Driving Europe : : Building Europe on Roads in the Twentieth Century (Technology and Europe History) (Volume 3) / / Frank Schipper.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter AUP eBook Package Backfile 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Schipper, Frank,
• Place / Publishing House: Amsterdam : : Amsterdam University Press, , [2009]; ©2009
• Year of Publication: 2009
• Language: English
• Series: Technology and European History
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (318 p.)

Today we can hardly imagine life in Europe without roads and the automobiles that move people and goods around. In fact, the vast majority of movement in Europe takes place on the road. Travelers use the car to explore parts of the continent on their holidays, and goods travel large distances to reach consumers. Indeed, the twentieth century has deservedly been characteried as the century of the car. The situation looked very different around 1900. People crossing national borders by car encountered multiple hurdles on their way. Technically, they imported their vehicle into a neighboring country and had to pay astronomic import duties. Often they needed to pass a driving test in each country they visited. Early on, automobile and touring clubs sought to make life easier for traveling motorists. International negotiations tackled the problems arising from differing regulations. The resulting volume describes everything from the standardied traffic signs that saved human lives on the road to the Europabus taking tourists from Stockholm to Rome in the 1950s. Driving Europe offers a highly original portrait of a Europe built on roads in the course of the twentieth century.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Acknowledgments -- Table of contents -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Setting the stage – The dawn of the spirit of Geneva, 1898-1921 -- 3. Roads to Europe – Albert Thomas’ European public works, 1929-1937 -- 4. Driving Europe – The League of Nations Road Committee, 1921-1938 -- 5. Setting the stage – The parade of organizations, 1942-1953 -- 6. Roads to Europe – The E-road network, 1950-2007 -- 7. Driving Europe – The operation of Europe’s roads, 1949-1960 -- 8. Conclusion -- 9. Epilogue – All quiet in Brussels? -- Bibliography -- List of abbreviations -- List of tables and figures