The Fruits of Victory / A Sequel to The Great Illusion

The author argues that modern war and territorial conquest cannot generate net economic benefit, because armaments and coercive policies disrupt the international exchanges essential to industrial societies. He examines a nation’s dependence on foreign surpluses of food and raw materials, the effects of trade disruption or blockade on living standards and industry, and the shifting exchange advantages as manufacture spreads worldwide. The analysis links rising nationalism and attempts at domination to reduced productive cooperation, higher costs of living and production, and the eventual erosion of any ostensible gains from expansion or militarization.