Overview

Prior to 1914, Germany dominated the worldwide production of synthetic organic dyes and pharmaceuticals like aspirin. When World War I disrupted the supply of German chemicals to the United States, American entrepreneurs responded to the shortages and high prices by trying to manufacture chemicals domestically. Learning the complex science and industry, however, posed a serious challenge. This book explains how the United States built a synthetic organic chemicals industry in World War I and the 1920s. Kathryn Steen argues that Americans' intense anti-German sentiment in World War I helped to forge a concentrated effort among firms, the federal government, and universities to make the United States independent of """"foreign chemicals."""" Besides mobilisation efforts to make high explosives and war gases, federal policies included protective tariffs, gathering and publishing market information, and, most dramatically, confiscation of German-owned chemical subsidiaries and patents. Meanwhile, firms and universities worked hard to develop scientific and manufacturing expertise. Against a backdrop of hostilities and intrigue, Steen shows how chemicals were deeply entwined with national and international politics and policy during the war and subsequent isolationism of the turbulent early twentieth century.

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9781469612904

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Reviews

An important book. Its narratives and arguments are rich and intricate.-- Bulletin for the History of Chemistry

Offers a fascinating look at the political economy of the American chemical industry in its formative years.-- The Journal of American History

Offers a fascinating look at the political economy of the American chemical industry in its formative years.--The Journal of American History A thoughtful analysis of the development of the organic chemicals industry.--Ambix A brief review can scarcely do justice to the complexity and nuances of this story, which is critical to the history of American industry in the twentieth century.--American Historical Review [A] well-contextualized study of an important segment of the chemical industry.--H-Net An important book. Its narratives and arguments are rich and intricate.--Bulletin for the History of Chemistry

Steen's book will become essential reading for scholars interested in the impact of World War I on American political economy and for anyone looking to understand the emergence of the modern American chemical industry. The book also contributes to diplomatic history in illustrating the turn away from internationalism in the inter-war period and demonstrating its effects on industrial policy. --Steven W. Usselman, Georgia Institute of Technology

[A] well-contextualized study of an important segment of the chemical industry.--H-Net

Offers a fascinating look at the political economy of the American chemical industry in its formative years.--The Journal of American History A thoughtful analysis of the development of the organic chemicals industry.--Ambix An important book. Its narratives and arguments are rich and intricate.--Bulletin for the History of Chemistry A brief review can scarcely do justice to the complexity and nuances of this story, which is critical to the history of American industry in the twentieth century.--American Historical Review [A] well-contextualized study of an important segment of the chemical industry.--H-Net

A thoughtful analysis of the development of the organic chemicals industry.--Ambix An important book. Its narratives and arguments are rich and intricate.--Bulletin for the History of Chemistry [A] well-contextualized study of an important segment of the chemical industry.--H-Net Offers a fascinating look at the political economy of the American chemical industry in its formative years.--The Journal of American History A brief review can scarcely do justice to the complexity and nuances of this story, which is critical to the history of American industry in the twentieth century.--American Historical Review

Author Information

Kathryn Steen is associate professor of history at Drexel University, USA.

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