From Boston to Berlin: One Man's War in Letters

by Robert A. Dahl

These letters recount the day-to-day experiences of Robert Dahl during his year in Europe as part of the U.S. Army. He entered battle in October 1944 as a reconnaissance officer in the 71st Infantry Regiment, fighting almost continuously until the war's end in May 1945. He then worked in the post-war military administration of Germany until he was able to return home in the fall of that year. These letters are unique in presenting the experience of combat as it happened. War is sometimes described as long periods of tedium interspersed with moments of intense fear. Because of Dahl's deep intellect and curiosity, these letters are by no means tedious. He fills his down time reading whatever he can get his hands on – American magazines, French political broadsheets, Greek plays – and in the letters he comments and philosophizes not only on what he reads but what he sees around him and the events of the day. Of course, frequently he must "go to work," leading his men across the front lines to scout enemy positions, sometimes facing enemy fire. Because he was writing these letters to his wife, his accounts are by and large low key. But he eloquently conveys the unique experience of combat and the intense bonds formed between those that fight together. After the end of the war Dahl was recruited to work for the Allied Control Commission, based in Frankfurt. From this vantage point – investigating Nazi assets – he observes the state of Germany – and Germans – in the months after the war's end. Characteristically, he also surveys the range of opinions about how Germany should be treated by the victors. Overall, these letters are about much more than just combat; beyond hope and fear, they are a snapshot of a world-historical moment.

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2017

About the author

Robert A. Dahl was one of the most influential political theorists of the twentieth century, best known for his foundational work on pluralist democracy and the concept of "polyarchy." A Sterling Professor of Political Science at Yale University, Dahl advanced empirical approaches to political science and reshaped understandings of democratic theory through both descriptive and normative lenses. He argued that political power in democracies is distributed among multiple interest groups rather than centralized in a single elite, a view he expounded in seminal works such as A Preface to Democratic Theory (1956) and Who Governs? (1961), the latter based on a case study of New Haven, Connecticut. His concept of polyarchy described modern representative democracies as systems characterized by key institutions like free elections, inclusive suffrage, and civil liberties.
Born in Inwood, Iowa, and raised in Skagway, Alaska, Dahl drew early insights from his experiences among working-class communities. After earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington, he completed his Ph.D. at Yale in 1940. He served in World War II as a reconnaissance platoon leader in Europe, earning a Bronze Star. After the war, he returned to Yale, where he taught for four decades and held leadership roles including department chair. Dahl also served as president of the American Political Science Association in 1966–67.
Throughout his career, Dahl explored the conditions and values essential to democratic governance. He articulated five criteria for evaluating democratic processes—effective participation, voting equality, enlightened understanding, control of the agenda, and inclusion. He also identified seven institutional requirements of polyarchy, such as elected officials, free and fair elections, and associational autonomy. In his later work, including Democracy and Its Critics (1989) and On Democracy (1998), he examined democracy’s advantages over other forms of governance, such as fostering political equality and safeguarding personal freedom.
Dahl remained critical of American political structures, particularly the U.S. Constitution, which he saw as undemocratic by contemporary standards. In How Democratic Is the American Constitution? (2001), he critiqued the framers’ limitations, while acknowledging the practical challenges of reform. He continued to address issues of political equality in On Political Equality (2006).
Dahl was the recipient of numerous honors, including two Woodrow Wilson Foundation Book Awards and the inaugural Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science. His legacy lives on in both theory and practice, with the American Political Science Association establishing the Robert A. Dahl Award in his honor. He passed away in 2014, leaving a lasting imprint on the study and practice of democracy.