What is the westward movement in America?

After 1930, President Roosevelt implemented the "New Deal", and the American government began to pay attention to the balanced development of industry and mining in the east and west. The U.S. government has strengthened its investment in western countries, set up specialized agencies to be responsible for unified planning and management of the development of poor and backward areas, built large-scale hydropower projects, increased loans and financial subsidies, comprehensively managed river basins, and promoted coordinated economic and social development; Implement various preferential policies for the western region and strive to improve the investment environment; The establishment of military enterprises in the west, the development of emerging industries and high-tech industries, and the change of economic structure have gradually shifted the focus of the American economy to the west, and the economic development between the east and the west has gradually become balanced.

3. Deep development period based on high technology. From the end of World War II to the present, it is the third period of American westward movement, which is mainly a period of in-depth development based on scientific and technological development. After World War II, the United States took the lead in launching the third scientific and technological revolution marked by computer network technology, atomic energy technology, biotechnology and space technology. The western part of the United States makes full use of its geographical advantages at the source of scientific and technological revolution, takes scientific and technological development as the main body, transforms traditional industries and develops emerging industries with advanced technology, which greatly promotes the development of the western part of the United States and the prosperity of the entire American economy, and strongly supports the development of the American knowledge economy. The main policies and measures of the American government during this period are:

(1) Establish a high-tech park with venture capital mechanism. In 1930s, the scientific and technological revolution in the United States originated from Stanford University and its surrounding areas, and became the core of high technology in 1960s, resulting in the world-famous "Silicon Valley" in California. In order to further promote high-tech innovation and the application of achievements, the US government encourages the full use of venture capital mechanism and the establishment of high-tech parks. Since the establishment of Silicon Valley High-tech Park in San Jose, California in the 1960s, the United States has established more than a dozen similar high-tech parks in the west and even the whole country. These parks have played an extremely important role in incubating industrial innovation and scientific research achievements, and in the economic and technological development of the western United States and even the whole United States. They not only transformed traditional industries with high technology, but also emerged many new industrial sectors, such as polymer materials industry, atomic energy industry, computer industry, semiconductor industry, aerospace industry, laser industry, etc., which rose in the western region, adjusted the industrial structure of the United States and became a successful model for the in-depth development of the western region of the United States.

(2) Using regional economic management policies to promote the western development. In order to promote the balanced development of regional economy, the American government promulgated many regional economic management policies during this period, which played a positive role in the development of the western United States. 196 1 year, the Regional Redevelopment Law was promulgated, and the Regional Redevelopment Administration was established under the Ministry of Commerce. 1965 promulgated the Public Works and Economic Development Act and the Appalachian Regional Development Act, and allocated 1 1 billion dollars for road construction, medical centers and local resources development, and accordingly established the Economic Development Agency and the Appalachian Regional Committee respectively. From 65438 to 0977, the US Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act, which encouraged banks and savings and loan institutions to provide loans to their regions, especially low-income people, and the relevant regulatory agencies specifically conducted regular evaluations on the law enforcement of relevant financial institutions. At the same time, in the process of American industrial layout moving westward, the government has increased financial support for the western region and encouraged enterprises to move to the southwest sunshine zone. For example, in 197 1- 1998, the federal government's financial allocation to state and local governments increased from17.8 billion dollars to 965,438+88 million dollars, an increase of 4. 16 times.

(3) Promote the economic development of backward areas by using the power of the market. The American government strongly advocates the use of "market forces to develop backward areas." The westward movement in the United States began under the framework of market economy. Under the influence of market economy, after long-term development, the integration of economic development between the east and the west of the United States has been realized. Especially now, the role of the market is irreplaceable. During the Clinton administration, the task of developing backward areas in the United States was always left to the private sector. 1In July 1997, Clinton visited some relatively backward areas and publicized his "New Market Initiative" aimed at guiding the private sector to invest in the poorest areas in the United States. The main contents of the initiative include: raising about 6 billion US dollars of equity and providing 25% tax reduction for the investment of community development banks, venture funds and other development institutions; The government provides loan guarantees for private investment and encourages large and medium-sized enterprises to transfer to backward areas; Establish an "emerging market venture capital company" to support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and so on. Sperling, chairman of the White House National Economic Council, said that the "New Market Initiative" is not a charity plan, and its principle is to encourage enterprises to seek profits in the undeveloped market in their own backyard. [Edit this paragraph] The basic experience of the westward movement in the United States The westward movement in the United States is a social and economic development process of regional development under the background of free market economy and territorial expansion, based on large-scale population migration, with transportation as the guide, agriculture and animal husbandry as the main industrial direction and growth center as the driving force. As a result of the westward movement of the United States, the political and economic integration between the east and the west of the United States was completed, the development of capitalist industrialization was promoted, the agricultural revolution, industrial revolution and knowledge revolution in modern America were promoted, and the pioneering spirit of the American people was cultivated. In particular, the cowboy spirit and pioneer spirit of the United States in the development of the western region, which are not afraid of difficulties, dare to sacrifice, and constantly seek new lands and new wealth, later became the indomitable spirit and heroic optimism of Americans. In short, the United States has developed millions of square kilometers of land in more than 200 years through the westward movement. Modern agriculture, animal husbandry and industry have been established on these lands, which has had a decisive impact on the growth of the United States as the world's number one economic power. Therefore, without the westward movement, there would be no America today.

