The term war finance, a branch of defense economics, denotes a number of measures including fiscal and monetary initiatives to fund the expenditure of a war. Such measures, broadly classified in three categories, are levy of taxes, raising of debts, and creation of fresh money supply. Thus, these measures may include levy of specific taxation, increase and enlarging the scope of existing taxation, raising of compulsory and voluntary loans from the public, arranging loans from foreign sovereign states or financial institutions, as also creation of money by the government or the central banking authority.
Throughout the history of human civilization, from the ancient time until the modern era, conflicts and wars have always involved raising of resources and war finance has remained, in some form or the other, a major part of any defense economy.
Famous quotes containing the words war and/or finance:
“There’s no telling what might have happened to our defense budget if Saddam Hussein hadn’t invaded Kuwait that August and set everyone gearing up for World War II½. Can we count on Saddam Hussein to come along every year and resolve our defense-policy debates? Given the history of the Middle East, it’s possible.”
—P.J. (Patrick Jake)
“Imperialism is capitalism at that stage of development at which the dominance of monopolies and finance capitalism is established; in which the export of capital has acquired pronounced importance; in which the division of the world among the international trusts has begun, in which the division of all territories of the globe among the biggest capitalist powers has been completed.”
—Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870–1924)