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Industrialization effect on society
Impact of industrialization on society
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With my iPhone in hand, I was walking through Madison’s East Isthmus on a hot day. As I kept walking further east, past Capitol square, I increasingly saw the buzzing area transition into a mostly residential neighborhood with several small stores and companies scattered throughout. Following the map on my device, I finally found the first location, the Badger State Shoe Company. I scrolled through the past photos of the building and the open market that used to dominate the area; I could not believe how much the area has changed. The new, modern building resembled nothing of a factory, as there were only apartments that surrounded the building. I realized that this represents not only the globalization of Madison, but also a global transition …show more content…
that our country and the rest of the world went through. One of these key transformations was the shift from the industrial era to the Post-Fordist de-industrialization ideals that led to how much of our economy is organized. I saw this global change in the small Isthmus neighborhood in my walk through Madison. Fordist to the Post Fordist Era In the early 1900s, Henry Ford, who introduced the Model T automobile, created a system of mass production within his company.
His precise, synchronized, and specialized system, which heavily relied on the assembly line, lowered his automobile’s unit price, making it affordable for the average consumer. The structure Henry Ford introduced is known as Fordism, which is the notion of an economic and social system based on an industrialized and consistent form of mass production. The mass production included producing standardized products in vast amounts by using specific purpose machinery and unskilled labor from factory workers. The workers were then paid high wages so they can afford to purchase the products they make, while the product life cycle was designed to last for a long time. The purpose of Fordist concept was mass production supplying the development of a mass market. This means that it services a national market with a focus on production and the expectation that the market will absorb that output. This ideal was used by factories all across the country, including in Madison with the example of the Badger State Shoe Company. With so many factories using this method of production, the Fordist time period produced a highly developed economy in the US during the mid-1900s. This industrialization throughout the country sustained economic growth and widespread material …show more content…
advancement. However, in the 1960s, the US endured economic trouble as it tried to finance the Cold War and the Vietnam War. After the wars, the economy needed to be reinvented, and the Post-Fordist production system emerged. The rise of new computer technology and improved international telecommunications meant that mass production could be completely redesigned. Production no longer had to be centralized in a few key manufacturing factories, as it could be dispersed all over the world. Many of the largest US companies began to expand their companies internationally. With computer controlled tools and specialized manufacturing techniques introduced, production could now be customized and no longer needed to be in the former exact scale of assembly lines. Instead of being producer driven, production became more consumer-oriented. In the new Post-Fordist economy, companies had to break away from the traditional business model and become flexible in their investments and production. Many companies could no longer rely on just the production of goods, but also on the success of developing products and marketing them. This introduction to the Post-Fordist era also impacted the workers in most companies. Instead of the blue-collar jobs that kept workers with the company until retirement, jobs began to have flexible times, contracted work, layoffs, and wage rollbacks. The new post-Fordist economy created jobs that needed people with social skills and technical skills. Women joined the workforce because of their abilities to deliver on the social skills; qualified men and women with important technical skills flourished in the new economy. The core of Post-Fordism is mass customization; being able to provide large quantities of goods but also with the option of customizing them for different markets and customer preferences. Consumers became the key driver, and companies thrive with their capability to quickly adapt production based upon its consumer demands. While these new skill related jobs emerged, most of the former Fordist style production began to move overseas. Economic globalization permitted the exploitation of global comparative advantages of other poorer countries to be used for labor and resources. Globalization and the growing level of flexibility required in production encouraged outsourcing and offshoring, which lead to many powerful companies forming networked organization all across the world to manage such a system. The growing influence of technology and market factors has shifted the importance of core resources towards innovation and knowledge. Processes such as research and development, design, manufacturing, distribution, and retailing are part of a continuous chain that strives to improve products for consumers. This rapid technological change is also creating much