ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the significance and context of the Dunkirk evacuation. It applies economic concepts to scenes from the movies. These include the core concepts of economic resources, scarcity, opportunity cost, rational decision making, cost-benefit analysis, the efficiency-equity tradeoff, comparative advantage, and supply and demand. Dunkirk portrays the Dunkirk evacuation from three perspectives – land, sea, and air. The Battle of Dunkirk was fought between the Allies and Germany. It culminated in a retreat by the Allies to the Channel coast in the face of the remorseless German blitzkrieg that ended on the beaches in the south and western parts of France. Many scenes in both of the Dunkirk movies portray the decisions made by the troops aboard ships as the ships are bombed by enemy planes. Dunkirk can also be analyzed from an industrial organization perspective. Industrial organization refers to how outcomes and decisions are influenced by market structure.
