Exam 1: List of Concepts

Ford - salary increase

Ford Motor announced the five dollar a day wage for an eight-hour work day. A five dollar wage base salary was previously unheard of and created an influx of workers who wanted to be Ford employees. The day after announcing this wage, 10,000 job seekers clamored for jobs at Highland Park.

The Good Road Movement

Pulling loaded wagons through muck or over ruts required extra horsepower, American farmers owned and fed at least two million more horses than they would need if the roads were smooth. As a result, New Jersey became the first state to pass a law providing for a state to participate in road-building projects. In 1893, the U.S. Department of Agriculture initiated a systematic evaluation of existing highway systems.

the Queen (4CB)

Renault: design car for Queen Victoria, notion of creating a car for the rich...very long car, when companies found out there was a car for the extra rich. A car that could be driven by wealthy women.

Feudal Sense of Mobility

Roads were perceived as part of the natural circle of the seasons. The roads were made up of private owners, local road districts, uneven roads, seasonal access. As a result, roads had not been made public and created a feudal sense of mobility, because since most roads were private, the road owner could choose who had the right to use their road and created a feudal sense of mobility.

All women expedition (1965)

four women were sent by Renault in 1965 to drive from Argentina to Alaska in order to show that these cars could be driven by anybody and could be driven on nearly anything.

reasons why the Internal Combustion Engine became popular

it was Henry Ford who all but killed off electric and steam vehicles by inventing a method of mass producing internal combustion engine cars, making them affordable to the masses. Thanks to Ford, in 1912, you could buy a gasoline-powered car for a mere $650, less than half of the $1,750 you would pay for a less efficiently produced electric roadster.

the train vs. the car transformations of the landscape

As highways began to develop they became another alternative to the railroads in order to increase the mobilization of the movement of goods and services.

individual fulfillment theory

Cars give people a feeling of freedom, in the sense of time and sense, independence, individualism, and exceptionalism.

The automobile age beginning (1895)

Before cars there were bicycles. However, following the Civil War there was an increased demand for rapid mobilization of people and goods. As a result, by the early 1890's more than a million Americans were riding bicycles for transportation. The progression of road construction became a central theme as an imperative to American "progress" as a whole. Civil War to (about) 1905, roads from "natural" private resources to "technological" public owned tools to be engineered through human ingenuity." In 1896, Henry Ford completes his first automobile, the "Quadricycle", and drives it through the streets of Detroit. This significant moment signifies the movement into the automobile age as the advancement of automobiles becomes Ford's obsession.

Citroen vs Renault (Marketing Strategies)

Citroen had a huge emphasis on advertisement in order to show off his vehicles while Renault simply produced his cars for specific groups of people when the market was in a good spot.

the bicycle era (1860-1890)

Following the Civil War there was an increased demand for rapid mobilization of people and goods. Since high-wheel bicycles cost many times the average tradesman's weekly wages, they were affordable only to the well-to-do, and the first bicycle clubs were upper-crust fraternities for racing and socializing. Early court cases went against bikers. In 1881, three cyclists who defied a ban on riding in New York's Central Park were jailed. But the cyclists eventually prevailed, and in 1890, the landmark Kansas case Swift v. Topeka established bicycles as vehicles with the same road rights as any other conveyance. By the early 1890s, more than a million Americans were riding them.

Ford - antisemitism

Ford began publishing a controversial series of articles in the Dearborn Independent, his own newspaper, under the bold headline: "The International Jew: the World's Problem." He was a fierce antisemite and his writings even influenced the ideas of Hitler.

Ford - social engineering

Ford hired investigators to inspect his employees and their families. Ford wanted to know if they drank at home, were religious, and any other outside information that could provide clues into their work ethic, and even their ethical values, in general. Employees were dropped into a "melting pot" and were given American flags upon coming out of the melting pot in order to signify their assimilation into American society.

Ford - war on unions

Ford refused to give into the unions and allow for his employees to be members of the UAW. In the much-publicized "Battle of the Overpass" on May 26, 1937, Ford henchmen brutally beat several UAW organizers attempting to hand out leaflets at Ford's River Rouge plant. In the aftermath of this incident, Ford Motor Company was found guilty of violating the Wagner Act, and in early 1941 the National Labor Relations Board ordered the company to stop interfering with the union's attempts to organize. On April 1, 1941, a walkout by Ford workers protesting the firing of several union members closed down the River Rouge plant. The strike inflamed racial tensions, as many African-American Ford employees returned to work before their white colleagues, breaking the strike. Though Henry Ford had initially threatened to shut down his plants rather than sign with the UAW-CIO, he changed his position and signed a contract with the union that June 20.