shorter product life-cycles, with new generations of products being introduced regularly. Globalization through Madison In the first location of the Badger State Shoe Company, I immediately realized the difference between the Fordist period and the current Post-Fordist era. This company followed the ideals of mass production, with hundreds of workers producing thousands of shoes per day. The location for this company at the time was perfect. As evident in the past photos of the Isthmus neighborhood in Madison, the area was a very busy location filled with factories and people. The location offered easy access to the freight depots of the Chicago/Northwestern Railroad and the Milwaukee/St. Paul railroad, which made it easy for the company to distribute their products to neighboring cities and areas. Industrial development in Madison prospered after World War I because of the technological innovations in manufacturing, the increase in regional marketing, and the improvement and extension of railways for the distribution of products. The widespread phenomenon that spread across developing communities across the nation reached Madison by the late 1900s; this was the growth and expansion of local companies into large factories employing hundreds of people that served regional markets. With the open market right across the street from the Badger State Shoe Company, many locals and people in the surrounding areas of Madison were probably the main consumers of the goods produced by the company. However, as the global transition to Post-Fordist emerged, many factories that used mass production began to disappear, including the Badger State Shoe Company. It was the flexible companies that began to succeed, the ones that looked to feed the consumers’ demand. The former Badger State Shoe Company is now largely used for residential living, showing the total depletion of large factories in the East Isthmus area overtime. Image 1: Residential Apartments in the former Badger State Shoe Company This globalization, the shift from factories in the US to all across the world, is represented in Nike. Although Nike has their headquarters based in Oregon, a majority of their assembly line work in done in other countries. They use this offshoring in Asia because there is cheaper labor, less worker protection rights, and overall cheaper prices for people in America. By pushing their production all across the world, they can save a lot of money for more profit. With the cheap labor that is in Asia, Nike can produce shoes and other clothing at a fraction of the price it would cost domestically. The large transnational corporations have taken over their area of specialty, and have dominated that aspect by adjusting their goods to the concern of the people; this is the Post-Fordist ideals. Also, by expanding globally into one of the world’s most populous continents, Nike has opened up a tremendous opportunity as a stepping stone to become wildly popular internationally. This transition to the Post-Fordist era is an example of globalization happening in US cities, from having local factories to instead having other types of smaller businesses and residential areas. We no longer see manufacturer companies all over cities, and we don’t have very many industry workers in US cities anymore. During the Fordist period, with many companies needing gas and electric resources in their factories that filled the area of the Isthmus, the Madison Gas and Electric Company was probably a huge factor for production, and therefore rising prices in energy resources hurt the financial costs of the factories in the area. What potentially led to a rise in energy prices at the time could be the demand for more fossil fuels due to the many factories in the area. The need to obtain these resources from further areas probably increased the energy prices, which made the local protest for lower prices. All the production done in factories has ultimately affected the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. With so many large scale factories spread throughout America, the overall net CO2 emissions from production and consumption for the United States is incredibly high compared to other countries. Overtime, with the decline of factories and the transition into the Post-Fordist age, many states including Wisconsin have turned to different energy resources that are better for the environment. Examples are the wind farms that utilize renewable energy sources, which has become a viable option instead of the urban coal plants. The Madison Gas and Electric Company has also converted from a coal-burning facility to one that only utilizes natural gas. This global shift to the Post-Fordist age also affected the East Isthmus neighborhood, as I saw the decline of factories during my walk. Instead places such as the Wil-Mar Community Center and the Willy Street Co-Op show that these neighborhoods in Madison are going for more traditional and locally owned businesses. The countercultural movement suggests that the Wilmar neighborhood preferred a tight knit community scene that is expecting of all people, rather than the rough factory and production life that was evident in the past. This is also shown through the last location, which is the former Candy Company. Instead of running large scale factories such as the candy company, there are now more local restaurants and shops that occupy the building. Image 2: Mural on the Side of the Wil-Mar Community Center Globalization’s Effect on Detroit One city that