History of Cold War Industrialisation

Saara Matala is Post-doctoral Fellow in the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

‘The book aims to open up and provide a new interpretation to the black box of the East-West trade during the Cold War by using the Finnish shipbuilding industry as a case study. By means of examining procedures and practices provided by archival sources, the author attempts to explain how a small peripheral country like Finland could develop into a noteworthy shipbuilding country and industrialise fairly quickly in the postwar period. The author’s approach is both innovative and illuminating for readers who are not yet experts in the East-West trade.’Timo Myllyntaus, Turku School of Economics, Finland‘An ambitious, elegant, and enjoyable analysis of how an industry and a small state successfully navigate through the muddy waters of the Cold War.’Maiju Wuokko, University of Turku, Finland"I recommend Matala’s book for anyone with an interest in the dynamics between politics, technology, and business during the Cold War."RENÉ TAUDAL POULSEN, Technology & Culture

• 1 Introduction. 2 Before the Cold War shipbuilding. 3 Technology diplomacy: civilian ships carrying political weight and state leaders. 4 Institutional interface to the Soviet market: bilateral trade and Finnish shipbuilding. 5 Beyond business as usual: techno-scientific and industrial cooperation. 6 From consensus to competition: reorganisation and rationalisation in shipbuilding. 7 National competitiveness and international economy: shipyard financing and state aid. 8 Conclusions