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Mark Harrison, ed., The Economics of World War 11: Six Great Powers in International Comparison. London: Oxford University Press, 2000. Pp. 307. $24.95, paperback.
The Economics of World War II compares the war experiences of six great powers; the UK, the USA, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the USSR. A chapter is devoted to each country, with each chapter prepared by a different economist. The book contains a wealth of important economic statistics for each nation and theoretical discussions on the economic policies each nation pursued. It is fairly easy to follow and proceeds logically through an array of valuable facts, in spite of its exploration of details that some might consider tedious. To frame the discussion, editor Harrison (who is on the economics faculty at the University of Warwick, England) poses two questions for each author to answer. First, how did economics contribute to the victory and defeat of the great powers in World War II? Second, what was the impact of the war upon the long-lasting economic trends and postwar institutions of these powers? Harrison also asks the writers to distinguish between two key periods: the period leading up to war until about 1942, and the period from 1942 until 1945.
A common theme runs through all chapters. Each economist strives to show that there were no economic miracles for any nation during the war. Instead, as Harrison states in his preface, "there were rationally understandable successful combinations of luck, judgment, forces of will, inherited resources..and the institutions to set them to work." The economists highlight these institutions...