Opting for Oil
The Political Economy of Technological Change in the West German Industry, 1945–1961

An analysis of how the West German chemical industry regained and then retained a competitive position in world markets from 1945–61.

Raymond G. Stokes (Author)

9780521451246, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 January 1994

274 pages
23.7 x 16.1 x 2 cm, 0.58 kg

'… finely crafted … fine achievement in scholarly analysis.' Nature

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.

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 Erdölchemie
7. Going it alone: Hoechst
8. State's interest and technological change: Hüls 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.

Subject Areas: Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000 [HBLW3], European history [HBJD]