Miguel Sánchez
Extracted by cutting various tropical trees, rubber It was known in Europe until the XNUMXth century under the name of gum arabic.. Considered a second line product, it was not really important in global trade until the arrival of the Industrial Revolution. And it is that, just when political liberalism was taking its first steps, the advancement of technology was placed at the service of a productive system that was increasingly in need of transport.
Thus, Charles Goodyear accidentally discovered the vulcanization of rubber in 1839. Based on the heating of said material together with its mixture with sulfur, this process opened the doors for the use of new rubbery materials in all kinds of industries. Thanks to this, from tires to condoms to dental prostheses, that advance continues to be very present in many daily events.
With all this, the flexible and waterproof qualities of vulcanized rubber made it an essential component for the development of railway machinery. Scope from which it jumped to other areas of transport with the progressive popularization of private vehicles at the end of the XNUMXth century. This way, first it was very present on bicycles to, from there, make the leap to the field of motorcycles. However, the irruption of mass motoring at the beginning of the new century was what most unleashed the demand for rubber in industrialized countries.
Not in vain, while in 1900 some 10.000 automobiles traveled around the world, just three decades later there were already some two and a half million. At this point, it goes without saying how they had already emerged true business giants dedicated to the world of tires. What's more, today they are still practically the same, with brands like Dunlop, Goodyear, Goodrich, Firestone, Michelin and Continental in the lead.
Now, where did all the raw material necessary to satisfy such a demand come from? Well, in this sense, the first country we should look at is Brazil. However, since shortly after 1870 the British obtained their own seeds the nerve center of world rubber production shifted to Southeast Asia. Specifically to Malaysia, where the British had established their colonial occupation at the end of the previous century.
Favored by the tropical climate, those seeds generated in a very few years extensive monoculture areas run by companies such as British Malaya. In fact, at the dawn of World War I it already controlled more than 40% of the supplier market. A fact that, beyond business, had key strategic consequences during the development of the conflict, giving the Anglo-Saxon world and its allies a clear advantage over Germany and its supporters.
METAL WHEELS, WHEN THE RUBBER DOES NOT ARRIVE
Beyond its political importance, World War I evidenced the transition towards mechanized transport. In this way, although in this contest the use of cavalries was still important, The irruption of motor vehicles conditioned the strategy on all fronts. Thus, Germany opted for the mobilization of troops and resources through its extensive network of railways. Something valid for the first months of the war although, finally, insufficient in order to make rapid movements against the clock.
Because of this, when Germany became aware of the role of trucks in this war, it was already too late. Furthermore, due to not having thought about it with planning this did not add any reserve of rubber for the manufacture of tires. Moreover, this was aggravated by the fact that, as we have seen, the rubber supply was in the hands of British companies. With all this, while the Allies added more and more military vehicles to the fight - in Europe up to 25.000 Ford Model T units created by and for this war were registered - Germany and its own mired in the trenches.
In fact, given such a lack of rubber, German trucks began to circulate with iron wheels made up of a multitude of springs located between the rim and a leather strap to facilitate rolling. Undoubtedly something very inefficient, contributing both to precarious mobility and to a rapid vehicle wear. What's more, this even extended to other areas such as bicycles, where we can also find examples in this regard.
Likewise, the arrival of the armistice did not put an end to this situation. Not in vain, Germany was subjected to a logical series of sanctions, to the swing of the British and American companies as far as the supply of tires is concerned. In fact Continental - the only major tire company founded in Germany before World War I - had lost more than three-quarters of its workforce during the war. In short, as we see, scarcity sharpens wit.
