Vaclav Smil's Made in the USA: The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing Is A Humbling Warning

The 20th century has been proclaimed by many to be "The American Century" because of its surprisng rise as a powerhouse in the wake of Britain's decline after 300 years of global dominance. For many, this premise is unchallenged, accepted as fact. And many see the next 100 years as more of the same, with the U.S. remaining on top of the heap as the world's top dog. 

Vaclav Smil sees things differently, hence ths book about what he calls as The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing.,the subtitle of his 2013 assessment of the USA today. 

It's easy to see how America became a manufacturing powerhouse after WW2. Our competitors' industrial capabilities, infrastructure and populations were decimated by that war, and many had not yet fully recovered from the earlier global conflict.

For Smil, America's ascent began with the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s. Advancements in technology, infrastructure, and workforce skills turned the U.S. into a manufacturing powerhouse. These advances were mega-amped by the rise of mass production techniques (hence Huxley's A.F. in Brave New World) that boosted productivity and economic growth. 

However, from the late 20th century onward, several factors contributed to the sector's decline. (1) The rise of global competition (esp. Japan, China and Germany) eroded the U.S. manufacturing base. (2) Many American companies relocated production to countries with lower labor costs. This outsourcing lead to job losses and deindustrialization in the U.S. (3) Automation and advancements in technology reduced the need for manual labor, changing the nature of manufacturing jobs. 

And how has this played out?

Smil shows how the loss of manufacturing jobs contributed to economic inequality, regional disparities, and the decline of the American middle class. The shift away from manufacturing has also affected communities that were once heavily reliant on factory jobs (eg. Detroit) leading to social challenges such as unemployment and declining living standards.

Surprisingly, Smil still expressed cautious optimism about the future of American manufacturing, arguing that the sector can be revitalized through strategic investments in innovation, education, and infrastructure. Key recommendations include reindustrialization, advanced manufacturing and sustainable manufacturing practices to address environmental concerns and improve efficiency.

I find it interesting that some critics considered the book too pessimistic. I find it overly optimistic. Is the glass half empty or half full. We'll eventually find out.

Smil makes a solid case for the importance of manufacturing. Yet here in Northern Minnesota there is very little being done to incentivize it, even though we are rich in natural resources. Our economic base has flipped, away from manufacturing to a service economy. The biggest employers are universities, hospitals and our tourism related services. I don't see evidence of this turning around. Do you?

Bob Dylan In Minnesota Now Available at Zenith Bookstore: A Handy Tool for Music-Based Tourists

Music-based tourism is well developed and growing, especially in countries featuring both mature tourism and music industries, such as the USA and the UK. 

So begins an abstract about a paper by David Leaver and Ruth A. Schmidt titled Before they were famous: music-based tourism and a musician's hometown roots.

They go on to say "Mintel estimated destination driven trips as 75 per cent of all music tourism at approximately 55 million annual visits worldwide, including domestic and international travel. It relies on evidence of cultural activities, incidents from the past, and tangible artifacts that can be photographed (Connell and Gibson, 2003). Memphis, with its strapline “Home of the Blues, birthplace of Rock n Roll” has built, post the mid-1980s, a thriving music based tourism industry attracting some million visitors and a spend of $3 billion (Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2007). The popularity of heritage attractions is highest among middle aged and older consumers, [“baby boomers” born between 1944 and 1964] with a bias towards the more affluent ABC1 socio-economic groups, with the third-age group, which makes up 25 per cent of the UK population, classed as very heritage-active (Mintel, 2008b). 

"The search for a contextual understanding is a key driver for these heritage tourists. Sites of music production and of births and deaths which emerged in the latter part of twentieth century are central."

This link will bring you to sources for this document: Before they were famous: music-based tourism and a musician’s hometown roots.

If you do decide you want to see points of interest from the early life of octogenarian Bob Dylan, I can recommend a couple of books to help you catch a few scenes you may not have been aware of before. The first, which is now near impossible to find, is Dave Engel's Just Like Bob Zimmerman' Blues.  You can read my interview with Mr. Engel here. The second might me K.G. Miles' Bob Dylan in Minnesota, of which I was one of several contributors. If you are planning a trip to the Northland, I recommend buying it when you visit us here Up North or in the Twin Cities.

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Thursday night I attended a book-signing by Rick Shefchik and Paul Metsa at Zenith City Books where their newly released Dylan-themed Blood In The Tracks is now available. I noticed that Zenith is also carrying K.G. Miles' fourth book in the Troubador Tales series, Bob Dylan in Minnesota. (Caveat: I saw the last copy pulled from the shelf so hopefully it will be back in stock soon.) Paul Metsa was also a contributor to that book as well, along with three other Minnesotans including myself.

If you're looking for a good read, their knowledgeable staff will help guide you to something worthy of your time. What's more, other than the library, I think Zenith has the most complete selection of works by local authors. There are a lot of excellent writers here, so make time to explore.

Here are a few fotos from Thursday eve.

An attentive crowd for the book signing.

Paul Metsa signs a book for Duluth Dylan Fest chair Zane Bail.

Rick Shefchik adds his signature for Nelson French

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Get into it.