Smil Vaclav. Made in the USA: The rise and retreat of American manufacturing

MIT Press Ltd, 2013. — 256 p — ISBN 978-0-262-01938-5,0262019388,978-0-262-31675-0.In Made in the USA, Vaclav Smil powerfully rebuts the notion that manufacturing is a relic of predigital history and that the loss of American manufacturing is a desirable evolutionary step toward a pure service economy. Smil argues that no advanced economy can prosper without a strong, innovative manufacturing sector and the jobs it creates.
Smil explains how manufacturing became a fundamental force behind America's economic, strategic, and social dominance. He describes American manufacturing's rapid rise at the end of the nineteenth century, its consolidation and modernization between the two world wars, its role as an enabler of mass consumption after 1945, and its recent decline. Some economists argue that shipping low-value jobs overseas matters little because the high-value work remains in the United States. But, asks Smil, do we want a society that consists of a small population of workers doing high-value-added work and masses of unemployed?
Smil assesses various suggestions for solving America's manufacturing crisis, including lowering corporate tax rates, promoting research and development, and improving public education. Will America act to preserve and reinvigorate its manufacturing? It is crucial to our social and economic well-being; but, Smil warns, the odds are no better than even.Why Manufacturing Matters
Manufactured Societies
Manufacturing and Service Economies
The Ascent, 1865–1940
Creating the Modern World, 1865–1899
American Steel
The Edisonian Electric System
Manufacturing for the Information Age
The Decades of Consolidation, 1900–1940
Electrification of Industries and Households
Modern Industrial Production: Mass and Efficiency
Manufacturing during the Great Depression
Dominance, 1941–1973
World War II and Its Immediate Aftermath, 1941–1947
Mobilizing for War
Old and New Weapons
The Beginnings of the Computer Era
A Quarter Century of Superiority, 1948–1973
The First Mass Consumption Society
Automation, Computers, and Microchips
Manufacturing Strengths and Problems
The Retreat, 1974–
Signs of Weakness, 1974–1990
Energy in Manufacturing
Problems in the Auto Industry
Electronic Triumphs and Defeats
Multiple Failures, 1991–2012
Sectoral Losses and Capitulations
The Myth of High-Tech Dominance
“Made in China” and the Walmart Nation
The Past and the Future
Successes and Challenges
The Achievements of American Manufacturing
Failures and Problems
Global Competition: Never a Level Playing Field
Should Anything Be Done?
Calls for Change
Exporting Goods
Encountering Limits
Chances of Success
CodaName Index
Subject Index