Eisenhower Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Eisenhower - Essay Example Gerras’ critical thinking model can be used extensively to discuss the decisions made by Eisenhower during the war. The critical thinking model proposes that there are many step to be considered before an individual makes a lasting decision, since there are many aspects to the decision at hand. The first major step proposed by Gerras is the issue of clarifying the concern or main problem, which in the case of Eisenhower, came in different types. Gerras’ critical thinking model can be best used to analyze Eisenhower’s decision to support Gaulle to President Roosevelt and the decision concerning General Patton’s slapping incident. An analysis of the decision on de Gaulle can reveals the critical thinking steps that Eisenhower went through to make the decision. The first step that Eisenhower took is the clarification of the concern, or the identification of the problem as applied to the current situation. The problem in this case was the infringement of polit ics in de Gaulle’s and Giraud’s aim to control the Free French Movement.1 The decision to be made had to be critically analyzed to determine the implications, concerns, available information, point of views, and finally, the main decision. From General Eisenhower’s point of view, he believed that the French Committee of National Liberation was in the best interest of the allies.2 The other decision made by Eisenhower was the decision concerning General Patton’s slapping incident, where Patton was accused of slapping two ill soldiers, yet Eisenhower decided to retain him as one of his top commanders. The slapping incident and the subsequent decision demonstrated Eisenhower’s critical thinking abilities. Using Gerra’s critical thinking model, many factors come up, for instance, the decision or concern was whether to fire or retain Patton. The second factor was the evaluation of the information received, Eisenhower received the information afte r the act had happened, and did not seriously consider firing Patton. The most important factor in the critical thinking model is the evaluation of available information. From General Patton’s case, the information that Eisenhower needed to analyze included the costs of firing and replacing Patton. After this analysis, Eisenhower decided that Patton was too valuable to the war, and thus decided to retain him, though at a position without major command. This demonstrates that Eisenhower’s decisions in the war can be demonstrated using Gerra’s critical thinking model. Question 2 An analysis of Eisenhower’s decision in the war also leans on the negative, where it can be concluded that he sometimes made unwise decisions. This part of the analysis on Eisenhower will focus on one major decision made by the General, the decision to leave Fredendall in position for too long. This decision will be analyzed using Allen and Coates (2009) decision-making model. This essay will focus on two parts of Allen and Coates models; the rational and incremental decision-making models. The rational model will be applied by considering the consequences step of the model, and the incremental model will be considered by applying one characteristic specified by the model. The rational model of decision-making is a model that can be applied to decisions that require a lot of input and thought. Eisenhower’