A guy named S.L.A. Marshall did a study after WWII, and though a lot of it has been discredited, one of his findings was that you can't put more than 10% of your country's population without hurting your agricultural and industrial base. For every man you put into battle, you need nine more to grow his food, make his arms and ammunition, etc. The US got just a little over 10% by the end of WWII, but that was after women took a lot of the factory jobs, food and gas were rationed, and several other measures to make sure as much went to the war effort as possible. No new cars were built between 1942 and 1945 - all factories were producing war material.
The second rule is just the result of a lot of study. 30% of your GDP is almost 100% of your Taxes and Revenue for the Government. 10% of your GDP is about 30% of your Taxes and Revenue for the Government. Everything costs money, and when you run out or overspend, your other programs suffer.
It helps me keep this AU from becoming like so many others - great ships, but no way that the countries they're attributed to could sustain them. I've checked the GDP for the State of Texas for every year it's been measured. Here's a sample for how much money I can spend between 1906 and 1917:
10% GDP 1906-1917
$364,815,821
$386,457,438
$352,285,722
$424,952,621
$437,194,054
$448,864,532
$475,996,322
$480,319,195
$460,516,966
$456,862,069
$496,050,021
$1,498,640,546
_________________ Redhorse
Current Projects:
Republic of Texas Navy
FD Scale F-14s
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