The Military and the Market
Understanding the Military's Economic Influence Over Two Centuries
Mark R Wilson editor Jennifer Mittelstadt editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:University of Pennsylvania Press
Published:11th Oct '22
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Exploring two centuries of economic operations, The Military and the Market examines the U.S. military's intricate relationships with capitalist markets.
Throughout its history, the U.S. military has maintained a close connection with market-based institutions and structures. It has operated systems of both free and unfree labor, taken control of private sector firms, and influenced economic development in various ways. The military has created new markets, ranging from consumer products to technologies, and has acted as a regulator of industries and labor practices. In recent decades, it has even undergone internal transformations to resemble a for-profit corporation more closely.
The Military and the Market delves into two centuries of the U.S. military's extensive and diverse economic operations, exploring its often complex and sometimes contentious relationships with capitalist markets. This collection features nine chapters of new scholarship that intersect military history, business history, policy history, and the history of capitalism. Topics covered include Civil War soldier-entrepreneurs, the construction of housing and overseas bases during the Cold War, and the military's challenges in navigating markets for sex work.
This volume enriches scholars' understanding of the intricate dynamics between military and market relations throughout U.S. history. It also offers contemporary military policymakers fresh insights into the origins of existing arrangements and potential pathways for reimagining these relationships. The contributions from various scholars highlight the depth and complexity of these interactions, providing a comprehensive overview of how the military has influenced and been influenced by market forces.
"The Military and the Market is an excellent analysis of how the United Stated defense establishment shapes, and is shaped by, external economic trends and business marketplaces. The raison d’etre of this anthologized, multi-author volume rests on an expansive definition of the word 'marketplace,' moving beyond the defense industry hardware which often assumes analytical primacy in studies of defense markets. Through offering this wide intellectual umbrella, the editors bring into the work a varied and often surprising array of case studies – ranging from topics such as Cold War housing construction to modern national security contracting – and along the way shed light on some lesser-known episodes of American military history." * The Strategy Bridge *
"The Military and the Market is well suited for policymakers and practitioners alike, principally at the local level between military installation garrison and community leaders facing the day-to-day externalities of this public-private interrelationship and at the national level between military and congressional leaders to evolve Title 10 requirements to man, train, and equip the respective branches. These leaders could benefit from the unique lens of changing public-private provision to the American defense sector over time, and its resulting coevolution with the larger contemporary military-market-society interrelationship, to inform future advantage during today’s era of great-power competition." * Parameters *
"Whether studying fresh recruits or aging veterans, scrutinizing the Civil War or recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, these formidable scholars do thorough research and smart thinking. Putting the relationship between market capitalism and U.S. national security into a deep historical perspective, The Military and the Market asks big questions and offers big answers. For both military history and the history of capitalism, this will be an exciting, enduring, go-to book." * Christopher Capozzola, Massachusetts Institute of Technology *
"A compelling series of essays on the commodification and business of war. Mittelstadt and Wilson have assembled an impressive ensemble cast of scholars to investigate the deep-rooted connections between the United States' military, economic, and social policies. A must read for anyone interested in the ever-widening reach of the US national security establishment." * Gregory Daddis, San Diego State University *
ISBN: 9781512823233
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
256 pages