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Eisenhower's Paradoxical Relationship with the “Military‐Industrial Complex”
Author(s) -
JANIEWSKI DOLORES E.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
presidential studies quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.337
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 1741-5705
pISSN - 0360-4918
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-5705.2011.03909.x
Subject(s) - presidency , wright , conservatism , political science , rhetorical question , interpretation (philosophy) , law , state (computer science) , political economy , sociology , history , linguistics , philosophy , algorithm , politics , computer science , art history
This analysis of Eisenhower's farewell address and its core concept, “the military‐industrial complex,” explores the contribution of its major authors and editors, including Milton Eisenhower, and the changes in the text due to its transformation from a State of the Union speech into a television address. It situates this final act of Eisenhower's rhetorical presidency in paradoxical conjunction with a hawkish strand of contemporary conservatism. Media coverage of this conservative insurgency influenced the interpretation of the military‐industrial complex producing a definition closer to the permanent war economy, discussed by C. Wright Mills, instead of the nuanced concept intended by the speech's creators.