Context. You should be able to work out which is which in these sentences:
"Much as I would like to believe you, I do not."
"He dodged the questions much as a rabbit would dodge a pursuing fox."
I can see why you'd be confused by so much for. I found two dictionaries that defined the term, but their definitions are a little tricky to understand.
TFD says:
so much for something
that is the last of something; there is no need to consider something anymore:
It just started raining. So much for our picnic this afternoon.
CDO says:
so much for something
used to express disappointment at the fact that a situation is not as you thought it was:
The car's broken down again. So much for our trip to the seaside.
Both meanings together sum up how the phrase is used pretty well. If I say, "So much for X!" then that means that I'm not going to think about X anymore; it seemed like a good idea for awhile, but now it's not going to happen.
Let's say a basketball team was losing a game by 25 points at halftime, but managed to tie the game with just one minute left. In the end, though, the other team won. Someone might say,
Well, so much for that!
In that case, the word that would refer to the team's comeback. They almost pulled off a win, but in the end they fell short.
As for for the love of, TFD defines that as:
for the love of Pete (or Mike, or God)
An exclamation of surprise, exasperation, or some similar feeling
Going back to the basketball game, let's say the team that was trailing at halftime did come back and win the game. The other team's coach might say,
For the love of God, I can't believe we lost that game!
That phrase doesn't really add any meaning to the sentence, it just adds feeling and emotion to the sentence. I don't think you'll find it used much except in direct quotes.
Best Answer
The "as . . . as" correlative can take a noun phrase as easily as a complete content clause. Indeed, "as easily as a complete content clause" counts as just such a use. There is no clause in "a complete content clause".
A literal interpretation of "as much as" is of the same amount as or to the same degree as. In your example, the TVA itself was potent propaganda to the same degree as the weaponry that it produced.
Another nearly-literal interpretation is some range of amounts or degrees, up to and including that of the example given.
Interpreting "as much as" to mean something like despite that is less literal still, approaching idiom. It's a common enough interpretation, but it's also a common enough interpretation of contrast even when nothing marks it: