An in-person and online lecture from Jonathan Aylen

Stalinism, espionage and Marshall Aid: How US strip mill technology came to Europe

Like railways in the 19th century and the internet in the 21st century, steel strip production was a technology that unlocked growth in a range of user industries during the 20th century.
Invented in America in the 1920’s to supply the fast-growing auto industry with steel sheets, the continuous wide strip mill rolled hot ribbons of steel strip which were gathered into coils to feed car makers press shops, food canners and a range of consumer durable industries.
These giant strip mills spread from the US to Europe and Japan just before and after the Second World War, transforming steel from a craft industry into large scale, continuous mass production. On the face of it, a straightforward example of technology transfer.
The lecture tells the remarkable stories behind this transfer. How the USA supplied advanced technology to Stalinist Russia before World War II and were paid in gold bullion for their efforts while the American origins were airbrushed out of history. How the Germans carried out industrial espionage to build their “own” equipment which they then tried to sell back to the USA. How equipment for Britain was commissioned under wartime conditions. And how American largesse re-built the shattered post-war economies of Europe.
This lecture focuses on the less orthodox aspects of a story first told in a book with Ruggero Ranieri – Ribbon of Fire – and a recent article in the International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology. In so doing it sheds light on the troubled history of Europe before the Second World War and some of the more unusual sources available to historians of technology.

Questions may be submitted via email before the lecture to events@Newcomen.com or via Zoom chat during the lecture.

About the Speaker

Jonathan Aylen is President of the Newcomen Society and a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Manchester.

The Venue

Kelham Island Museum has advised that although no social distancing restrictions will be in place for the meeting, we will need to keep a detailed register of attendees.  To assist with this and to gauge demand for the in-person talk it would be very helpful if you could let us know if you wish to join us using the Eventbrite link below.  Similarly, if you would like to join us online please book using the Eventbrite link below.  We are very happy if you wish to “hedge your bets” and book for both the in-person and online talks at this stage and make a final decision nearer the time.