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- During WWI, Britain faced a critical shortage of optical glass for military equipment, relying heavily on German imports before the war.
- To address the shortage, Britain secretly attempted to trade rubber for German binoculars, highlighting extreme wartime material dependencies.
- Britain's optical industry declined due to historical taxes like the window tax, while Germany supported its glass sector through industrial policy.
- Despite the crisis, Britain rapidly rebuilt its glass production within years, proving quick re-industrialization is possible.
- Modern global supply chains mirror this historical dependency, with critical materials like rare earths concentrated in few countries.
- Past policy decisions can have long-lasting effects, as seen with Zeiss dominating today's advanced chip-making lens technology.