This course traces the rise of the American national security state from its humble origins in the American Revolution to its massive growth in the twentieth century and its transformation in the twenty-first century. Students will explore the national debates over the need for national defense, the growth of defense spending and taxation, the rise of the defense industry, the inefficiencies and abuses of the national security bureaucracy, and the compromises to American liberty resulting from perceived national security threats. Prerequisite: HST 105. Fall, odd-numbered years.
Prerequisite Courses