has largely impacted by globalization is Detroit, although globalization has taken this city into a turn for the worst. Detroit is known as the motor city because of the automobiles companies that were started there, including the Ford Motor Company. All three major U.S. automakers still have headquarters in the Detroit, but these companies have long ago moved some of the biggest chunks of their production, jobs, and plants to cities spread across the US and even to countries as far away as China, Brazil, and Russia. Without the plentiful factory jobs and incomes that once made Detroit a wealthy place, the city has steadily deteriorated into an empty place of vacant factory buildings. Detroit soon became the largest American city ever to declare bankruptcy. Today, the global nature of the auto industry is that factories are more likely to be located in the Southeastern parts of the US or Mexico to serve the markets of the U.S. and Canada, while the growing consumer demand for cars in rapidly developing nations is being satisfied by the US owned factories within those countries. Detroit is no longer a relevant global automobile sector in today’s economy because the auto production facilities near deep ocean ports on the coasts are more desired than interior seaports like Detroit. For many decades after World War II, the big auto plants and other factories that once hired thousands of workers moved overseas. And more recently, with the shift to the Post-Fordist era, the US has formed a more globally integrated economy for labor manufacturing, with huge labor assets in China, India, and other third world countries that are much cheaper. These larger workings of global capitalism is a part of the Post-Fordist period that has deeply impacted Detroit, leading to further deindustrialization and the loss of many jobs in the city. While the citizens in the city of Madison were able to easily adapt from the loss of manufacturing jobs through plenty of employment from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, small businesses, and the state government, the people in Detroit have struggled mightily. Living As a Global Citizen I have realized that globalization is the overall process of incorporating both nations and their people economically and culturally into a larger community.
Overtime, as shown through the shift from Fordist to Post-Fordist ideals for production, it takes long period of time to mix people and nations closer together. This is being done through technological innovation, as technology is helping to dissolve former barriers of time and distance. Factories that used to dominate the United States have now spread throughout the world, providing jobs for people globally. Consumers are also on an international level, as there is a greater awareness and understanding of what is happening everywhere. Globalization, however, also produces economic and social disorders while producing public concerns over job security, the distribution of economic gains, and the impact of instability on people. Many people also worry about a growing focus of economic power, harm to the environment, danger to public health and safety, the breakup of native cultures, and the loss of power and responsibility within government. I believe that as a global citizen, I have to look at all perspectives from people in different situations and realization how current times have come to be. I am a part of an entire world community and all my actions, although in a miniscule amount, contribute to building the world’s community values and practices. By living in the United States and attending UW Madison, I
should use my privilege responsibly. Whether my ideals are to protect human rights, environmental protection, poverty alleviation, or humanitarian assistance, these values shape how the world evolves globally. Henry Ford was able to influence an entire economic globalization through his Fordist ideals, and this shows how people around the world can affect the global community.
This radical idea of the automobile permeated throughout America with most, if not all credit renowned to Henry Ford. Observed as a technological mastermind, Ford commenced experiments involving machinery from the time he was adolescent to launching his career working at the Edison Illuminating Company. He examined internal combustion engines and gasoline buggy ideas eventually resulting in removing himself from Edison’s company and his introduction in the emerging automobile industry. Following in 1903, he established the Ford Motor Company, which expeditiously became a leader in the automotive industry and would gain extensive wealth within only a few decades. While other manufacturers strove to produce automobiles to be extravagant and luxurious predominantly for the wealthy, he immensely focused on efficient mass production of durable, affordable vehicles for the expanding middle-class market.
Henry Ford was born on July 30 in 1863 in Greenfield Township, Michigan he was one of the first American industrialists and wanted to make a difference in the automobile industry. Back then, before 1908 automobiles were expensive that only rich people could afford. Henry Ford wanted to change this and wanted everyone to have a vehicle to drive. He was able to accomplish this by the assembly line, in which it created more cars in less time. The first car Henry Ford made was the Model T created on the assembly line. Ford’s innovation in manufacturing created less expensive cars and higher wage jobs.
