In recent decades, the decline of traditional manufacturing--deindustrialization--has been one of the most significant aspects of the restructuring of the American economy. David Koistinen examines the demise of the New England textile industry from the 1920s through the 1980s to better understand the process of industrial decline. He systematically explores three policy responses to deindustrialization, each backed by a distinct set of interest groups: cutbacks in government regulations and business taxes, demanded by existing manufacturers; federal intervention to support New England's failing textile makers, urged by organized labor; and efforts to develop new industries and employment in the region, sought by service-sector companies and others. Confronting Decline offers an in-depth look at the process of deindustrialization over time and shows how this pattern repeats itself throughout the country and the world.
David Koistinen is associate professor of history at William Paterson University.