"During the last war when there was a market for everything that could be produced, the production capacity of Canada and the United States, which were outside the battle area, increased one hundred percent"
- John Boyd Orr
About this Quote
This quote by John Boyd Orr speaks to the economic impact of war. During the last war, the production capacity of Canada and the United States, which were outside the fight area, increased by one hundred percent. This suggests that the war created a market for products and services, which in turn promoted the economies of these 2 countries. This increase in production capacity likely offered much required resources to the war effort, such as food, weapons, and other products. It likewise likely supplied employment opportunities for those who were not directly associated with the war, allowing them to contribute to the war effort in a various way. The quote also talks to the power of war to promote economies, even when those economies are not directly involved in the conflict.