'''Militarism''' expounds that the foundation of a society's security is its military capacity, and claims that the development and maintenance of the military to ensure that capacity is the most important goal for that society. It consists of a preferential positioning of military considerations in policy by a nation or other political entity and preferential treatment for persons involved officially or tangentially with the military in service or supply. Such policy when adopted causes a militarization of the society in relation to other contemporaneous societies as the militarized society exerts its influence and power over them. These influences are most clearly observable in the history of nation-states and Empires when they engaged in Imperialism or Expansionism; viz. Empire_of_Japan, British_Empire, Nazi_Germany, New_Roman_Empire of Mussolini, the expansion of the Russian SFSR into the Union_of_Soviet_Socialist_Republics and later reign of Stalin, Iraq during the reign of Saddam_Hussein, and the United_States during the period of Manifest_Destiny and army reform.
Ideologically militarism consists of jointly Supremacy, Loyalism, Extremism, Emergency-Protectionism, and Nationalism or its minor form Patriotism. Under the justification of potential application of Force it asserts that Civilian populations are dependent upon — and thereby subservient to —the needs and goals of its military. Common tenets include advocation of "Peace_through_strength" as the proper method to secure the interests of society — and is expressed as one that overrides all others; including traditional precursory diplomatic relations and issues related to Social_welfare. Militarism is sometimes contrasted with the concepts of Comprehensive_national_power and Soft_power and Hard_power.
This quality may be identified in economic terms by several methods; including the determination of those nations with large modern militaries requiring large or substantially higher budgets than the average among nations to maintain large military forces (as of 2005 viz United_States, China, Japan) or to expand such forces (as of 2005 viz Israel, Kuwait, Singapore), or to nation-states devoting substantial portions of their GDPs per capita to develop such forces (as of 2005 viz. North_Korea, Equatorial_Guinea, Saudi_Arabia).
In a democratic republic, a central component of any state Constitution are rules concerning how military rule (Martial_law, Executive_powers) may be implemented, and how such powers are to be returned to the elected government.
== Historic and Modern Manifestations of Militarism ==
Militarism tends to be considered as a direct opposition to Peace_movements in modern times. Today characteristics of militarism are observed by critics in several nations and groups of nations; viz. the loosely allied Anglo-Saxon powers led by the United_States and Australia), China, France, Israel, Syria, and the Russian_Federation.
== National and Imperial Militarism ==
=== German militarism ===
{{main|German nationalism}}
The area influenced by German nationalism, inherited from the pre-unification Kingdom of Prussia, includes in different circumstances the North_German_Confederation, Austria, as well as other Nordic factions. This nationalism became the basis for Germany's militarism before and during both world wars. This ideology has not gained wide support in the reunified Germany to date.
=== Japanese militarism ===
{{main|Japanese militarism}}
In parallel with 20th century Germany's militarism, Japanese militarism began with a series of events by which the military gained prominence in dictating Japan's affairs. With this dictatorial power, Japan invaded China in 1931 and overtook half of Chinese land within 11 years, and finally spread the Second_World_War to the Pacific by the Pearl_Harbor_Attack.
=== US militarism ===
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries political and military leaders reformed the US state to establish an stronger central government than had ever previously existed for the purpose of enabling the nation to pursue an imperial policy in the Pacific and in the Caribbean and Economic_militarism to support the development of the new industrial economy. This reform was the result of a conflict between Neo-Hamiltonian Republicans and Jeffersonian-Jacksonian advocates over the proper administration of the state and direction of its foreign policy--between proponents of professionalism based on business management organizations and fuller local control by available figures-including amateurs. After the end of the American_Civil_War the national army fell into disrepair. Reforms based on various European states including Imperial Britain, Imperial Germany, and Switzerland were made so that it would become responsive to control from the central government, prepared for future conflicts, and develop refined command and support structures; it led to the development of a professional military. During this time the intellectual ideas of Social_Darwinism and Social_Gospel propelled the development of an American Empire in the Pacific and Caribbean and necessitated extensive efficient central government due to its administration requirements.
The enlargement of the US army for the Spanish-American War was considered essential to the occupation and control of the new territories acquired from Spain in its defeat (Guam, the _Philippines, Puerto_Rico). The previous limit by legislation of 24 000 men was expanded to 60 000 regulars in the new army bill on 2 February 1901, with allowance at that time for expansion to 80 000 regulars by presidential discretion at times of national emergency.
==Militarism in Fiction==
* Starship_Troopers - Robert_A._Heinlein
* Forever_War - Joe_Haldeman
==See also==
* Civilian_control_of_the_military
==References==
* Bacevich, Andrew J. ''The New American Militarism''. Oxford: University Press, 2005.
* Barr, Ronald J. "The Progressive Army: US Army Command and Administration 1870-1914." St. Martin's Press, Inc. 1998. ISBN 0-312-21467-7.
* Ensign, Tod. ''America's Military Today.'' The New Press. 2005. ISBN 1565848837.
* Fink, Christina. ''Living Silence: Burma Under Military Rule.'' White Lotus Press. 2001. ISBN 1856499251.
* Huntington, Samuel P.. ''Soldier and the State: The Theory and Politics of Civil-Military Relations.'' Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1981.
* Ritter, Gerhard ''The Sword and the Scepter; the Problem of Militarism in Germany'', translated from the German by Heinz Norden, Coral Gables, Fla., University of Miami Press 1969-73.
* Shaw, Martin.'' Post-Military Society: Militarism, Demilitarization and War at the End of the Twentieth Century''. Temple University Press, 1992.
* Vagts, Alfred. ''A History of Militarism.'' Meridian Books, 1959.
* Western, Jon. ''Selling Intervention and War.'' Johns Hopkins University Press. 2005. ISBN 080188108.
==External links==
* http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/mil_exp_dol_fig Military Expenditure by Total, Per Capita, and Percentage of GDP
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