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The history of the world economy - Polyak GB

The technology and organization of production

For the second scientific and technological revolution is characterized by the penetration of chemical methods for processing raw materials in almost all branches of production. In industries such as mechanical engineering, electrical production, textile industry, has become a widely used synthetic fiber chemistry -.. Plastics, insulation materials, synthetic fibers, etc. The American chemist J. Hayettom in 1869 was obtained tsellulolid. In 1906, L. Bakeland made bakelite, were then obtained carbolite and other plastics. Development of the French engineer G. Chardonnay in 1884, the method of manufacturing artificial fiber was the basis for the production of nitroshelka, and from 1903 - rayon and viscose.

In 1899-1900 gg. works of Russian scientist Ivan L. Kondakova allowed to receive synthetic rubber from carbohydrates. The methods of manufacture of ammonia serving as a starting material for nitric acid and other nitrogen compounds necessary in the production of dyes, explosives and fertilizers. The best method was the method of German scientists F. Haber and C. Bosch.

The achievement of the second scientific and technological revolution is a cracking process - a method of oil degradation at high pressures and temperatures. It allows for an increased yield of gasoline, as sharply increased demand for light oil. Basics techniques were laid Mendeleev, developed by Russian scientists and engineers, in particular, VG Shukhov. Similar surveys were conducted in the US, where in 1916, this process has been mastered in industrial production.

Synthetic fuel was produced before the First World War. Back in the 1903-1904 biennium. Russian chemists schools AE Tabor opened the way to the production of liquid fuel from solid fuel, but this is the biggest achievement of Russian technical thought was not used. Industrial method of manufacturing a light fuel from coal carried a German engineer F. Bergius that there has been an important economic and military importance to Germany, does not have the natural oil resources.

The second STR contributed a lot to improve the technical sphere of light, printing and other industries. This is an automatic loom, automatic machine for the production of bottles, mechanical typesetting machine, and so on. D.

The second STR - is the creation of the production system and the invention of the assembly line. At the end of the XIX century. production of standardized products has created the preconditions for the development of the production system. mass line production system requires a rational organization of labor, processing machines and workstations are arranged on the downstream side. The manufacturing process is divided into a large number of simple operations and performed non-stop, continuously. Initially, this system was introduced in the canning, production of matches, and then spread to many industries. A particularly important role she played in the automotive industry. This was due, on the one hand, the need for a rapid increase in car production due to a sharp increase in demand for them, and on the other hand, the features of automotive production, which was built on the principles of interoperability and normalization (standardization) of parts and assemblies. In the automobile factories H. Ford in the US flow-mass production for the first time acquired a complete form (with conveyor). In 1914, a car assembly rate was reduced to one and a half hours.

The introduction of mass production has changed the nature of the plant equipment in mechanical engineering. We began to enter purpose machines for the manufacture of parts -.. Screws, washers, nuts, bolts, etc. In the textile industry in 1890, there was an automatic loom British designer John Northrop..

Military equipment

Significant were the second STR success of military equipment. The main directions of its development include:

1) automation of small arms. American engineer machine guns were taken into service. X. Maxim (1883), heavy machine guns and Maxim Hotchkiss light machine guns Lewis. several types of rifles was created;

2) automation of artillery. Before the First World War and in the course of its new rapid-firing guns were designed - semiautomatic and automatic. Range of fire increased from 16-18 km to 120 km. (Eg, a unique German gun "Big Bertha"). number of tractors has been introduced with internal combustion engines for transportation of heavy artillery. There was anti-aircraft artillery to fight the enemy air raid. They were set up tanks and armored cars, armed with machine guns and small-caliber guns;

3) production of explosives. Their release increased in enormous sizes. new inventions (smokeless powder), developed the production of fixed nitrogen from the air (a raw material for explosives) were implemented. The use of toxic substances in the course of World War I demanded protection money from them - in 1915, Russian engineer ND Zelinsky coal gas mask was developed. The construction gasproof shelters;

4) extensive use of aeronautics and aviation. Aircraft not only served as military intelligence, but also fighters. Since the summer of 1915 began to equip aircraft with machine guns. fighter aircraft speed was increased to 190-220 km per hour. There bomber. Even before the war (in 1913) Sikorsky aircraft built in Russia, the first four-engine airplane "Russian Vityaz". During the war, the warring countries have improved bombers;

Multiengine airplane "Russian Vityaz"

5) creation of large surface ships - battleships, dreadnoughts. It became a reality snorkeling. In recent years, in the XIX. submarines were built in different countries. On the surface, they were powered by internal combustion engines, and underwater - motors. Particular attention is paid the construction of submarines, Germany, to adjust their production to the beginning of the First World War.

