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How the US military origins of global capitalism facilitated both South Korea’s “economic miracle” and the decline of US industrial might
The US military has become a ubiquitous part of modern economic life. The Cold War prompted the first permanent overseas deployment of US troops and the creation of a global network of US military bases. Today, US military facilities can be found in every US state and overseas territory, as well as in dozens of foreign countries. The creation of this empire of bases cost billions of dollars and required the cooperation of states, corporations, and workers from around the world. It also remade the US military into the world's most significant economic force.
In Standardizing Empire, Patrick Chung examines the historical processes that led to the creation of the US military's astounding global footprint and reckons with the wide-ranging consequences of its globalization. Focusing on the Korean War and the subsequent militarization of South Korea, Chung traces how US military contracts came to influence the production of countless everyday items, such as cast-iron pipes and clothing, as well as a range of essential services, including transportation and construction. He deploys the term “military-industrial capitalism” to describe the new economic system centered on US military consumption.
To illustrate the pervasive impact of military-industrial capitalism, Standardizing Empire charts the histories of three of the leading South Korean multinational corporations today: shipping company Hanjin, steelmaker POSCO, and car manufacturer Hyundai. These case studies depict the companies’ early ties to the US military and explain how they came to produce, sell, and employ workers worldwide, including in the United States. Standardizing Empire explains not only how today's US-led capitalist world economy originated but also how the emergence of military-industrial capitalism facilitated both South Korea's “economic miracle” and the decline of US industrial might.
"In this stunningly innovative, breakthrough work, Patrick Chung reveals the ways that US military empire in South Korea propelled capitalist globalization. Drawing on deep, meticulous research in a vast array of US and Korean sources, Standardizing Empire brilliantly explores how the United States military’s infrastructures and technical standards in Cold War South Korea—projected outward by its formidable purchasing power—came to format world-spanning networks of production and trade. This book is essential reading for historians of U.S. military empire, modern Korea, US–East Asian relations, and world-capitalist integration."
"Patrick Chung's revelatory book illuminates the dark side of South Korea's economic miracle by tracing its origins to America's postwar basing empire. While the network of bases primarily served to project military power during the Cold War, Chung shows how it also generated supply chains, spurred infrastructure development, and codified production standards that not only propelled South Korea's rapid growth but also transformed the global economy—often at considerable cost to the working-class in South Korea and elsewhere. Standardizing Empire offers a compelling account of the entangled histories of US empire, modernization, and globalization."