This dissertation reveals how the US military played a decisive role in the development of global capitalism since World War II. During the Cold War, American military officials oversaw the construction of a global network of bases. Through this process, the US military became one of the world’s largest consumers. Because of their unrivaled purchasing power, American military administrators were able to compel contractors (both domestic and foreign) to produce goods and perform services that conformed to US military specifications. In this way, US military consumption helped standardize production processes and business practices around the world. This standardization, in turn, made possible the transnational flow of capital and goods that undergird today’s global economy. In documenting this process, this work argues the US military laid the foundation for postwar capitalist globalization. This work situates South Korean history within the larger context of US-led globalization. During the Korean War, American soldiers oversaw the creation of the physical infrastructure and administrative systems necessary for South Korea to transition from an agrarian to industrial nation. Over the following decades, US military assistance programs provided much of the capital, technology, and managerial expertise that fueled the country’s rapid industrialization. By examining the US military’s role in South Korea’s economic development, this work highlights the transnational impact of US military consumption. In this dissertation, South Korea serves as both a site and case study for understanding the relationship between militarization and globalization. The initial chapters focus on US military operations during the Korean War and the administration of the Military Assistance Program in Korea during the 1950s. They illustrate how US military consumption reduced the barriers to the world trade that existed following WWII. The closing chapters focus on the US military’s role in South Korea’s economic growth. They highlight how US military contracts and technical assistance provided the South Korean state and Korean companies like Hyundai and Hanjin with the capital, technology, and managerial expertise necessary to succeed in the global marketplace.nies like Hyundai and Hanjin with the capital, technology, and managerial expertise necessary to succeed in the global marketplace.
Chung, Patrick,
"Building Global Capitalism: Militarization, Standardization, and US-South Korean Relations, 1950-present"
(2017).
History Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.7301/Z0PR7TDT
