THE LOGISTIC REVOLUTION: THE RISE OF LOGISTICS IN THE MASS CONSUMPTION SOCIETY by Richard Vahrenkamp

Original German title: DIE LOGISTISCHE REVOLUTION: Der Aufstieg der Logistik in der Massenkonsumgesellschaft

In The Logistic Revolution, Richard Vahrenkamp discusses the political and economic factors which have led to the rise of logistics in Europe in the context of the mass consumption society. Not only does he show the ascent of truck transport in the 1920s to satisfy consumer needs and the importance of the European motorway infrastructure for the development of modern logistics, he also sheds light on the dimension that freight transport has acquired in Europe and on the organizations that have been created in Europe to enable and facilitate cross border goods transports. Other than in the US, the national transport markets in Europe were initially uncoordinated. It was only in the process of European unification that transport markets for truck freight and associated logistics systems became Europe wide. This change was accompanied by the struggle between rail and truck.

The book also discusses Europe wide just-in-time deliveries in car manufactures, the role of the parcel delivery services in a society of mass consumption as well as the problems of Alpine crossing for goods traffic. Finally, he points at the various factors that led to the logistics revolution of the 1990s, such as the emergence of Internet and the shift of consumer goods production from Europe to Asia.