Three Examples of Large-Scale Transformation Efforts from American Twentieth-Century History

Abstract

The recurring theme of this book regards the opportunity for economic renewal and business development that is represented by the energy transformation challenge that lies ahead of us. In order to drive home the argument that a large-scale effort to transform energy systems is both realistic and could benefi t society, we will take a closer look at three, by any standards, amazing successes of large-scale American projects. We can learn many things both from the effort by the United States in the Second World War to become the “arsenal of democracy” and from the space program, which, among other things, put a man on the Moon in 1969. The Marshall Plan, which was developed by the US Foreign Secretary, George Marshall, after the Second World War, in order to assist the free nations of Europe, in their efforts to recover from the war, will also be discussed.