Final answer:
Smedley Butler believed war was a 'racket' as it was economically beneficial for a select few while costing soldiers' lives and public welfare. His perspectives were in line with post-WWI disillusionment, where the true motivations and beneficiaries of war were scrutinized and criticized by many, including veterans and anti-imperialists.
Step-by-step explanation:
Smedley Butler, a highly decorated Marine Corps Major General, considered war to be a 'racket' because he saw it as a way for a small elite group, including war profiteers and the military-industrial complex, to enrich themselves at the expense of the lives and wellbeing of common soldiers and the general public.
This view was based on his understanding that wars were often started and sustained for economic gain rather than for the patriotic reasons given to the public. With regard to World War I, Butler believed that capitalists had profited from the war, and he shared the broader feeling of skepticism that gripped many, questioning the true motives behind the conflict and its beneficiaries.
During the post-World War I period, there was disillusionment with the outcomes of the war. Individuals like Butler felt that only certain industries and financiers benefited from the massive mobilization and that the cost in human lives and the social fabric of nations was not worth the gains achieved by those at the top of the economic hierarchy.
This belief tied into broader concerns of the era, including anti-imperialist sentiments, the social consequences of militarism, and the economic disparities highlighted during the interwar years and the Great Depression.