During World War II, the United States helped vanquish the Axis powers
by converting its enormous economic capacities into military might.
Producing nearly two-thirds of all the munitions used by Allied forces,
American industry became what President Franklin D. Roosevelt called the
arsenal of democracy. Crucial in this effort were business leaders. Some
of these captains of industry went to Washington to coordinate the
mobilization, while others led their companies to churn out weapons. In
this way, the private sector won the war--or so the story goes.
Based on new research in business and military archives, Destructive
Creation shows that the enormous mobilization effort relied not only on
the capacities of private companies but also on massive public
investment and robust government regulation. This public-private
partnership involved plenty of government-business cooperation, but it
also generated antagonism in the American business community that had
lasting repercussions for American politics. Many business leaders,
still engaged in political battles against the New Deal, regarded the
wartime government as an overreaching regulator and a threatening rival.
In response, they mounted an aggressive campaign that touted the
achievements of for-profit firms while dismissing the value of
public-sector contributions. This probusiness story about mobilization
was a political success, not just during the war, but afterward, as it
shaped reconversion policy and the transformation of the American
military-industrial complex.
Offering a groundbreaking account of the inner workings of the arsenal
of democracy, Destructive Creation also suggests how the struggle to
define its heroes and villains has continued to shape economic and
political development to the present day.
