ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to the roles and functions of soy exclus during the roots phase of the third soy cycle, the period 1860–1949 that leads up to the regime. By the mid-19th century, soy had not yet become a key global commodity. However, the set of transformative forces rooted in this phase – new technologies, commodity chain activities s, uses and power configurations – would ultimately usher in the post-World War II regime phase. Concretely, this chapter discusses the roles of soy within the processes of frontier expansion, agricultural intensification and regional commercialization as they occurred in Manchuria and situates the Manchurian soy boom in the wider context of world agrofood rivalries and imperialism. Attention then turns to the new roles of Manchurian soybeans in European agro-industries, focusing on the technological advances that enabled soy to supplant other fats and oils and in industrial products such as lamp oil, soaps and synthetic wool, as well as in foods like margarine. The chapter covers the insertion of soybeans into the US Corn Belt, paving the way for a new regime phase. The final section reflects on changes from the previous cycle as soy spread beyond China and Asia to take root in the West.
