How has the Automobile Changed History?

In 1914 Henry Ford revolutionized the whole manufacturing process by creating the continuous, moving assembly line.

The Henry Ford assembly line method, meant that each worker had a standardized job in one place, instead of moving around performing different tasks. This increased the safety factor and led to more output per worker.

Ford reduced the working day from 9 hours to 8 hours, so that he could operate 3 shifts per day.

He increased wages to almost double that of other manufacturers and created a plan to profit share with his workers.

These innovations increased production dramatically and reduced costs, making automobiles more affordable to the general public.

It also made Ford something of a celebrity and other industries soon adopted his methods.

The assembly line was here to stay.

Photo of Henry Ford is in the public domain

In the 19th century the railway had a great impact on peoples lives, transporting people and goods. The automobile was the innovation of the 20th century. It had a huge impact on the way people worked and lived.

During the 1910 to early 1920s period, new, large scale production methods increased affordability and more Americans were able to own cars. In 1914 a factory worker could buy a Model T Ford with four months pay. The Model T became popular because it was affordable, easy to operate and to maintain. Automobiles were no longer just a toy for the rich.

For the first time, people were able to go where-ever they wanted, whenever they wanted. People became fascinated by this idea, and this had far reaching effects for society. Many people previously had never been more than a few miles away from their place of birth. A network of national highways were built and gas stations popped up along them. People could now choose to live further away from their workplace.Suburbia began to spread and many other industries began to flourish using the assembly line method. Suddenly the world had become a much smaller place.

Read more about the effect of automobiles on society here.

Photo courtesy of jacksnell

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