What Is The Story Of Us Historical Events From 1900 To Present: The Creation Of Fordism

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During the early years of the twentieth century, the American people experienced many life changing events. According to “Us Historical Events from 1900 to Present”, these included the assassination of President McKinley, the Wright brothers flying in the first airplane, the opening of the Panama Canal, the first long distance telephone call, and the happening of World War I. As eventful as all of these examples were, one could argue that, besides the happening of World War I, they did not effect the American working class population as greatly as that of the creation of the Ford process. In this analysis, we will dive into the creation of “Fordism” and its impact, both socially and politically, on the United States of America and Europe. Through …show more content…

In the concept of the large production scheme, financial gain, and political control, one would easily back the opinion of Fordism, both in the American setting and European one, as a positive growth for the masses. It created a standard of work, gave the opportunity of financial growth, increased production and technology, created a welfare program and loan programs to assist workers in financial need, and spread around the world for better industrial production. However, in the eyes of the worker, life was not as simple. They were exposed to harsh working climates that eventually caused unions and lawmakers to create and enforce safety laws to protect the individuals working in the factories. The employees were also subject to having their personal lives outside of work displayed for all to criticize, threatening their release from the business if continued. Therefore, by understanding the need for the creation of Fordism, the changes it brought to the workforce environment, the technologies it created, and standards it set, the answer is yes, it was both an improvement and a loss. It was an improvement for the individuals that were in the business, political, union, and financial realms of the industry. It was also an improvement for the working individuals that benefited from the financial assistance, employment growth opportunities, and educational advancements given by their connection with the process. It was then, a net loss for the individuals forced to work under such harsh conditions that were unsafe and demanding, as well as degrading, causing them hardship, the desire for strikes, and even death. With this, the overall concept of Fordism cannot be broken into a “good or bad” due to the mass amount of individuals it involved, and each having their own outcome of working with Henry Ford’s

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