ABSTRACT
There are relatively few theoretically guided analyses of relations between the federal government and specific industries or organizations. This analysis uses principles derived from neo-Marxian and neo-Weberian theories of political economy to examine the maritime industry's relations with the federal government. These relations have been varied, complex, and contingent upon unique historical circumstances. This chapter examines three historical factors that shaped the relations between the maritime industry and the state during three periods of maritime development (Forsyth 1988). The three factors are: (I) the strategies of capital accumulation, (2) the nature of the class conflict within the industry, and (3) the organizational interests of the modem capitalist state, which includes fostering both capital accumulation and the maintenance of the perception of legitimacy. The three time periods examined are: die American Revolution until 1867; 1868 to 1897; and 1898 on. These three periods represent distinct times of policy change and strategies of capital accumulation. The period from the American Revolution to 1867 was a time of intense capital accumulation with U.S . investment focused on overseas trade. The wealth of the United States was in its shipping and commerce (Hohman 1956; Lawrence 1966). The post-Civil War period (1868-1897) represents a time of decline for shipping
as investment shifted to internal development. This shift occurred both in capital and government support. During this period maritime labor also started to make gains . In 1898 a new era for the U.S. merchant marine began . Impelled by the historic need to raise its merchant marine to a level demanded by its imperialistic expansion , the United States was faced with the inescapable necessity of altering its entire maritime policy (Lang 1943: 66) .
