Henry ford biography 1920s boom

Henry Ford was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and of modern mass production and assembly line techniques. His introduction in 1908 of the Model T Ford automobile revolutionized transportation and, indeed, American industry.

As the sole owner of the Ford Company, he became one of the three or four richest and best-known people in the world.

He is credited with "Fordism," that is, the mass production of large numbers of inexpensive automobiles, coupled with high wages for his workers-notably the $5.00 a day pay scale adopted in 1914.

Fordism promoted a consumer culture based on high-income workers who could afford to buy cars at a time when only the rich in Europe owned an automobile.

Ford, though poorly educated, had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace.

His intense commitment to lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put a dealership in every city in North Ameri