Editing Douglas MacArthur (section)

===Superintendent of the United States Military Academy===
[[File:Douglas MacArthur as USMA Superintendent.jpg|thumb|left|upright|MacArthur as West Point Superintendent|alt=Man wearing peaked cap, Sam Browne belt, and shiny riding boots.]]

Shortly after the return home, MacArthur's 84th Brigade was demobilized at [[Camp Dodge]], [[Iowa]], on 12 May 1919.{{sfn|Manchester|1978|p=116}} The following month, he became [[Superintendents of the United States Military Academy|Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy]] at West Point, which General March, "an acerbic, thin-lipped intellectual",{{sfn|Manchester|1978|p=116}} felt had become out of date in many respects and was much in need of reform.{{sfn|MacArthur|1964|p=77}} Accepting the post, "one of the most prestigious in the army",{{sfn|Manchester|1978|p=117}} also allowed MacArthur to retain his rank of brigadier general (which was only temporary and for the duration of the war), instead of being reduced to his [[Substantive rank#Types of rank|substantive]] rank of major like many of his contemporaries.{{sfn|Manchester|1978|p=117}}{{sfn|Perret|1996|p=114}} When MacArthur moved into the superintendent's house with his mother,{{sfn|James|1970|p=265}} he became the youngest superintendent since [[Sylvanus Thayer]] in 1817.{{sfn|James|1970|p=261}}{{sfn|Perret|1996|p=115}} However, whereas Thayer had faced opposition from outside the army, MacArthur had to overcome resistance from graduates and the academic board.{{sfn|Leary|2001|p=10}}

MacArthur's vision of what was required of an officer came not just from his recent experience of combat in France, but also from that of the occupation of the Rhineland in Germany. The military government of the Rhineland had required the Army to deal with political, economic and social problems but he had found that many West Point graduates had little or no knowledge of fields outside of the military sciences.{{sfn|James|1970|p=265}} During the war, West Point had been reduced to little more than an [[officer candidate school]], with five classes being graduated in two years. Cadet and staff morale was low and hazing "at an all-time peak of viciousness".{{sfn|James|1970|p=262}} MacArthur's first change turned out to be the easiest. Congress had set the length of the course at three years. MacArthur was able to get the four-year course restored.{{sfn|Leary|2001|p=11}}

During the debate over the length of the course, ''[[The New York Times]]'' brought up the issue of the cloistered and undemocratic nature of student life at West Point.{{sfn|Leary|2001|p=11}} Also, starting with Harvard University in 1869, civilian universities had begun grading students on academic performance alone, but West Point had retained the old "whole man" [[Definitions of education|concept of education]]. MacArthur sought to modernize the system, expanding the concept of military character to include bearing, leadership, efficiency and athletic performance. He formalized the hitherto unwritten [[Cadet Honor Code]] in 1922 when he formed the Cadet Honor Committee to review alleged code violations. Elected by the cadets themselves, it had no authority to punish, but acted as a kind of grand jury, reporting offenses to the commandant.{{sfn|Leary|2001|pp=24–25}} MacArthur attempted to end hazing by using officers rather than upperclassmen to train the [[plebe]]s.{{sfn|James|1970|pp=278–279}}

Instead of the traditional summer camp at [[Fort Clinton]], MacArthur had the cadets trained to use modern weapons by regular army sergeants at [[Fort Dix]]; they then marched back to West Point with full packs.{{sfn|James|1970|pp=278–279}} He attempted to modernize the curriculum by adding liberal arts, government and economics courses, but encountered strong resistance from the academic board. In Military Art classes, the study of the campaigns of the American Civil War was replaced with the study of those of World War I. In History class, more emphasis was placed on the Far East. MacArthur expanded the sports program, increasing the number of intramural sports and requiring all cadets to participate.{{sfn|Leary|2001|pp=20–21}} He allowed upper class cadets to leave the reservation, and sanctioned a cadet newspaper, ''The Brag'', forerunner of today's ''West Pointer''. He also permitted cadets to travel to watch their football team play, and gave them a monthly allowance of $5 ({{inflation|US|5|1922|fmt=eq}}).{{inflation/fn|US}} Professors and alumni alike protested these radical moves.{{sfn|James|1970|pp=278–279}} Most of MacArthur's West Point reforms were soon discarded but, in the ensuing years, his ideas became accepted and his innovations were gradually restored.{{sfn|Leary|2001|pp=26–27}}