How Henry Ford Changed The World

One man changed the world as we know it, and that man is Henry Ford. In the 1910s Henry Ford created the car, Model T, the first affordable car for the average American. Until then, only the rich could afford cars, while others walked or rode in horse and carriages (Cwiek). The assembly line allowed the cars to be so inexpensive. Henry Ford was very motivated and strived for the best, he proved it with these words, “I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making

All of that was about to change. In Ford’s factories the assembly line brought car parts to the workers. This was easier for the worker to build the cars because they did not even have to move during the process. The assembly line helped produce cars more quickly by relatively unskilled workers (Hakim). It cut the amount of man-hours required to complete one Model T from twelve and a half to six hours. Within a year, the time required to produce a Model T was cut to ninety three minutes due to assembly line improvements. The increase in productivity from Ford’s assembly line allowed him to reduce the cost of Model Ts, which made the car affordable for average people (“Moving”). With his invention of the assembly line, it allowed other industries to use this idea and decrease their production costs like Ford, and today, everything from cereal to caskets is made on assembly lines (“Fords”). This allowed the average person the ability to be able to afford more than he would have without an assembly line (Ian). By reducing the cost of production with the assembly, Ford was able to bring the luxury, convenience and freedom of the automobile to the masses. The assembly line had a major impact on how factories make things

Not only did he do that, but he helped create and whole middle class and jobs by doing this. In In 1914, Ford shocked America when he announced that all of his factory workers would be paid five dollars for an eight hour shift. Previously, they had been paid two dollars and thirty four cents for nine hours’ work (Hakim). While the rest of America thought he was crazy Ford knew that if he lifted his workers’ wages they would respect him and work for him even if the conditions were not desirable. Also he was creating his own customers. By paying his workers more it allowed them to buy his Model Ts. Soon after, other manufacturers and businessmen followed his thinking America became a nation of customers this brought a complex modern way of life we live today (Stanford). This is not to suggest that Ford single handedly created the American middle class. But he was one of the first businessmen to achieve what economists call “the virtuous circle of growth”. The virtuous circle of growth is well-paid workers generating consumer demand that in turn promotes business expansion and hiring (Cwiek). The middle class was composed of businessmen and other professionals. As the Industrial Revolution grew, the more powerful these individuals became. Individuals and groups formed new libraries, schools, and universities because there was a need for education probably due to the increase in population.