New mathematical disciplines and research in the wake of World War II

This paper focuses on the significance of the Second World War for the rise and establishment of new disciplines in applied mathematics as well as for the renewed interest and growth in some related subjects in pure mathematics. The mathemati-cal topics involved are mathematical programming, operations research, game theory, the theory of convexity, and the theory of systems of linear inequalities. Connections and interactions between different branches of mathematics on the one hand and between different kinds of driving forces in the development of mathematics on the other hand are discussed. Special emphasis is devoted to the significance of the interplay between practical problem solving and basic research in mathematics proper as a consequence of World War II and the post-war organi-zation of science support in the USA.