• Home
• Call for Papers
• Schedule
• Vicksburg Trip
• Registration
• Accommodations and Travel

In May 1947, speaking to the annual meeting of the Delta Council, held at Delta State University, Under-Secretary of State Dean Acheson laid out a policy for the relief of post-war Europe that would come to be known as the Marshall Plan. To commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of this event, DSU is hosting a regional conference of the Society for Military History that will examine the multifaceted aspects of what happens when peace returns, and both victors and defeated alike grapple with the new world that war has wrought. As Lord George Sackville said of the efforts to conclude the Seven Years War, in words as relevant today as they were almost 250 years ago: “Nothing is so easy as to declare war, nothing so difficult as to make peace.” Thus it is clear that while this conference theme would appear particularly poignant given world events at the dawn of the twenty-first century, issues concerning the termination and aftermath of war have always been an important factor in military history.

While the Conference commemorates the inception of the Marshall Plan, its theme has also been chosen with an eye to being as broad as possible. Panels are welcomed that address not only political, administrative, and operational issues, but also issues concerning economic, cultural, and social aspects of the termination and aftermath of war. In addition to providing a venue for discussing these important issues, the intent of the Conference is to provide attendees an environment for professional camaraderie, regardless of their specific field of research. This Call for Papers, therefore, is addressed to all scholars with an interest in this topic, regardless of whether they are members of the SMH, reside in Region IV of the SMH, or they be academics, independent scholars, or graduate students.

While chances of acceptance are improved for those who propose a full panel [three panelists, moderator, commentator], individual papers or offers to serve as a moderator or commentator are by no means discouraged.