The results of the second STR

The First World War caused a huge development of military equipment. Thus the second scientific and technological revolution has covered various spheres of industrial production. She surpassed the previous era the pace of technological progress. At the beginning of the XIX century. order inventions was calculated double-digit in the second era of the STR -.. four-digit, ie the thousands. The largest number of inventions patented by the American Edison T. (1000).

1. By its nature, the second scientific and technological revolution was different from the industrial revolution XVIII-XIX centuries. If the industrial revolution led to the establishment of machine industry and changes in the social structure (the formation of two new classes - the bourgeoisie and the working class) and approval of the rule of the bourgeoisie, the second scientific and technological revolution has not affected the type of production and the social structure and the nature of socio-economic relations. The results - changes in technology and production technology, reconstruction of machine industry, the transformation of science from small to large. Therefore, it was referred to the industrial revolution and the scientific and technical.

2. NTR led to the emergence of many new branches of industrial production, which did not know the story. This electrical, chemical, oil extraction, refining and petrochemical, automotive aircraft, production of portland cement and concrete, etc.

3. occur not only diversification of industries and sub-industries. This can be seen in the structure, such as engineering. The full force declared itself transport engineering (production of locomotives, automobiles, aircraft, boats and ships, trams, etc.). During these years, the fastest growing branch of engineering such as automotive. The first cars with the petrol engine began to create in Germany, Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler (November 1886), but soon they have appeared foreign competitors. If the first car factory Mr. Ford in the US was released in 1892, then by the beginning of the XX century, this company has produced 4 thousand. Cars a year.

4. The rapid development of new branches of engineering has caused changes in the structure of the steel industry - increased demand for steel and its rate of melting iron production greatly exceeded growth.

5. Technical changes late XIX-early XX centuries. and accelerated development of new industries determined the change in the structure of world industrial production. If, before the start of the second scientific and technological revolution in the total volume of products dominated the share of industries in group "B" (production of consumer goods), the result is the second scientific and technological revolution has increased the share of industry group 'A' (production of the means of production, heavy industry). This led to the fact that the increased concentration of production, began to dominate the large enterprise. large-scale production needs large capital investments, and caused the need to join private capital, which was carried out the formation of joint stock companies, in turn. The culmination of this was the creation of a chain of changes, the formation of monopolistic unions, ie, monopolies in the field of production and in the field of capital (financial resources).

Thus, as a result of the changes in technology and production technology and the development of productive forces caused by the second scientific and technological revolution, the material conditions have been created for the formation of monopoly capitalism and the transition from an industrial stage and free competition to the monopoly stage. It contributes to the process of monopolization and economic crises that regularly occurs at the end of the XIX century., As well as the beginning of the XX century. (1873,1883,1893, 1901- 1902, and others.). As in the crisis died primarily small and medium-sized enterprises, it contributed to the concentration and centralization of production and capital.

Monopoly as a form of organization of production and capital in the late XIX-early XX centuries. It occupied a dominant position in the socio-economic life of the world's leading countries, although the degree of concentration and monopolization of the countries has been uneven; were different dominant forms of monopolies. As a result, the second STR instead of individual forms of property becomes the main shareholder in agriculture - farming; the co-operative, as well as municipal.

At this historic juncture for industrial development the leading place in the world occupy the young capitalist countries - the United States and Germany, much promoted Japan, while the former leaders - Britain and France are lagging behind. The center of world economic development in the transition to the monopoly stage of capitalism moved from Europe to North America. First power on the economic development of the world was the United States of America.

Review Questions

1. Explain why the second scientific and technological revolution is not called the second industrial revolution.

2. Describe: a) the main technical achievements of the second scientific and technological revolution, b) the achievements of individual countries.

3. Select, in your opinion, the most important results of the second scientific and technological revolution. Explain why you have them identified.

4. What factors led to the transition from an industrial capitalism to the stage of monopoly?