The command economy as an adaptive structure

Abstract

We open with a discussion of the Parsonian solution to the ‘problem of order’ in human societies, emphasising the functional significance of ‘adaptive structures’ in that solution. Adaptive structures adapt the dominant structure of a society to the realistic conditions of its existence. We then argue that the Command Economy of World War II is an example of an adaptive structure in that it adapted the American system of free-enterprise capitalism to the threat to its cultural boundaries posed by the Axis powers. Precisely because they are alternatives to the dominant structure, adaptive structures must be institutionalised. But their legitimacy must be conditional, and there must be mechanisms in place to prevent them from becoming the dominant structure, that is, to prevent the ‘tail from wagging the dog’. We deal with both features of the situation surrounding the Command Economy of World War II. Finally, we deal with arguably the most important change in the structure of American society that can be traced to the Command Economy of World War II, the Military-Industrial Complex and the National Security State to which it is related.