The Great War Syndicate

"The Great War Syndicate" by Frank R. Stockton is a tale from the late 1800s that imagines a world on the brink of war between the United States and Great Britain, triggered by disputes over fishing territory and the rise of a business group called the Syndicate, who want to run the war like a corporation. When a British warship captures an American fishing boat, the public demands war, and the Syndicate steps in, promising to manage the conflict for profit by controlling military actions and creating advanced weapons, like strange bombs and crab-like ships, to change the way wars are fought, highlighting the links between business, government, and the destruction of war.