Instead of taking sides in violent disputes between unions and factory owners, Herbert Hoover pursued a third way: technocratic efficiency. He believed that by standardizing objects and processes, the economy could become so efficient that the resulting profit gains would render fights over small margins obsolete, placating both sides.
The challenge of standardizing the screw thread was monumental because it was a 'mega-standardization.' Unlike standardizing a niche product like hospital linens, screws are in everything. Even industries that don't use screws in their final product rely on machines that are held together by them, making screw standardization a universal economic problem.
During WWII, Britain's reliance on American manufacturing gave the U.S. immense leverage. In a series of meetings from 1943-1945, a besieged Britain was forced to abandon its 55-degree screw thread and adopt the American 60-degree standard. This wasn't just a technical change; it was a symbolic humiliation and a formal declaration of industrial dependence on the U.S.
Standards create a winner-take-all dynamic. Once a powerful entity like the post-WWII United States establishes its standard (e.g., the 60-degree screw), it gains momentum. Other nations find it is no longer in their economic interest to fight it; instead, they must quickly retool and adopt the dominant standard to remain competitive and integrated into the global economy.
While getting the world to adopt your standards is a sign of power, the ability to defy global standards is an even greater one. The United States demonstrates this by being one of the only industrialized nations not to adopt the metric system. Its economic and cultural dominance is so significant that it can force the rest of the world to accommodate its non-standard measurements.
Post-WWII, the U.S. created a new form of imperialism based on industrial and technical standards rather than territorial occupation. By embedding its systems—from screw threads to broadcast frequencies—into the fabric of global manufacturing and technology, America achieved a subtle, subterranean form of control. You don't need to plant a flag when you've already threaded the bolts.