The 1920’s was a time of great social, political, and economic change. The early automobile industry was no exclusion. It appears that throughout history, the figures that stand out the most are either worshipped or despised, and there is very rarely an in-between. Henry Ford, an icon of the 1920’s and the early automobile industry is no exemption. Many people love Ford for his innovative and entrepreneurial skills, while on the other hand, Ford is disliked by many due to his association with Anti-Semitism. Regardless of how Ford is viewed, many decisions he made significantly impacted the automobile industry. These decisions included installing the moving assembly line in his plant, and introducing the Five-Dollar Day. Through the implementation of the Five-Dollar Day, Ford was able to drastically change how the Ford Motor Company company operated, and how business would operate for years to come.
As Americans we have to start to comprehend that the world around us is changing technologically, politically, and economically. In “The Last Superpower” an excerpt from the book The Post American World by Fareed Zakaria published in 2008. Zakaria emphasizes on these changes. Thomas Friedman the author of “The World is Flat” a piece from the book The World is Flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century published in 2005 also emphasizes on the same changes currently happening in the world. Zakaria and Friedman define these changes as globalization. The obvious common ground shared by both authors is their representation of globalization and the effects that it has and will continue to have on modern life. In contrast to sharing the same main topic both authors take a drastically different approach on how the relay their information to the audience. The differences displayed are mainly due to their personal and educational backgrounds, definitions of globalization as well as the individual writing styles of each author.
To say that Henry Ford dilly-dallied around before finally establishing a serious car company would be invalid. The 40 year old man had been acquiring valuable knowledge regarding business, engines, management, and most importantly cars. Now it was time to take a leap of faith.
Henry Ford was one of the most important and influential inventors and businessmen in the short history of America. He revolutionized the business world and he changed forever the efficiency of factories around the world. One of the reasons that Henry Ford can be considered such an important man is that his ideas and concepts are still used today. Boron on July 30, in the year of 1863, Henry Ford was the oldest child of the family. His parents, William and Mary Ford, were “prosperous farmers” in his hometown of Dearborn. While they we’re well off for farmers, Ford certainly wasn’t spoiled and fed from silver spoons. Ford was just like any other typical young boy during the rural nineteenth century. From early on there we’re signs that Henry was going to be something more than a farmer. He looked with interest upon the machinery that his father and himself used for their farming, and looked with disdain at the rigorous chores of a farmer. In the year 1879, Henry being a meager 16 years old, he moved to the city of Detroit where he would work as an apprentice machinist. Henry would remain in Detroit working and learning about all varieties of machines. Although he occasionally came back to visit Dearborn, he mostly stayed in Detroit, picking up more and more valuable knowledge. This apprenticeship allowed him to work in the factories of Detroit and learn what a hard working blue-collar job was like. When he did return to Dearborn he was always tearing apart and rebuilding his fathers machines, along with the dreaded farm chores. Henry Ford was a hard worker and that was proven by him getting fired from one of his jobs in Detroit because the older employees we’re mad at him because he was finishing his repairs in a half hour rather than the usual five hours. Clara Bryant would represent the next step in now twenty-five year old Henry Ford’s life. The two lovers we’re married in 1888 and would endure good times as well as bad. In order to support his new wife Henry was forced to work the land as he ran a sawmill that was given to him by his father. His father actually attempted to bribe Henry to stay in the farming business as he gave him the land only under the condition that he would continue on as a farmer.
Ford used Taylor’s scientific management principles and come up with the mass production and assembly line. This benefitted the motor vehicle industry highly. The effects of Taylorism and Fordism in the industrial workplace were strong and between the period of 1919-1929 the output of industries in the U.S doubled as the number of workers decreased. There was an increase in unskilled labour as the skill was removed and placed into machines. It lead to the discouragement of workers ability to bargain on the basis of control over the workplace.
introduction Henry ford has always taught of producing cars for everyone at an affordable price. He was able to achieve this by introducing the Model T in 1908. This model had two important characteristics, that is, its ability to be maintained without calling on a mechanic and its simplicity (user friendly). Fords general idea behind mass production was about how parts can be attached easily together. He never took into consideration the number of people involve in the manufacturing process but was always concerned with how interchangeability of parts could be reliable.
