It is all the more remarkable, then, that within six years Britain’s agricultural output had transformed, more profoundly and at a faster pace than any time since the start of the Industrial Revolution. The most urgent need was to provide a substitute for all that previously imported foreign wheat. In 1939, Britain only had 11.8…
Sectoral shifts in supply, wartime agriculture edition
Sectoral shifts in supply, wartime agriculture edition
26 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economic history, industrial organisation, war and peace Tags: British history, World War II
Blood in the Snow: The Malmédy Massacre
19 Dec 2025 1 Comment
in defence economics, laws of war, war and peace Tags: World War II

The Malmédy Massacre: A Tragedy of War and the Story of Survival The Malmédy Massacre, which occurred during the Battle of the Bulge on December 17, 1944, stands as one of the most heinous war crimes committed by German forces during World War II. This event, marked by the ruthless execution of unarmed American prisoners […]
Blood in the Snow: The Malmédy Massacre
SURVIVING KATYN: STALIN’S POLISH MASSACRE AND THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH by Jane Rogoyska
15 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economic history, economics of crime, law and economics, laws of war, Marxist economics, war and peace Tags: Poland, World War II
(Mass grave of Polish officers in Katyn Forest, exhumed by Germany in 1943) The Katyn forest massacre committed by the Soviet Union occurred between April and May 1940. Though killings took place in Kalinin and Kharkiv prisons operated by the NKVD and elsewhere, the massacre is named after the Katyn forest where mass graves were […]
SURVIVING KATYN: STALIN’S POLISH MASSACRE AND THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH by Jane Rogoyska
Dads Army- The British home guard
12 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, television, TV shows, war and peace Tags: World War II

“Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hitler” is the first line of the theme of the British sitcom Dad’s Army. A truly hilarious show. I remember one episode where Capt Mainwaring is telling a story how he met an Australian soldier. He had asked him “Did you come here to die?” whereupon the […]
Dads Army- The British home guard
AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT DRILL.
08 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, laws of war, war and peace Tags: Pearl Harbour, World War II

On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaii Territory, killing more than 2,300 Americans. The U.S.S. Arizona was completely destroyed, and the U.S.S. Oklahoma capsized. In total, twelve ships were sunk or beached, and nine additional vessels were damaged. More than 160 aircraft were destroyed […]
AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT DRILL.
Why did the 1945 Japanese Army coup against the Emperor fail? (Short Ani…
01 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economic history, war and peace Tags: Japan, World War II
JFK at War
24 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: World War II

While the world is remembering the 62nd Anniversary of the Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I want to focus on a different aspect of JFK, his time during World War II. Specifically, his time on PT 109. “The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY and MARINE CORPS MEDAL to/ LIEUTENANT […]
JFK at War
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East: The Quest for Justice in Postwar Asia
13 Nov 2025 1 Comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, International law, law and economics, laws of war, war and peace Tags: World War II

The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), also known as the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, was one of the most significant judicial efforts to hold individuals accountable for crimes committed during war. Established in the aftermath of World War II, the tribunal sought to prosecute the leading figures of Imperial Japan for crimes […]
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East: The Quest for Justice in Postwar Asia
MPs and the Second World War
11 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: World War II

Ahead of Remembrance Day, and with 2025 marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War, Dr Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project, follows up her series on MPs and the First World War by looking at the 23 MPs commemorated in the Commons chamber who died during […]
MPs and the Second World War
“Monsieur Klein” — Identity, Complicity, and Bureaucratic Terror
11 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, movies, war and peace Tags: France, Nazi Germany, The Holocaust, World War II

Alain Delon would have celebrated his 90th birthday today. Sadly, he passed away last year, leaving behind a legacy that forever shaped European cinema — and, to a certain extent, Hollywood as well. Known for his striking screen presence, enigmatic charm, and unforgettable roles, Delon stood as one of the true icons of 20th-century film. […]
“Monsieur Klein” — Identity, Complicity, and Bureaucratic Terror
ANNAPOLIS GOES TO WAR: THE NAVAL ACADEMY CLASS OF 1940 AND ITS TRIAL BY FIRE IN WORLD WAR II by. Craig L. Symonds
10 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: World War II

(An aerial view of the U.S. Naval Academy, looking northeast, mid-1930s) In the tradition of Robert Timberg’s THE NIGHTINGALE’S SONG, Bill Murphy, Jr.’s IN A TIME OF WAR: THE PROUD AND PERILOUS JOURNEY OF WEST POINT CLASS 0F 2002, Rick Atkinson’s THE LONG GRAY LINE: THE AMERICAN JOURNEY OF WEST POINT CLASS OF 1966 and […]
ANNAPOLIS GOES TO WAR: THE NAVAL ACADEMY CLASS OF 1940 AND ITS TRIAL BY FIRE IN WORLD WAR II by. Craig L. Symonds
The CCP did not defeat Japan
07 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economic history, war and peace Tags: China, World War II
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has claimed credit in defeating Japan during World War II. However, this claim is a subject of historical debate. Their contribution was significant but also very different in scale and character from that of the Nationalist government under Chiang Kai-shek. Here’s a breakdown: 1. Context: China’s Resistance Against Japan 2. United Front […]
The CCP did not defeat Japan
Japanese Instrument of Surrender-the end of WWII
02 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: Japan, World War II

On September 2, 1945, representatives from the Japanese government and Allied forces assembled aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay to sign the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, which effectively ended World War II. The document was prepared by the U.S. War Department and approved by President Harry S. Truman. Eight short paragraphs formalized the “unconditional surrender to […]
Japanese Instrument of Surrender-the end of WWII
Captain John Morrison Birch: Missionary, Soldier, and Cold War Symbol
28 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, war and peace Tags: China, Cold War, World War II

Introduction John Morrison Birch (1918–1945) occupies an unusual place in American history. A Baptist missionary turned U.S. Army intelligence officer in China during World War II, his life bridged the spheres of religion, geopolitics, and war. Though he died at just 27 years old, Birch became a symbolic figure in early Cold War discourse when […]
Captain John Morrison Birch: Missionary, Soldier, and Cold War Symbol
World War II Liberty Ships and the Law of Increasing Opportunity Cost
27 Aug 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, defence economics, economic history, entrepreneurship, industrial organisation, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, war and peace Tags: World War II
See ‘Launching Liberty’ Review: Shipyard Victory The U.S. quickly constructed a fleet of vessels to carry vital war supplies across the oceans. Did the rush to build so fast affect quality? by Marc Levinson. He reviewed the book Launching Liberty: The Epic Race to Build the Ships That Took America to War by Doug Most.The Liberty…
World War II Liberty Ships and the Law of Increasing Opportunity Cost
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