The Rise of the Gunbelt: The Military Remapping of Industrial America

by Ann Markusen, Peter Hall, Scott Campbell, Sabina Deitrick

Overview

Since World War II, America's economic landscape has undergone a profound transformation. The effects of this change can be seen in the decline of the traditional industrial heartland and the emergence of new high tech industrial complexes in California, Texas, Boston, and Florida. The Rise of the Gunbelt demonstrates that this economic restructuring is a direct result of the rise of the military industrial complex (MIC) and a wholly new industry based on defense spending and Pentagon contacts. Chronicling the dramatic growth of this vast complex, the authors analyze the roles played by the shift from land and sea warfare to aerial combat in World War II, the Cold War, the birth of aerospace and the consequent radical transformation of the airplane industry, and labor and major defense corporations such as Boeing, Lockheed, and McDonnell Douglas. Exploring the reasons for the shifts in defense spending—including the role of lobbyists and the Department of Defense in awarding contracts—and the effects on regional and national economic development, this comprehensive study reveals the complexities of the MIC.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195066487
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/25/1991
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	9.57(w) x 6.46(h) x 1.24(d)

About the Author

Rutgers University

University of California, Berkeley

Rutgers University

University of California, Berkeley

Table of Contents

	Figures	xi
	Tables	xiii
1.	Introduction: The Rise of the Gunbelt	3
2.	The Military Remapping of America	8
3.	Reading the Map: A Theory of Military-Industrial Places	26
4.	The Third Coast: Aviation Pioneers Exit the Midwest	51
5.	Aerospace Capital of the World: Los Angeles Takes Off	82
6.	The Winning Transition Team: Props, Jets, and Avionics in New England	118
7.	Seattle: Aerospace Company City	148
8.	Space Mountain: Generals and Boosters Build Colorado Springs	174
9.	The Eavesdroppers: SDI, Software, and Lobbying in the Nation's Capital	211
10.	Why the Gunbelt?	230
	Appendix	257
	Notes	271
	References	301
	Index	329

Editorial Reviews

"Recommended for upper-division undergraduate and graduate audiences."—Choice

"Rich, informative, and stimulating."—Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

"Provocative....Trenchant neologism."—National Journal

"Go[es] a long way toward moving the apparently narrow subjects of American miltiary and military procurement policy towardthe center of the study of American politics and political economy....would be useful in undergraduate courses."—American Politics

"A real winner....Illuminates the pivotal role of the military-industrial complex in the industrial and regional restructuring of the United States."—Breandan O hUallachain, Arizona State University

From the Publisher