The French Army
Mutinies of 1917
Presented by Dr. Ethan Rafuse
Associate Professor, CGSC Department of Military History
May 3, 2017
Reception at 5:30 p.m. • Presentation at 6:00 p.m.
Arnold Conference Room
Lewis and Clark Center
100 Stimson Avenue
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027
In this 11th lecture in the series Dr. Rafuse will discuss how in late May 1917, open mutiny swept through
much of the French Army. For weeks General Henri Petain had to deal with a flood of reports of disciplinary
breakdowns accompanied by open protests by the soldiers regarding their plight. In a remarkable feat of
personal leadership, Petain was able restore discipline to the French Army. This presentation will describe
the causes of the great mutinies, their course, how Petain was able to bring them to an end, how they
reflected deeper divisions in French society that existed in 1917, and how they had an enduring effect on
France’s history for decades to come.
Ethan S. Rafuse received his Ph.D. at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and since 2004
has been a member of the faculty at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College,
where he is a professor of military history.
Rafuse has published more than 300 articles, essays and reviews in a variety of both academic
and popular history journals, and is the author, editor, or co-editor of eleven books, including
McClellan’s War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union, Robert E. Lee
and the Fall of the Confederacy, 1863-1865, and Corps Commanders in Blue: Union Major
Generals in the Civil War.
Join us May 3 for this 11th lecture in the series.
Presented by the
Department of Military History, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
with support provided by the CGSC Foundation, Inc.