---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries…"
description: "\"In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries you have these great nation states hurling their young men at one another. The victory was really going to re..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/stephen-ambrose-10501_army_in-the-nineteenth-and-twentieth-centurie_511774.jpg"
---

#  In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries you have these…

![“In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries you have these great nation states hurling their young men at one another. The victory was really going to rest on who could do the best job of bringing up their kids to become efficient and effective soldiers. That's pretty grandiose, I guess, but I do…” quote by Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/stephen-ambrose-10501_army_in-the-nineteenth-and-twentieth-centurie_511774.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/stephen-ambrose-10501_army_in-the-nineteenth-and-twentieth-centurie_511774.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/stephen-ambrose-10501_army_in-the-nineteenth-and-twentieth-centurie_511774.jpg)

> “In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries you have these great nation states hurling their young men at one another. The victory was really going to rest on who could do the best job of bringing up their kids to become efficient and effective soldiers. That's pretty grandiose, I guess, but I do think that, and thank God it's been the armies of democracy that have emerged from this as the triumphant armies.”

[Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Describes how democratic societies trained citizens as effective soldiers, contrasting with other nations' approaches.

**In simple terms:** Democracy produced capable armies through citizen training.

Key Takeaway

Value democratic training for effective forces.

Themes

history military democracy

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

historical educational

When to use this quote

- military education
- policy analysis
- historical research

Key Concepts

citizen soldier nationalism training methods

Questions to Reflect On

- How does citizen training impact military ethics?
- What lessons apply to modern civic engagement?

A Different Perspective

Democratic armies face political constraints and varied morale.

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