Freedom's Forge: How American Business Built The Arsenal Of Democracy That Won World War II (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I'm conflicted by this book. One one hand, it's a great examination of the American business machine in WWII - little acknowledged yet obviously a vital component to our success in the war, not to mention the postwar boom. On the other hand, it's quite slanted and partisan. The mustache-twirling villains are President Roosevelt, his New Deal Administration, and the obstructionist, utterly selfish labor unions (how dare they strike! we've got a war to win!). The saintly, self-sacrificing heroes are the titans of industry, CEOs of auto, steel, and concrete companies who know best and are happy to volunteer their time for a dollar a day if only the government got out of their way. The book reminds me of "A Burns for All Seasons", the film Monty Burns commissioned for the Springfield Film Festival. This book informs about an aspect of WWII that usually is not addressed. As an engineer, I found it to be very interesting. The author wrote the book around Knudsen, but seemed to write almost an equal amount about Kaiser. Which was fine, if the reader is not oncerned about diverting so much attention from the main character. Anyway, it isn't a biography. The author has an agenda, to promote the inherent productivity of the private sector; government should pay the bills and get out of the way is a theme I am taking away. He pretty much drills the reader in that respect. Also he is anti-labor and anti-Keynesian. The book seems well researched. There are interesting stories and lots of background information that I hadn't seen or questioned before, so I liked the book.
What do You think about Freedom's Forge: How American Business Built The Arsenal Of Democracy That Won World War II (2012)?
Great book covering outstanding efforts in industry in the US to build the arsenal for World War II.
—Yellow706
Well researched, very interesting. Great narrative and a very fast read. I really enjoyed this.
—Sim
I really enjoyed this book. It's history of WWII and American business.
—Danni
An interesting book which aptly depicts the subtitle
—MandaManda93
