ABSTRACT
Most of the extant literature on civil–military relations focuses on either the institutional relationship between the armed forces and other state institutions, or on the sociological makeup of the armed forces themselves. 1 Few studies have examined the relationship between the public (masses) and the armed forces, except those that studied, either from a historical or sociological perspective, the creation of the modern militaries through mass conscription. Institutional democratization generates a demand to examine public opinion more closely and systematically as a key component of political outcomes. With the behavioral revolution of the 1950s and 1960s, and the advances in measuring public opinion scientifically, significant attention has been given in the literature to the impact of public opinion on electoral outcomes, presidential decision making, congressional behavior, plus political beliefs and attitudes in general. Initially, of course, most of the studies, with few exceptions, focused on the industrialized democracies. However, as democratization has advanced in developing nations the study of the nature and impact of public opinion has increased substantially.
