Domestic Politics, International Pressure, and the Allocation of American Cold War Military Spending

Although foreign policy choices, especially on security questions, are often treated as autonomous state responses to international pressures, these events and conditions do not affect society in a uniform way. International conditions influence policy, but their implications depend on the interests of the domestic political faction controlling the state. Because decisions about military strategy and force structure are closely linked to the international balance of power, they offer an especially demanding test of this argument. This article offers evidence that Republican and Democratic presidents systematically differed on the allocation of resources within the Pentagon during the Cold War. Republicans directed spending toward strategic forces, while Democrats stressed conventional forces. Furthermore, although Soviet gains in relative nuclear capabilities influenced Democrats' decisions about strategic forces, they had little or no influence on Republican choices. These differences make sense in light of research on the two parties' societal constituencies.