War Profiteering

War profiteering—the practice of making excessive amounts of money from war—is as old as war itself. In the United States, profiteering first surfaced during the Revolutionary War, and even some members of the military engaged in the practice. During the Civil War, profiteers exploited both sides of the war-torn nation for their own purposes. Profiteering was so bad during World War I and feelings against it so strong that the government investigated war profiteering practices and established policies to prevent it. Despite such efforts, during World War II, profiteers managed to find ways to line their pockets. Profiteering did not again become a major issue for the United States until the 21st century, when profiteers turned their attention to the wars and their aftermath in ...