Upload
kalil
View
20
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
A Business Boom. http://www.fortworthchamber.com/images/newz/Main_street_1920.jpg. Angela Brown Chapter 11. A Consumer Economy. Consumer Economy – One that depends on a large amount of buying by consumers Consumers – individuals who use products Wages rose 28% # of millionaires doubled. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
A BUSINESS BOOM
http://www.fortworthchamber.com/images/newz/Main_street_1920.jpg
1
A CONSUMER ECONOMY
Consumer Economy – One that depends on a large amount of buying by consumers
Consumers – individuals who use products
Wages rose 28%
# of millionaires doubled
2
http://stlouis.missouri.org/government/heritage/citypics/Rexall%20warehouse-1920%27s.jpg
BUYING ON CREDIT
Installment Plan – a system that lets customers make partial payments (installments) at set intervals over a period of time until the total debt is paid – fueled consumer economy
Up to this time borrowing money for anything except a house or land unthrifty even immoral
People bought who would not have – despite interest rates from 11 to 40%
1929 60% cars; 70% furniture; 80% vacuum cleaners, radios, and refrigerators; 90% sewing machines, washing machines
3
4
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/railroads-of-the-1920s-truck-400x314.jpg
http://www.crossley-motors.org.uk/history/1920/18-50.jpg
ELECTRIC POWER
customers quadrupled
63% people with electric power (urban)
4% American farms (many used wind powered generators)
GE formed 1892 – take over Thomas Edison’s electric light business
Sold household electrical appliances – electric motors
5
New Products to Buy
Electric toasters,
ovens,
sewing machines,
coffee pots,
irons, and
vacuum cleaners,
telephones,
cosmetics
Ford and the Automobile
Ford and the “Model T”
1896 perfected first version of lightweight, gas-powered car called quadricycle (sold it to make a better one)
1903 started automobile company
1908 sold 30,000 Model T’s
6
7
http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_edin_t/0_edinburgh_transport_cars_vans_lorries_-_lorries.jpg
FORD’S ASSEMBLY LINE
wanted to “democratize the automobile” produce sell cars at prices ordinary people could afford
assembly line – manufacturing process in which each worker does one specialized task in the construction of the final product
Made assemble line more efficient – like today
Model T made every 24 seconds
8
http://www.johndclare.net/images/Ford%20Assembly%20line.JPG
MODEL T 1914 (first year of assembly line)
Model T’s $490 each (1/2 price from year before)
Ford “any color as long as its black” – black paint dried faster – 1928 Model A color variety
General Motors – low priced Chevrolet – many colors
Ford – vertical consolidation – controlled businesses that make up phases of products development (raw ore, coal mines, wood, rubber, glassworks, railroads, fleet of ships, tools)
9
https://secure.lynbrook.k12.ny.us/msarosy/images/model-t.gif
COMPLEX BUSINESSMAN
1914 praised for $5-a-day rate for workers (double other factories)
used violence to fight unions
gave millions of Americans cars – but refused to meet tastes
1936 slipped to 3rd place in car business
contempt for history
1915 tried to talk Europe out of WWI
1920 blamed Jews for world’s problems in his newspaper – sued for slander – apologized – sold paper
10
11
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/01/mayhem/images/montage.jpg
INDUSTRIAL GROWTH
nation’s biggest single industry – automotive
garages, car dealerships, motels, campgrounds, gas stations, restaurants, truck lines
3.7 million people employed directly or indirectly because of automobile in 1929
$2 million spent to build/maintains roads and bridges
Power of monopolies declined even while American business was getting bigger
Publishing, motion picture, machine making, industries boomed
12