In the long-term westward movement, the United States successfully implemented the western development, which made important contributions to the economic prosperity of the United States and even the emergence of knowledge economy. At the same time, the United States has accumulated a lot of rich experience in the long-term westward movement, including:

1. Utilize natural resource endowment and implement gradient development strategy. The United States implemented a gradient development strategy in the westward movement, that is, according to its own resource advantages, it gradually upgraded and deepened development. For example, the first stage is mainly to make full use of the vast and fertile land resources in the west, vigorously develop planting and animal husbandry by establishing a large number of family farms and pastures, and develop the wasteland around Appalachia Mountain and the Great Lakes into grain, cotton and animal husbandry bases. From 65438 to 0850, the United States planted 62.8 million mu of grain and produced 32 million tons, making the United States a big agricultural country and a big exporter of grain and cotton in the world. In the second stage, with the discovery of gold mines in the west and the application of scientific and technological achievements of the first industrial revolution, the mining development frenzy was triggered and a number of mineral resources processing and manufacturing enterprises were established. After this period of development, the industrial focus of the United States shifted from the northeast to the central and western regions, making the central and western regions a center of heavy industry and finally realizing the industrialization of the United States. From 65438 to 0894, the industrial production of the United States has jumped to the top in the world, and its output is equivalent to half of the total output of European countries. At the beginning of the 20th century, the advantages of American industry became more prominent. 19 13 years, industrial products accounted for13 of the world's total industrial products, more than the combined industrial products of Britain, Germany, France and Japan. In the third stage, with the rise of the third scientific and technological revolution, American high technology advanced by leaps and bounds, and the American industrial structure changed to the tertiary industry, and finally the industrial structure softened and upgraded. Therefore, the process of implementing the gradient strategy in the western development of the United States is also a process of continuous adjustment, deepening and upgrading of the American economic structure.

2. Pay attention to infrastructure construction and create a good development environment. Inconvenient transportation is an important restrictive factor in the development of the western United States. Therefore, the United States attaches great importance to the construction of infrastructure in the westward movement, and creates a good environment for the development of the western region by implementing the advanced development strategy of transportation. During the westward movement of the United States, the government and people devoted themselves to the construction and improvement of the transportation industry from the beginning, and put the development of the western region on the basis of developed transportation. The government provides various preferential policies in land use, property rights, financing and taxation, provides policy support for the development of transportation, and encourages private companies to invest in the construction of transportation facilities. Moreover, in the process of traffic facilities construction, the strategy of simultaneous railway transportation, waterway transportation and highway transportation is implemented, and the national traffic network leading to the west is fully developed. The development of transportation industry is not only an integral part of the western development of the United States, but also provides the basic conditions for the entire westward movement of the United States, especially the construction of railways, which promotes the specialization of the western region of the United States and the formation of a national market. Many economists say that the United States in the19th century is basically a history of successful railways, and the formation of the national railway network has had a great impact on the development of the western region and the national economy.

3. Relying on education and scientific and technological progress to provide intellectual development support. Relying on education and scientific and technological progress to promote the development of the western region is another successful experience of the American westward movement. Because the American government fully realized the importance of science and technology education and attached great importance to the development of education in the west during the westward movement, Congress passed a number of land laws to provide preferential policies for the development of education. Vigorously promote the development of public education and provide suitable industrial and commercial and various specialized technical personnel for the large-scale development of the western region. At the same time, the American government attaches great importance to the commercial application and industrialization of scientific and technological achievements. It not only uses high technology to transform traditional industries and improve the technological content and competitiveness of traditional products, but also uses venture capital mechanism to create high-tech parks, form a number of emerging industries, adjust the industrial structure of the United States, and realize the optimization and deepening of the economic structure. The history of American western development is a history of scientific and technological progress from a certain angle. It is the continuous innovation and progress of education and science and technology that has made such amazing achievements in the western development of the United States.

4. Formulate preferential economic policies to guide the development of the western region. Although the United States attached great importance to the role of the market mechanism in the westward movement, the role of the government was irreplaceable. In the westward movement, the United States formulated a series of land policies, immigration policies, infrastructure policies, science and technology education development policies, environmental protection policies, regional economic management policies, financial financing policies, and income redistribution policies to regulate and control the economic development of the western region and guide the development direction of the western region. In a word, the American government's intervention in western development involves not only the formulation of relevant policies and the establishment of special government departments, but also the government's investment in western development funds and the redistribution of income.