The Long Shadow of Americanization: The German Rubber Industry and the Radial Tyre Revolution
The Long Shadow of Americanization: The German Rubber Industry and the Radial Tyre Revolution
This chapter traces various areas and phases of influence in German industry, using the example of the tyre industry — which more than almost any other industry was influenced macroeconomically by the economic developments in the United States, as well as microeconomically by American companies. The processes of Americanization are examined by comparing two competing companies: Phoenix-Gummiwerke AG (Hamburg-Harburg), and Continental-Gummiwerke AG (Hanover). Two Americanization models emerge, not only with respect to the ways and means of the American influence but also with respect to the perception of the German companies. The results obtained are then put into context — first by looking back at the 1920s and 1930s, and then by means of a ‘preview’ of the 1970s and 1980s — in order to specify assessment criteria for the degree of ‘Americanization’, as well as the degree of ambivalence resulting from the basis of success and secondary damage.
Keywords: tyre industry, Germany, Phoenix-Gummiwerke AG, Continental-Gummiwerke AG, American model
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