Made in the USA : the rise and retreat of American manufacturing / Vaclav Smil.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [225]-251) and indexes.

Why manufacturing matters. Manufactured societies ; Manufacturing and service economies -- The ascent, 1865-1940. Creating the modern world, 1865-1899 ; American steel ; The Edisonian electric system ; Manufacturing for the Information Age ; The decades of consolidation, 1900-1940 ; Electrification of industries and households ; Modern industrial production : mass and efficiency ; Manufacturing during the Great Depression -- Dominance, 1941-1973. World War II and its immediate aftermath, 1941-1947 ; Mobilizing for war ; Old and new weapons ; The beginnings of the computer era ; A quarter century of superiority, 1948-1973 ; The first mass consumption society ; Automation, computers, and microchips ; Manufacturing strengths and problems -- The retreat, 1974- . Signs of weakness, 1974-1990 ; Energy in manufacturing ; Problems in the auto industry ; Electronic triumphs and defeats ; Multiple failures, 1991-2012 ; Sectoral losses and capitulations ; The myth of high-tech dominance ; "Made in China" and the Walmart Nation -- The past and the future. Successes and challenges ; The achievements of American manufacturing ; Failures and problems ; Global competition : never a level playing field ; Should anything be done? ; Calls for change ; Exporting goods ; Encountering limits -- Chances of success.