Ephemeral revival of the mechanical engineering industry in the Paris region, 1939-1958

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  • パリ機械工業の再活性化とその限界、1939～1958年
  • パリ キカイ コウギョウ ノ サイカッセイカ ト ソノ ゲンカイ 1939 1958ネン

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The mechanical engineering industry in the Paris region was activated by the rearmament policy against Germany after 1935, survived the Vichy period (1940-1944) and the post-war disturbances, and finally blossomed in the early 1950s. After the war, Parisian machine builders profited by the absence of large German firms in the French capital goods market, at a time when the boom of consumer durables was just around the corner. In this sense, the 1950s was a period of transition. Before the emergence of the Common Market and the full operation of large provincial assembly plants in the 1960s, small- and medium-sized factories, traditionally located in the eastern outskirts of the city of Paris, managed to produce machines and mechanical parts in sufficient quantity and quality, introducing technical innovations, specializing in their activities, and strengthening ties among each other. This paper begins with an overview of company annual reports in order to outline the growth of leading firms in each field of operation. Then some technological documents are examined to understand the practical innovations made by these small enterprises. Finally some contemporary economic research is cited to appreciate the role of the sub-contracting system, which appeared in the pre-war rearmament period and contributed largely to the post-war prosperity of the industry.

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