League of American Wheelmen in the 1880's

Founded in Newport, Rhode Island, on May 30, 1880, as the League of American Wheelmen by Kirk Munroe and Charles Pratt, it soon became the leading national membership organization for cyclists in theUnited States. The League was also the governing body for amateur bicycle racing in the U.S. during the late 19th century. The Wheelmen were made up of engineers, urbanites, and railroad executives. By 1898, the League of American Wheelmen had more than 102,000 members.

Colonel Albert A. Pope

In mid-1892, Colonel Albert A. Pope, a leading bicycle manufacturer, printed thousands of copies of a petition demanding that Congress create a federal department to promote "knowledge in the art of constructing and maintaining roads." From 1896, he began to diversify into automobile production. The chief engineer of his Pope Motor Carriage department was Hiram Percy Maxim. In 1897, he renamed the Motor Carriage Department as the separate Columbia Automobile Company, which was spun off and sold to the Electric Vehicle Company, in which he was also an investor. In 1897, Pope Manufacturing began production of an electric automobile in Hartford, Connecticut. By 1899, the company had produced over 500 vehicles. Hiram Percy Maxim was head engineer of the Motor Vehicle Department. The Electric Vehicle division was spun off that year as the independent company Columbia Automobile Company but it was acquired by the Electric Vehicle Company by the end of the year.

Cars: "European by birth, American by adoption"

The automobile was first invented and perfected in Germany and France in the late 1800s, though Americans quickly came to dominate the automotive industry in the first half of the twentieth century. Henry Ford innovated mass-production techniques that became standard, and Ford, General Motors and Chrysler emerged as the "Big Three" auto companies by the 1920s. The 1901 Mercedes, designed by Wilhelm Maybach for Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, deserves credit for being the first modern motorcar in all essentials.

early electric cars (1900)

The first successful electric car made its debut around 1890 thanks to William Morrison, a chemist who lived in Des Moines, Iowa. His six-passenger vehicle capable of a top speed of 14 miles per hour was little more than an electrified wagon, but it helped spark interest in electric vehicles. Over the next few years, electric vehicles from different automakers began popping up across the U.S. New York City even had a fleet of more than 60 electric taxis. By 1900, electric cars were at their heyday, accounting for around a third of all vehicles on the road. During the next 10 years, they continued to show strong sales. Ford's Model-T dealt a blow to the electric car and allowed for the steam and gasoline automobiles to continue progressing.

first free postal rural delivery road (1891)

The postal service began experiments with Rural Free Delivery as early as 1890. However, it was not until 1893, when GeorgiaCongressmanThomas E. Watson pushed through legislation, that the practice was mandated. Showed the benefits of the automobiles to those in the rural communities and allowed for much faster mobilization of postal services.

the city as a toxic and dirty space (1900) - the case of NY

at the turn of the century, New York City had a massive migration of immigrants into the city and as a result the city became rather overcrowded and was very dirty and unsanitary. As a result, people had a greater motivation to get around the city in an alternative way. The introduction of the bicycle, and, eventually, the automobile allowed for people to get through the city much quicker as well as allowing them to avoid the toxicity of New York's streets.

status fulfillment theory

buying a car makes you feel accomplished/wealthy

class and the use of the car in Europe vs. the US

in the US cars were produced for not only upper class members, but also those in the middle class, as the Model T was an extremely affordable car. However, in Europe cars were used more for trade vehicles, such as Renault and World War I. While some Europeans owned cars, most of them were upper class and cars were not as readily available and inexpensive for middle class Europeans as they were for middle class Americans. Between Europe and the US the volume of production differed and the abundance of natural resources for production/exchange. There was a shortage of the labor force in Europe. US and absence of tariff barrier between states that encourage sale across state lines over a wide geographic area. US has higher income per capita. Subsidies from the government and limited development of light non military cars in Europe. Make profit by state. Heavy car- in Europe, v military. American decentralization- safety minimal standards and uniformity. Cheap cars for all in US bc of poor safety standards. Political and social condition had a better result for US.

French cars and popular attitude around cars in WWI vs WWII

the main French auto manufacturer during WWI was Louis Renault who manufactured tanks and other vehicles for the French resistance. As a result, Renault devoted much of his innovation to trade vehicles, while Citroen began producing every day automobiles. Following WWII, Renault was nationalized by the French government due to Renault being labeled as a traitor and Citroen was able to get a leg up on automobile production as a result.