The War economy reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

War economy

War economy is the term used to describe the contingencies undertaken by the modern state to mobilize its economy for war production. Philippe Le Billon describes a war economy as a "system of producing, mobilising and allocating resources to sustain the violence".

It has been observed that wars often have the effect of accelerating progress of technology and industry to such an extent that the economy emerges greatly strengthened after the war. This was the case, for example, with the United States in World War II.

Germany under Nazi rule was an especially good example for a increasingly effective war economy. During the 20s with the Versailles treaty still somewhat intact Germany secretly started first development of dual-use technologies and build the Battleship A. With Adolf Hitler in power Germany soon remilitarized the Rhineland and re-instituted conscription, the Military-industrial complex was expanded as well. As World War II started in 1939 Germany had a full-effective war economy.

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