Dismantling the Cold War Economy
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This study will examine Dismantling the Cold War Economy, by Ann Markusen and Joel Yudken, considering the chief problems associated with the Cold War economy, the impact of the Cold War on U.S. industry, and the possibility and opportunities of economic conversion from Cold War imperatives, as well as the obstacles to that conversion. The argument herein will be that despite the fact that the military domination of the Cold War economy created serious obstacles to post-Cold War conversion, and despite the fact that those obstacles are deeply entrenched despite the end of the Cold War, such conversion is possible. Perhaps the authors are overly optimistic in this regard, but it would still be going too far to argue that conversion is impossible. After all, the conversion to a military-industrial-dominated economy (which had its origins not in the Cold War but before and during the American involvement in World War II) took place in a relatively short time. Therefore, there is no reason to believe that a committed nation could not once again transform its economy to fit post-Cold War requirements. The arguments of the authors is that the Cold War economy was dominated by the military-industrial complex, and that that complex "developed a business culture that favored glitz and gimmickry over cost minimization and concentrated marketing efforts on lobbying and negotiating with the Pentagon" (xv). Not only was the economy dependent on the military-industrial relationship, but t
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us has been in the defense industry. However, in a time of economic crisis, the change is even more difficult and costly. The plant shutdowns and military base closures are signs of the continuing costs of the Cold War economy and the difficulties associated with a conversion to a post-Cold War economy.
The chief negative impact of the Cold War economy on industry has been the creation of a dependence of that industry on the military for its survival and prosperity. One can appreciate the severity of this dependence when the statistics are considered for a year some four decades after the start of the Cold War: "These defense-dependent industries all had 40 percent or more of their capacity committed to the Department of Defense by 1985" (36). Another sector---the defense-related industries---relied for up to one-third of its income from the military (37).
It has been a traditional argument of defense industry supporters that the Cold War economy has at least brought about innovations in defense-related technology which were then successfully adapted to the non-defense needs of the nation. The authors argue, however, that this has not been the actual case. As we read:
Military [Research and Development] achievements, even over
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1487
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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