ABSTRACT
The preceding case studies and the books, articles, and observa tions on which they are based not only yield specific information about a particular nation’s civil-m ilitary experiences but also hint at general patterns which parallel one another from country to country. Awareness of these patterns provides the reader with convenient packages of information which can be stored in mem ory more easily than scattered facts. Awareness of patterns also provides the starting point for translation of “facts” into “data,” that is, into information which is system atically gathered, pro cessed, and presented. With data one can begin to compare cases more rigorously and to move on to create concepts, formulate hypo theses, and speculate about broad explanatory theories.
