Books by Roger W. Lotchin

In the mythology of the West, the city was seen as a place of danger and corruption, but the "bad" city proved its mettle during the "Good War." This book presents a comprehensive study of California's urban home front, which aims to restore a little-known part of the story of the Second World War.

Analyzing the growth of Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco from 1910 to 1961, the author discredits the assumption that the industrialization of the Sunbelt was a result of a partnership between industry and the military. He argues that municipalities used federal resources to build urban empires and metropolitan-military complexes.