Technological revolution or evolution? The introduction of the pushed-tow system in East and West Germany

Abstract

The reconstruction of the inland waterway fleets of the two German states after the Second World War was characterized by two very different strategies. Whereas West German shipping companies followed an evolutionary approach based on the developments of the interwar period—notably the steady increase in cargo capacity and the introduction of motor ships—the shipping on the German Democratic Republic’s (GDR) state-owned inland waterway developed through the introduction of the pushed-two system, a completely different—and possibly revolutionary—approach. These differing concepts were, on the one hand, a consequence of the physical character of the waterways themselves, with long rivers serving as the main axes of West Germany’s inland waterways, while in the East there was a complex system of small canals around Berlin. On the other hand, the different approaches reflected the contrasting socioeconomic systems in the two states. The socialistic system in the East developed the modular pushed-tow system not only because it guaranteed an optimal use of the fleet under the conditions of a socialistic economy, but also because it enabled the GDR to introduce a socialistic labor regime to the inland waterway transportation sector. The crews of the push boats in the East were no longer travelling people like their fellow inland waterway mariners in the West, but became socialistic workers. However, despite the initial success of the pushed-tow system in the East, it soon became outdated as the socialistic system fostered the introduction of a revolutionary new fleet, but did not provide a base for continuous development and innovation. The evolutionary approach of the West German shipping companies may have been slow initially, but it ultimately formed a base for economic and technological success, as permanent innovation was central to its development. With the collapse of the GDR and the so-called re-unification of Germany, the push boat fleet became obsolete as the modular pushed-tow system of the GDR inland waterway fleet could not adapt to the new economic situation.