In the Kingdom of Shoes

Bata, Zlín, Globalization, 1894-1945

Zachary Austin Doleshal

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English

University of Toronto Press
14 October 2021

Industrialisation & industrial history; Textile industries; Fashion & beauty industries

One of the world's largest sellers of footwear, the Bata Company of Zln, Moravia has a remarkable history that touches on crucial aspects of what made the world modern. In the twilight of the Habsburg Empire, the company Americanized its production model while also trying to Americanize its workforce. It promised a technocratic form of governance in the chaos of postwar Czechoslovakia, and during the Roaring Twenties, it became synonymous with rationalization across Europe and thus a flashpoint for a continent-wide debate. While other companies contracted in response to the Great Depression, Bata did the opposite, becoming the first shoe company to unlock the potential of globalization.

As Bata expanded worldwide, it became an example of corporate national indifference, where company personnel were trained to be able to slip into and out of national identifications with ease. Such indifference, however, was seriously challenged by the geopolitical crisis of the 1930s, and by the cusp of the Second World War, Bata management had turned nationalist, even fascist.

In the Kingdom of Shoes unravels the way the Bata project swept away tradition and enmeshed the lives of thousands of people around the world in the industrial production of shoes. Using a rich array of archival materials from two continents, the book answers how Bata's rise to the world's largest producer of shoes challenged the nation-state, democracy, and Americanization.

By: Zachary Austin Doleshal
Imprint: University of Toronto Press
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 380g
ISBN: 9781487524449
ISBN 10: 1487524447
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 14 October 2021
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction 1. “A New Fixed Existence”: The Modernization of Zlín 2. “Time is Money”: The Americanization of the Dřevnice Valley, 1914–1923 3. “An End to Politics”: The Political Takeover of the Dřevnice Valley, 1923–1926 4. “Speak Briefly”: Rationalization and Everyday Life, 1926–1932 5. “Half the World is Barefoot”: The Globalization of the Bata System, 1931–1937 6. “The Path of Perfection”: Engineering the Batovci for an Uncertain World, 1933–1938 7. “Everyone Gives Their Soul to Their Country,” 1937–March, 1939 8. “Not a Nazi, but More or Less a Fool,” 1939–1941 Conclusion

Zachary Austin Doleshal is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of History at Sam Houston State University.

Reviews for In the Kingdom of Shoes: Bata, Zlín, Globalization, 1894-1945

""" In the Kingdom of Shoes is a pathbreaking history of the Bata Shoe Company. It is simultaneously a brilliant history of globalization, the multinational corporation, and the company town, and how they all emerged and developed in the politically and economically turbulent context of Central Europe. This book is fascinating and essential reading for anyone interested in the history of capitalism, globalization, and nationalism in European and global history."" --Tara Zahra, Homer J. Livingston Professor of East European History and the College, University of Chicago ""The epic rise of the Bata Shoe Company from small-town factory to global conglomerate is one of the great corporate stories of the twentieth century. Doleshal's well-crafted and deeply researched book offers the first comprehensive and objective history of the culture of Batism with its civilization-making aspirations and high levels of social control. In the Kingdom of Shoes adds significantly to our understanding of the successes and failures of modern capitalism."" --Kimberly E. Zarecor, Professor of Architecture, Iowa State University"