"Taking American mobilization in WWII as its departure point, this book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to the history of militarization in the United States since 1940. Exploring the ways in which war and the preparation for war has shaped and affected the United States during 'The American Century', Fitzgerald demonstrates how militarization has moulded relations between the US and the rest of the world. Providing a timely synthesis of key scholarship in a rapidly developing field, this book shows how concerns of national security have affected issues as diverse as the development of the welfare state, infrastructure spending, gender relations and notions of citizenship. It will also examine the way in which war is treated in the American Imagination; how it has been depicted throughout this era, why its consequences have been made largely invisible and how Americans have often considered themselves to be reluctant warriors. In integrating domestic histories with international and transnational topics such as the American 'empire of bases' and the experience of American service personnel overseas, the author outlines the ways in which American militarization had, and still has, global consequences. Of interest to scholars, researchers and students of military history, war studies, US foreign relations and policy, this book addresses a burgeoning and dynamic field from which parallels and comparisons can be drawn for the modern day."-- Provided by publisher.

1. Militarization in the United States before 1940 -- 2. Militarized encounters: armed Americans abroad -- 3. National security' and the militarization of statecraft -- 4. Bases, borders and gun belts: the evolution of militarized spaces in the United States and beyond -- 5. The warfare state and citizenship -- 6. War in the American imagination -- 7. Conclusion.