Opting for Oil
The Political Economy of Technological Change in the West German Industry, 1945-1961
Published on 28. January 1994
Book
Hardback
274 pages
978-0-521-45124-6 (ISBN)
Description
This book investigates the causes, course and consequences of the shift in West German chemical technology from a coal to a petroleum basis between 1945 and 1961. It examines the historical underpinnings of the technological culture of the German chemical industry; changing political and economic constraints on technological decision-making in the post-war period; and the actual decision-making process within five individual firms. By addressing a wide variety of broader issues - including the origins and impact of the division of Germany; the effects of the Wirtschaftswunder, or economic miracle; European integration; and the changing role of the West German Federal Republic in the international political order - this book explains how West German industry regained and then retained a competitive position in world markets.
Reviews / Votes
'... finely crafted ... fine achievement in scholarly analysis.' NatureMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
578 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-45124-6 (9780521451246)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Content
Introduction; Part I. Background: 1. Politics and technological excellence: organic chemicals, 1860-1945: 2. Western German chemicals in flux, 1945-55; Part II. Bargaining from Strength: The Political Economy Of Technological Change, 1945-55: 3. A new agenda, 1949-55: Cold War, changing energy patterns and the development of West German chemical technology; 4. Rejoining the international community: international cooperation and technology transfer, 1951-5; Part III. Alternative Paths to Plenty: Case Studies from the mid-1950s: 5. Fifty-fifty with the petroleum multinationals: BASF, Shell, and Rheinische Olefinwerke; 6. Fifty-fifty with the petroleum multinationals: Bayer, British Petroleum, and Erdoelchemie; 7. Going it alone: Hoechst; 8. State's interest and technological change: Huels and cold-rubber technology; 9. End game strategies: the German coal industry and the Fischer-Tropsch process; Part IV. Consolidating the New Regime, 1957-61: 10. Petrochemicals triumphant, 1957-61; 11. Conclusion; Index.