Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower gives the order of the Day

In 1961 President Dwight D. Eisenhower, gave his farewell speech to the people of the United States after serving two terms in office. This speech will go down as one of the most prophetic in the history of politics. A career soldier and a fiscal conservative, Eisenhower warned the American public about the dangers of the “military-industrial complex”, which began to develop after the end of the Second World War.

Above Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower gives the order of the Day. 'Full victory-nothing less' to paratroopers in England, just before they board their airplanes to participate in the first assault in the invasion of the continent of Europe. Picture Source: Library Of Congress

The U.S. involvement in the war led to a major rethink about how the nation defended itself. Rather than “emergency improvisation”, which is how Eisenhower described their war against Germany and Japan, the U.S. would need to create a permanent arms industry and a huge military force.

However, he was concerned that the military-industrial complex could acquire a dangerous influence within the American political system. Today the arms industry in the U.S. is a behemoth and the country has been at war continuously ever since.

Listen to Dwight D. Eisenhower's speech using the link below.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Eisenhower_farewell_address.ogg