Book contents
- The Cambridge World HistoryVolume VII
- The Cambridge World History
- The Cambridge World HistoryProduction, Destruction, and Connection, 1750–Present
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Social developments
- Part II Culture and Connections
- Part III Moments
- Part IV Ligaments of Globalization
- 17 Transportation and communication, 1750 to the present
- 18 Rubber
- 19 Drugs in the modern era
- 20 The automobile
- 21 Globalization, Anglo-American style
- Index
- References
20 - The automobile
from Part IV - Ligaments of Globalization
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 May 2015
Book contents
- The Cambridge World HistoryVolume VII
- The Cambridge World History
- The Cambridge World HistoryProduction, Destruction, and Connection, 1750–Present
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Social developments
- Part II Culture and Connections
- Part III Moments
- Part IV Ligaments of Globalization
- 17 Transportation and communication, 1750 to the present
- 18 Rubber
- 19 Drugs in the modern era
- 20 The automobile
- 21 Globalization, Anglo-American style
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter explores the worldwide fascination with automobiles as well as their wider significance, focusing on the changing regimes of car production and consumption. Around 1900, automobiles were socially exclusive and expensive items whose high price derived in part from a mode of production that saw integrated teams of highly skilled workers and artisans assemble vehicles in their entirety. After 1945, general motors consolidated its commercial lead by embracing new forms of labor-saving automation and adopting machine tools to perform several manufacturing processes under the supervision of a single worker. The international proliferation of Japanese production principles is indicative of broader dynamics of globalization. The organizational principles of mass production pioneered in the United States and subsequently transformed in Japan reshaped labor practices not just in the car industry but proved influential across a wide range of sectors.
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge World History , pp. 467 - 489Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2015
References
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