American State Autonomy via the Military? Another Counterattack on a Theoretical Delusion

Abstract

This paper presents a critique of the claim in Gregory Hooks' Forging the Military-Industrial Complex (1991) that the industrial mobilization for Word War II led to autonomy for the Pentagon. It argues instead that a coalition of corporate leaders and military officers dominated decision-making on industrial mobilization, despite opposition from a New Deal, liberal/labor coalition rooted in unions, universities, government appointments, and the mass media. It criticizes the state autonomy theory group for adopting a style of theorizing that relies almost exclusively on secondary sources in making new and controversial claims. © 1991, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.