Some Economic Effects of Rearmament: Great Britain, 1950-1953
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Date
1955-06
Authors
Smith, Grant R.
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Abstract
The Korean War which began in the summer of 1950 was to reimpose upon the world economy, only so recently recovered from the devastation of World War II, many new and pressing economic problems. The war touched off a worldwide rearmament race which added new burdens to already strained economies. It was to increase greatly the complexities of economic decision on the part of government authorities. This situation provides the background for this thesis. This study is essentially an inquiry into the role of government policy when a rearmament program is imposed upon a fully employed economy. In an armed economy, the allocation of available resources is largely dependent on the decisions of a central authority. Such decisions should of course be directed towards maximum defense potential with a minimum overall strain on the economy. The economic consequences of a defense program are to a large measure mitigated by these decisions or to some extent aggravated by a lack of or improper decisions. The objectives of this study are to analyze the national expenditures of Great Britain in the period following the outbreak of war in Korea and to attempt to relate the significance and effectiveness of government policy to these expenditures.
Description
111 pages
Keywords
Economics, Rearmament, Government policy