Freedom's Forge by Arthur Herman

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Freedom's Forge by Arthur Herman

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Freedom's Forge by Arthur Herman

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER .SELECTED BY THE ECONOMIST AS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

"A rambunctious book that is itself alive with the animal spirits of the marketplace."-The Wall Street Journal

Freedom's Forge reveals how two extraordinary American businessmen-General Motors automobile magnate William"Big Bill" Knudsen and shipbuilder Henry J. Kaiser-helped corral, cajole, and inspire business leaders across the country to mobilize the"arsenal of democracy" that propelled the Alliesto victory in World War II. Drafting top talent from companies like Chrysler, Republic Steel, Boeing, Lockheed, GE, and Frigidaire, Knudsen and Kaiser turned auto plants into aircraft factories and civilian assembly lines into fountains of munitions. In four short years they transformed America's army from a hollow shell into a truly global force, laying the foundations for the country's rise as an economic as well as military superpower. Freedom's Forge vividly re-creates American industry's finest hour, when the nation's business elites put aside their pursuit of profits and set about saving the world.

Praise for Freedom's Forge

"A rarely told industrial saga, rich with particulars of the growing pains and eventual triumphs of American industry . . . Arthur Herman has set out to right an injustice- the loss, down history's memory hole, of the epic achievements of American business in helping the United States and its allies win World War II."-The New York Times Book Review

"Magnificent . . . It's not often that a historian comes up with a fresh approach to an absolutely critical element of the Allied victory in World War II, but Pulitzer finalist Herman . . . has done just that."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A compulsively readable tribute to 'the miracle of mass production.' "-Publishers Weekly

"The production statistics cited by Mr. Herman . . . astound."-The Economist

" A fantastic book."-Forbes

"Freedom's Forgeis the story of how the ingenuity and energy of the American private sector was turned loose to equip the finest military force on the face of the earth. In an era of gathering threats and shrinking defense budgets, it is a timely lesson told by one of the great historians of our time."-Donald Rumsfeld

How the Scots Created the Modern World, as well as The Concept of Decline in Western History and Joseph McCarthy, are all written by Arthur Herman. He taught history at Georgetown University, Catholic University, George Mason University, and the University of the South, among other institutions.

SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780812982046
ISBN 10 0812982045
Title Freedom's Forge
Author Arthur Herman
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Random House USA Inc
Year published 2013-07-02
Number of pages 432
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.