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In this book, the political and economic factors which have led to the rise of logistics in Europe in the context of the mass consumption society will be discussed. First, the ascent of truck transport in the 1920s to satisfy consumer needs and the importance of the European motorway infrastructure for the development of modern logistics, also the dimension freight transport has acquired in Europe, which organizations have been created in Europe to enable and facilitate transnational goods transports, is shown. Other than in the US, the national transport markets were initially uncoordinated. It was only in the process of European unification that transport markets for truck freight and associated logistics systems became Europe-wide. This change was accompanied by the struggle between rail and truck. Second, Europe-wide just-in-time deliveries in the car manufactures, the role of the parcel delivery services in a society of mass consumption and the problems of Alpine crossing for goods traffic are further issues of the book. Finally, the various factors that led to the logistics revolution of the 1990s, as the Internet and the shift of consumer goods production from Europe to Asia are shown.

The expressway network in Europe developed into an essential infrastructure of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century and provided means of commuting, as well as accommodated leisure travel and the cargo supply for the mass consumption society. This book discusses, how expressways were developed in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s. It focuses on the various forerunner projects and the role of the Hafraba association, which has been significant in the Hessian region, with its actors in Kassel, Frankfurt and Darmstadt. It is shown, how the Autobahn concept developed, from the Italian expressways to the Bonn–Cologne Autobahn and to the design of the Nazi Autobahn project. The Bonn–Cologne Autobahn was the first Autobahn in Germany, opened in 1932 by Konrad Adenauer, later Chancellor of West-Germany. This Autobahn section is here explored for the first time. As part of the Nazi Mega Project various regional legs are explored and for the first time drawn to scholary attention: The leg Frankfurt–Kassel–Göttingen, the leg Frankfurt–Darmstadt–Heidelberg–Karlsruhe and the leg Munich–Salzburg. The goals of the Nazi mega project are evaluated. Further the book shows, how traffic on the Autobahn developed and which experiences were made by driving on the Autobahn. The book discusses various approaches towards a theory on infrastructure.