Transport History, 1945-95: The Rise of a Topic to Maturity
Author(s)
Armstrong, John
Abstract
Discusses major developments in transport history as a subdiscipline of economic and social history between 1945 through 1995, noting how they meshed with prevailing contemporary thought and considering their potential long-term impact. Scholarly interest in transportation history grew throughout the 1950’s with the increased availability of source material linking innovations in transportation, particularly railways, with world economic development. The 1960’s brought new methods and controversies in economic history, which influenced transport history, including cliometrics, business history, and the concept of social savings. The most significant change during the past several has been the increasing recognition of collaboration among various modes of transportation existing simultaneously in different markets, as opposed to the earlier view that new forms of transportation superseded old ones. In the 1990’s, this increasingly complex picture has suggested new research methods and opportunities for further study that must be explored for the field to thrive.
