WWII Book Review: "Freedom's Forge"

Photo from Barnes and Noble's website.

This book is a unique historical piece about the "arsenal of freedom", the process from which the United States recovered from the Great Depression by putting the burden of armament on the private sector.

Its basic premise is to show the immense challenges America had to face in order to arm not only us but our allies. It constantly shows the incredible gap between the amount of war materiel that was needed and what the manufacturers thought they could make, and how they would eventually blow those numbers out of the water.

I had been wanting to read this book for awhile now (it has been out almost a year) because I expected it to be an informative book on an interesting aspect of World War II. However, I did not expect it to be incredibly entertaining as well. After all, "Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II" by Arthur L. Herman is about exactly what you think: business. You don't expect business to be fun reading.

Also, The Economist named it one of the best books of 2012. This didn't exactly lead me to believe that this would be a fun read. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how Herman pulls his information together and tells his story. Herman focuses on the organizers of the U.S wartime production, namely Bill Knudsen and Henry Kaiser. Both men were pioneers in industry, and their businesses survived the anti-Big Business atmosphere of the Depression and the New Deal.

Conservatives might see this book as historical proof of the power of capitalism. After all, the 'villains' of the book tend to be the unions and the Big Government's attempts to restrain business. On the other hand, liberals might see this book as a compendium of examples of how when Big Business tries to do something big they end up with egg on their faces.

Whatever view you subscribe to, this book is a good real-world story that brings light on how America became a world power. Further, it offers some interesting tidbits along the way. For example, Du Pont, the largest chemical manufacturer at the time, made a plastic cover to wrap the war materiel for shipment called Seran, hence the birth of Seran wrap.

Overall, "Freedom's Forge" has something for everyone. For economists and political people, there's the behind-the-scenes look at how fiscal policy was made during the war. For the people person, there's the life stories of the men behind the arsenal of freedom. Finally, for the military enthusiasts, there's the side of the story that we rarely focus on: the people's side. In short, a rewarding read. Until next time take care, and thanks for reading.