a few Fascist business men to have conspired to overthrow President Roosevelt with his help. The matter was brought to Congress but was largely dismissed (Schmidt).

Conclusion
Even though the media was unfavorable to Butler, he acquired considerable support for his views amongst the American public and developed a strong feeling of dissent for war craving business-oriented fascist think tanks generating a level of awareness that reformed social order. His book War is a Racket surfaced as a result of his lectures to veterans, churches, etc where he referred to wars he had engaged in such as World War I and deemed them a creation of Pro-Fascist businesses, demanding that the benefiters should pay back the public all that they gained from wars. Major General Smedley Butlers efforts thus instigated that stir which enables the Americans of today to question the dubious nature of capitalism.