Modern History - Personalities

Encyclopedia Britannica entry on MacArthur. A biography of his life and career. This is the more detailed version of the Encyclopedia that the College subscribes to. Therefore you must be logged in to Pymble to view this entry.

Biography of MacArthur from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.

Article on MacArthur's life and career from the History Channel.

Document on MacArthur produced by the MacArthur Memorial, Virginia.

Article on MacArthur from PBS' history television series American Experience.

National Geographic article. Introduction: "Five-star general Douglas MacArthur had a rough and rugged upbringing that shaped him into one of history's most distinguished soldiers".

Article from Time Magazine exploring the strengths and faults of MacArthur and his decisions.

Article from Politco Magazine exploring traditional and revisionist ideas of MacArthur.

Written by Robert Gilbert, Illinois Wesleyan University.
General Douglas MacArthur is one of the United States Military’s most controversial commanders as well as one of its most celebrated. Despite being highly decorated for his many years of service, his legacy is marred by criticisms of his tactical skill and accusations of arrogance. This essay presents a psychohistorical examination of MacArthur's personality and its effect on his career. It supports the claims that his actions and attitudes fit the criteria for narcissistic personality disorder and that this disorder led to his eventual firing.

Paper written by David W. Lutz, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Podcast from ww2.podcast.com.
The media generated about MacArthur at the time seemed to put him on a pedestal, its hard to see through that hype to figure out how good he actually was.
"Since I started the podcast MacArthur was in my top ten of topics to cover, so I was thrilled to see a new book on him “MacArthur at War: WWII in the Pacific” by Walter Borneman. I highly recommend you give it a read, its a balanced look which at times has you disbelieving he was allowed to continue in command, at other times you see his ability shine through. He undoubtedly was a very complex man".

Podcast from The History Bomb.
Explicit language warning! "The best and the worst things you hear about him are both true." The Big Chief. Dugout Doug. Gaijin Shogun. A five star general...An idiot? General Douglas MacArthur is one of America's most famous military leaders, and for very good reason. He also left behind a career of questionable decisions, political grand standing, back stabbing, and moments of downright idiocy.

The Macarthur Memorial produces monthly a monthly podcast on a variety of topics related to the life and times of General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964). Topics vary each month, and cover subjects related to World War I, World War II, and the Korean War - all designed to give insights into MacArthur's decisions and beliefs. 88 episodes to choose from (click more for more at bottom of screen).