The ups and downs of the Economic Miracle

When the ban on merchant shipbuilding in Germany was lifted in 1951, this led to a boom at Hamburg's shipyards that lasted into the 1960s. But the spectacular bankruptcy of the Schlieker yard in 1962 signaled a renewed slump in shipbuilding. To keep the port competitive, far-reaching modernization was required, bringing sharp cuts to the workforce. As the forklift had long since replaced the hand-cart, with manual labor and small cargo becoming less and less common, the warehouses, quaysides and loading facilities had to be adjusted to new requirements. In 1966, the first roll-on, roll-off berth was built, enabling cargo vehicles to embark and disembark directly. In 1968, the first all-container ship was unloaded, marking the dawn of a new, efficient form of freight transport.

Economic development in Hamburg's other sectors was also unsteady, with corresponding fluctuation in the supply of jobs. In the 1970s and early 1980s, there were so many that foreign workers had to be recruited. Hamburg showed continuity as an industrial location, most importantly in the petroleum, food and tobacco industries, and mechanical engineering. But some attempts by the authorities to encourage businesses to locate in Hamburg were ill-fated, as when the city bought into the Reynolds aluminum works in 1969.
Beginning in the immediate postwar years, Hamburg developed into West Germany's premier media location. Axel Springer, Gruner+Jahr and Heinrich Bauer published a range of daily and weekly newspapers and magazines. The weekly newspaper "Die Zeit" and the weekly magazines "Stern" and (from 1952) "Der Spiegel" played a key role in shaping public opinion in the country. Together with banks, insurance companies, advertising agencies and business consultancies, the press forms part of the service industry which became the leading business sector in Hamburg during the last quarter of the 20th century. With the expansion of the university, Hamburg also became a center of research. Since 1964, fundamental research in physics has been carried out at the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY).


Hamburg in the 20th. century (2)
-    Winter food shortages, refugee misery, black market trading
-    From occupied city to federal state
-    The modern metropolis
-    The exhileration of the consumer Society
-    The ups and downs of the Economic Miracle
-    Social policy and alternative politics
-    The limits of growth
-    Cultural city Hamburg
-    At the end of the Millennium

Hamburg in the 20th. century (1)