Britain and the Economic Problem of the Cold War

Dr Till Geiger is a Lecturer in International History at the University of Manchester, UK.

• Contents: Preface; Introduction: Britain and the economic problem of the cold war: themes and questions. Part I the political economy of British defence expenditure: Securing the people’s peace: reflections on the anachronistic nature of the British warfare state in the early cold war, 1945-55; An antagonistic partnership: Britain and American economic assistance, 1945-50; 'Tied to the tail of a Kilkenny cat'?: the Anglo-American relationship, British rearmament and the political crisis of 1951. Part II British defence production policy: ’The next war is bound to come’: defence production policy, supply departments and defence contractors in Britain, 1945-57; The wasting of high technological potential?: the British warfare state, the aircraft industry and technological nationalism, 1950-58; Maintaining the war potential: rearmament and productivity in the British ammunition industry in the 1950s. Part III the economic impact of British defence expenditure: The British defence effort and investment during the transition from war to peace, 1945-55; Britain and the economic impact of the Korean war; Too much defence, too little peace production?: the British capital-goods industry, regional development and the Korean war rearmament. Conclusion: Britain and the economic problem of the first cold war: reconsidering the political economy and economic impact of British defence expenditure, 1945-55; Bibliography; Index.

’Overall this book makes an important contribution to the subject of the political economy of British defense spending in the decade after the Second World War... The author provides us with a thorough tour and critique of the existing literature and relevant historical sources. He is scrupulous in dealing with different views, and he asks occasionally difficult questions, but ultimately he guides his reader to conclusions that derive from careful argumentation and balanced considerations.’ Business History Review