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TERRA ECONOMICUS

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  • The echoes of a distant war: How the Second World War changed the American economy and society. Reflecting on the book “The Economic Consequences of U.S. Mobilization for World War II” by Alexander J. Field

The echoes of a distant war: How the Second World War changed the American economy and society. Reflecting on the book “The Economic Consequences of U.S. Mobilization for World War II” by Alexander J. Field

 
TERRA ECONOMICUS, Vol 23, No 1, 2025/03/26

Citation: Fomin D.A. (2025). The echoes of a distant war: How the Second World War changed the American economy and society. Reflecting on the book “The Economic Consequences of U.S. Mobilization for World War II” by Alexander J. Field. Terra Economicus 23(1), 118–128 (in Russian). DOI: 10.18522/2073-6606-2025-23-1-118-128

Acknowledgment: The study is performed within the research and development plan stated by the Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering of the Siberian Branch RAS. Project: 5.6.6.4 (0260-2021-0008), Strategic Methods and Models of the Russian Economy Development in a Changing Macroeconomic Reality.

The representatives of the social sciences and general public share the widespread view that war, with all its undoubtful losses and destruction, can be a source of economic growth, reduce unemployment, harmonize social relations, and drive scientific and technological progress. Numerous statistical data, sociological observations, and analyses of innovation activities seem to support this idea. The book written by Alexander J. Field, an American economic historian, challenges this view. Field argues that the success of US military economy was due to surplus production assets accumulated during peacetime, enormous labor reserves, and significant intellectual potential of pre-war US. War led to predatory use and destruction of resources accumulated by the country, causing a post-war economic and social catastrophe. Alexander J. Field notes that the concept of war as a force for progress is an extremely dangerous myth rooted in powerful American arms corporations and used for profit-making through escalating military power around the world. Written during a time of increasing US military spending and a new arms race, Alexander J. Field’s book highlights the dangers of economic militarization and the consequences of heightened tensions.

Keywords: World War II; military economy; US economy; economic growth; scientific and technological progress
JEL codes: N12, N42, O47, O51


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Publisher: Southern Federal University
ISSN: 2073-6606