Smedley Darlington Butler was a Major General in the U.S. Marine Corps and an outspoken critic of U.S. military adventurism. During his extensive career, he saw action across the globe, from the Philippines and China to Central America and the battlefields of World War I. After retiring from active service, Butler became a prominent voice against the military-industrial complex. His most impactful work argues that war itself is merely a racket, a profitable enterprise for a select few.
Zur Hölle mit dem Krieg! („War is a Racket“ im US-amerikanischen Original) von Smedley D. Butler ist eine scharfe Kritik an macht- und wirtschaftspolitischen Interessen hinter militärischen Konfl ikten. Der Autor, selbst General im US-Marine-Corps und Kriegsteilnehmer, argumentiert, dass Kriege meistens nur Mächtigen und Reichen nützten. Mit einem Vorwort von Brigadegeneral a.D. Erich Vad.
Originally printed in 1935, War Is a Racket is General Smedley Butler's frank speech describing his role as a soldier as nothing more than serving as a puppet for big-business interests. The introduction discusses why General Butler went against the corporate war machine and how he exposed a fascist coup d'etat plot against President Franklin Roosevelt. Widely appreciated and referenced by left- and right-wingers alike, this is an extraordinary argument against war—more relevant now than ever.