Many historians and sociologists have identified a transformation in the economic processes of the world and society in recent times. There has been an extensive increase in developments in technology and the economy as a whole in the twentieth century. Globalization has been recognized as a new age in which the world has developed into what Giddens identifies to be a “single social system” (Anthony Giddens: 1993 ‘Sociology’ pg 528), due to the rise of interdependence of various countries on one another, therefore affecting practically everyone within society.
As a result of the ease in manufacturing, Ford could cut the prices of his Model-T’s down to $310, the cheapest car on the market (“Henry Ford”). No other manufacturer was doing this at the time. Henry’s assembly line allowed for every American to own a car. Eventually, all manufacturers subscribed to Henry’s idea and produced cheaper automobiles using the assembly line. Henry doubled the average work payment to $5, too.
Globalization, the acceleration and strengthening of worldwide interactions among people, companies and governments, has taken a huge toll on the world, both culturally and economically. It’s generating a fast-paced, increasingly tied world and also praising individualism. It has been a massive subject of matter amongst scientists, politicians, government bureaucrats and the normal, average human population. Globalization promoted the independence of nations and people, relying on organizations such as the World Bank and also regional organizations such as the BRICs that encourage “a world free of poverty” (World Bank). Despite the fact that critics can argue that globalization is an overall positive trend, globalization has had a rather negative cultural and economic effect such as the gigantic wealth gaps and the widespread of American culture, “Americanization”; globalization had good intentions but bad results.
...ent prevails over the degradation. In my opinion, the benefits of globalization discussed in this paper are far more important than it's costs or the costs and benefits of localization. Although, localization and globalization will continue co-existing, globalization will continue to increasingly dominate over time because most countries are generally leading to and becoming more accepting of the idea of globalization. In conclusion, the benefits gained by globalization are the most important to people's lives because it aides in the learning process of people expanding their horizons and understanding the benefits to countries, organizations, and groups working together. Although losing some part of one's national identity can be a disadvantage at times, the advantages of being able to work together and help each other in a globally integrated world are much more.
Theodore Levitt (Levitt, 1983) was one of the first academics to write about globalisation in 1983 and he highlighted the important role of technology in the globalisation of markets and thus, ‘converging commonality’ in countries around the planet. In Levitt’s ‘Globalisation of markets’, he suggested that cultural differences due to globalisation were becoming more homogenised, perhaps predicting the condition of contemporary society today. However society has changed since then and the meaning of globalisation with it, and the widespread view of globalisation being homogenous or even to some extent being described as ‘Americanisation; has somewhat diminished. Dr Moises Naim (Naim, 2009) explains how even America have greatly benefited from globalisation, highlighting that globalisation is bigger than one of the world’s biggest super power. Furthermore, Naim explains how relationships between countries has moved from simply co-operating to integrating with one another, sharing ideas, knowledge and culture. In the same way, Scholte (Scholte, 2008) sustains this notion, calling globalisation the ‘spread of trans-planetary and the reduction in barriers to trans-world social contacts. Highlighting that this is the new characteristic of contemporary society; world-wide
Globalization plays a massive part in my life as it does in everyone’s lives. Every day the world is getting smaller, between technological improvements and peoples interest in these technologies it is easy to see why this is happening. In this essay I have only shortly touch upon some of the places where globalization has affected my everyday life. From shopping as Asda to meeting people on the other side of the world to discuss my dissertation ideas globalization has had a positive affect on my life. The fact that I can walk down a street in Coleraine or Sydney and see similar shops and food outlets is a positive thing in how our lives are intertwined through out the world.
Over the last couple of years, the world has become increasingly globalized. After the cold war, all parts of the world were attracted to the process of globalization. The effect of globalization is uneven in different parts of the world and globalization suggests a world full of persistent cultural interaction and exchange, contacts and connection, mixture and movement. Different people view globalization in different ways. Some people feel it has done more good than harm, while others believe it has done more harm than good. This essay will give a deep intuitive understanding of globalization, world systems, and how globalization has affected society, culture, economics, and politics.