Militarization and the American Century: War, the United States and the World since 1941

This book provides an introduction to the history of militarization in the United States since 1940, exploring how war and preparation for war have shaped and affected the country. It discusses how national security concerns have influenced issues such as the welfare state, infrastructure spending, gender relations, and citizenship, and how war is treated in the American imagination. The author integrates domestic histories with international and transnational topics to demonstrate how American militarization has had global consequences.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 10 February 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This book provides a concise yet comprehensive introduction to the history of militarization in the United States since 1940, serving as a departure point for examining American mobilization during World War II. By exploring the ways in which war and the preparation for war have shaped and affected the United States throughout "The American Century," Fitzgerald demonstrates how militarization has molded relations between the US and the rest of the world. The book offers a timely synthesis of key scholarship in a rapidly developing field, showcasing how national security concerns have influenced various aspects of American society, including the development of the welfare state, infrastructure spending, gender relations, and notions of citizenship. It also delves into the way war is treated in the American imagination, examining how it has been depicted throughout this era, the reasons behind the invisibility of its consequences, and how Americans have often considered themselves reluctant warriors.

By integrating domestic histories with international and transnational topics such as the American "empire of bases" and the experiences of American service personnel overseas, the author outlines the ways in which American militarization has had, and continues to have, global consequences. This book appeals to scholars, researchers, and students of military history, war studies, US foreign relations, and policy, as it addresses a burgeoning and dynamic field that offers valuable insights and parallels for the modern day.

Weight: 564g
Dimension: 163 x 240 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350102224