ABSTRACT
Economic necessity –whether culturally determined or not –is probably the commonest motivation for war. It follows that it may also be an important generating factor in the use of militarism in any one society. Economic theory has long toyed with the ideal-type conception of the 'economic man', that is the rational individual who is assumed to seek to maximize his returns from economic activity. It is indirectly related to the economic interpretation of history, a theory –or set of theories –closely associated with Marxism. Many studies of war and militarism stress, too, the role of political factors, but recognize that underlying the political issues are conflicts of economic interest. One extreme form, found in the Soviet analysis of war emphasized the 'fact' that war had its roots in the division of society into economic classes, and that violence –or the threat of violence –was one way in which one class was able to impose its will on another.
