How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War (Update)

2024/12/9

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Anne Eflin

Audra Wolfe

Peter Timmer

Shane Hamilton

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Shane Hamilton: 我认为美国超市的成功并非仅仅源于自由市场,而是政府长期以来对农业科技和基础设施的大力投入,以及巧妙的宣传策略。超市的低价和丰富商品,是工业化农业和政府支持的综合结果,这在冷战时期被用作宣传资本主义优越性的工具。这种宣传策略有意掩盖了政府在其中的作用,将超市的成功归功于自由市场,这是一种不诚实的做法。此外,这种以效率和产量为导向的农业模式也带来了负面后果,例如环境污染、食品质量下降以及小型家庭农场的消失。总而言之,美国在冷战时期的农业成就,是科技进步、政府干预和巧妙宣传的综合结果,但其代价是环境和社会结构的改变。 Anne Eflin: 美国政府对农业的干预由来已久,从19世纪末开始就对农业科技和基础设施进行投资,这为超市的出现奠定了基础。第一次世界大战后,农业生产的激增和战后价格的暴跌,导致政府不得不介入农业价格体系,这直接影响了后来的农业政策。政府的干预虽然在一定程度上稳定了农业经济,但也导致了粮食过剩和市场扭曲。政府的补贴政策,虽然初衷是好的,但长期来看,却导致了农业生产的规模化和标准化,对小型家庭农场造成了冲击。总的来说,政府的政策虽然在短期内取得了成效,但也带来了长期的负面影响,需要我们认真反思。 Peter Timmer: 我亲身经历了美国农业的结构性转变,从手工采摘到机械化收割,效率得到了极大的提高。然而,这种转变也导致了农业生产的集中化和规模化,对小型农场造成了冲击。苏联农业的失败,并非技术问题,而是管理和市场问题。苏联缺乏有效的市场机制,导致生产与消费脱节,粮食供应不足。这与美国农业的成功形成了鲜明对比。美国超市的成功,是科技进步、政府政策和市场机制共同作用的结果。但我们也必须认识到,这种模式也带来了环境和社会问题,需要我们寻找更可持续的农业发展模式。 Audra Wolfe: 冷战时期,科学被美国用来作为宣传工具,以展示美国的生活方式的优越性,农业是其中重要的一环。美国政府通过展示超市的丰富商品和低廉价格,来宣传资本主义的优越性,并试图以此来影响其他国家。这种宣传策略虽然在一定程度上取得了成功,但也存在着一定的局限性。它掩盖了政府在农业发展中所扮演的重要角色,并忽略了这种发展模式所带来的负面影响。总而言之,冷战时期的科学宣传,是美国地缘政治战略的重要组成部分,但其影响是复杂的,需要我们进行更深入的研究。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

Why did the U.S. government invest heavily in agricultural research during the Cold War?

The U.S. aimed to demonstrate the superiority of capitalism over communism by showcasing American agricultural productivity and abundance.

How did the U.S. government's agricultural policies influence the supermarket industry?

Government policies encouraged industrial agriculture, making mass-produced foods affordable and enabling the rise of supermarkets as one-stop shopping and service emporiums.

What role did the Supermarket USA exhibit play in the Cold War?

The exhibit in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, displayed American abundance and affordability, aiming to undermine communist ideology by showing the benefits of capitalism.

Why did the Soviet Union struggle with agricultural productivity despite visiting U.S. farms?

The Soviet Union faced management and marketing issues, failing to align production with consumer needs, leading to empty shelves and reliance on imported grain.

What were the long-term economic consequences of U.S. agricultural policies?

Policies led to industrialization, consolidation of farms, and a surplus of staple crops like corn and soybeans, contributing to issues like obesity and environmental degradation.

How did the introduction of the mechanical tomato harvester impact U.S. agriculture?

The harvester revolutionized operations but led to the closure of 4,400 small tomato farms within five years, highlighting the shift towards industrial farming.

What was the significance of the Chicken of Tomorrow project?

The project aimed to produce the most efficient chicken using genetic techniques, leading to the modern chicken we eat today, characterized by heavy breasts and disease resistance.

How did Walmart's entry into the supermarket industry change food marketing?

Walmart introduced hyper-efficient logistics and distribution, using supercomputers to track inventory, revolutionizing supply chain management and setting new standards for efficiency.

What environmental issues arose from U.S. agricultural policies?

Heavy use of fertilizers on corn fields contributed to the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, highlighting the environmental costs of industrial farming practices.

How did trade tariffs and government aid impact U.S. farmers in recent years?

Tariffs led to reduced exports and lower revenues, prompting government aid packages totaling over $157 billion to support farmers, creating a cycle of dependency on subsidies.

Shownotes Transcript

Last week, we heard a former U.S. ambassador describe Russia’s escalating conflict with the U.S. Today, we revisit a 2019 episode about an overlooked front in the Cold War — a “farms race” that, decades later, still influences what Americans eat.

SOURCES:
Anne Effland), former Senior Economist for the Office of Chief Economist in the U.S.D.A.
Shane Hamilton), historian at the University of York.
Peter Timmer), economist and former professor at Harvard University.
Audra Wolfe), writer, editor, and historian.
RESOURCES:
Freedom’s Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science), by Audra Wolfe (2018).
Supermarket USA: Food and Power in The Cold War Farms Race), by Shane Hamilton (2018).
“Association of Higher Consumption of Foods Derived From Subsidized Commodities With Adverse Cardiometabolic Risk Among US Adults),” by Karen R. Siegel, Kai McKeever Bullard, K. M. Narayan, et al. (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2016).
The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living Since the Civil War), by Robert J. Gordon (2016).
“How the Mechanical Tomato Harvester Prompted the Food Movement),” by Ildi Carlisle-Cummins (UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences Newsletter, 2015).
EXTRAS:
"Is the U.S. Sleeping on Threats from Russia and China?)" by *Freakonomics Radio *(2024).

How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War (Update) 38:53 Share