War, Culture of: The United States and World War II

The culture of war is defined in various ways based on different situations. A culture of war could be a state in which every social, economic, political, and cultural institution focuses on war, as in ancient Sparta. It can also be a state in which the majority of those institutions are not primarily directed toward war, but some or all male citizens are expected to be able to defend the city and its institutions. Another recognized culture of war is one in which warfare is seen as an interruption of normal society, when a nation alters its political, social, economic, and cultural institutions as a response to the outbreak of war. This type of culture is seen with modern capitalist states, such as the United ...