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‘Henry Ford and the Motor Car Had a Huge Social and Economic Impact Upon America.’ to What Extent Do You Agree with This View? Essay Example

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‘Henry Ford and the Motor Car Had a Huge Social and Economic Impact Upon America.’ to What Extent Do You Agree with This View? Essay Example
I agree that Henry Ford and the motor car industry had a huge social and economic impact upon America to a certain extent. Henry Ford was the only individual to revolutionize the motor vehicle industry, he had introduced the method of mass production before the 1920s and the ‘Model T’ vehicle had been made affordable not only to the wealthy but to the middle class as well. The car industry expanded and was the main market for produce i.e. steel and rubber, and cars had ultimately become the most wanted product amongst many consumers.
Economically, Ford’s techniques were being copied and exceeded by his competitors thus leading to the development of better, modern and unique designs in car industries, demonstrating how Henry Ford and the car industry had an enormous impact in the USA. Henry Ford employed seven percent of workers and paid them nine percent of all the wages, the motor vehicle stimulated many other industries and when it closed momentarily it was shown to be one of the causal factors of the recession. Wages rose as well due to the assembly lines which made cars cheaper, whereby wages rose steadily of twenty six percent between 1920 and 1929, which enabled credit to be available on the cheapest terms. Furthermore, laissez-faire policy was bent leading to road building in the 1920s, also established the Federal Highway Act of 1921. Cars enabled the creation of new industries such as garages, motels, petrol stations and used car salesrooms. It allowed goods to be easily transported. Mass production led to the development of labor-saving devices, such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines. In 1920, 1905500 million cars were produced and by 1929, it rose to 4455100 cars being produced. Therefore, economically America was highly affected by Ford and the rising motor car industry.
On the other hand, Henry Ford was limited in his creativity because not only were his cars only available in one color but he also saw it as intensifying what he saw as

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