transportation were moving so quickly that if one did not stop to consider their sociological implications, the results could be economically disadvantageous and take a dangerous toll on the human spirit. Factories were not new, after all, and neither was industry: what was new was the relationship between men and the way they thought about
their work. The new problems were psychological ones. As Schlesinger saw it, they stemmed from the effect of industry on a human’s sense of worth: if people were beginning to be thought of as “the mass,” where did that leave the individual? It was in such discussions with Schlesinger that Heinrich began to ponder the harder questions intrinsic to his variousinterests and beliefs. He began to think seriously about the intersections between
machines, technology, ethics, and his Catholic faith.
Schlesinger had studied the type of assembly line that had been invented and introduced in the United States by Henry Ford; he was aware of the immense benefit and profit the moving assembly line was bringing to America (it would increase efficiency 25 percent, and between 1920 and 1929 the number of cars bought and sold in the United States would increase by 2.6 million), but he was equally aware of the problems the United States now had when it came to labor issues
and discrimination. In Detroit, even with changes like Ford’s five-dollar day, workers often found themselves stuck in monotonous jobs with no rights or voice in regard to the conditions of the factory or the amount of heavy labor they were expected to do. Workers’ unions were struggling to form, and it was a battleground at times, with people getting beaten or even shot. Strikes became commonplace as workers tried to find and assert their own human rights in a machine
age but were denied legal unionization. And business owners struggled to balance the new demands of the industrial world, one that (seemingly) required that more be produced for less.
It was one of the immediate problems that Fordism created. With the moving assembly line (started in 1913), Ford could produce many more cars at much cheaper prices, and the demand for cheaper cars was certainly there, but this required huge amounts of human energy. With the surge of customers, Ford needed more workers, but because the conditions of the factories were designed to maximize production, the conditions were unregulated and thus quickly became deplorable.
Workers could not bear it for long; thus, in response, Ford had decided to double the average factory salary at that time, announcing that workers would now get a proper wage that in turn allowed Ford to run three shifts at the plant and workers flocked to get the high pay. Still, it wouldn’t take long for them to demand betterworking conditions as well. In raising wages, Ford had only addressed one side of the problem. Nevertheless, it was the beginning of
the modern American middle class—now workers could buy the inexpensive cars they were producing, and own their own homes. But it was also the beginning of a new consciousness about what workers were entitled to, and what work meant. And many of those workers were immigrants from Europe: In fact, in the early 1900s, the most common ethnic background to be found at Ford was German, and English came after that. It was this influx of foreign workers that allowed such rapid
industrialization to take place. And it was also yet another factor adding to America’s new sense of unrest.
Between 1877 and 1920, the United States was in the midst of its industrial revolution, shifting from a mainly agricultural-based economy to an economy that was mainly industrial. This new industrial market meant more jobs, more desired services, and eventually, more potential fear. During these years, the population of the country more than doubled, going from 36 million in 1870 to over 80 million by 1900. By 1910, over one million Jewish immigrants were living in New
York
their work. The new problems were psychological ones. As Schlesinger saw it, they stemmed from the effect of industry on a human’s sense of worth: if people were beginning to be thought of as “the mass,” where did that leave the individual? It was in such discussions with Schlesinger that Heinrich began to ponder the harder questions intrinsic to his variousinterests and beliefs. He began to think seriously about the intersections between
machines, technology, ethics, and his Catholic faith.
Schlesinger had studied the type of assembly line that had been invented and introduced in the United States by Henry Ford; he was aware of the immense benefit and profit the moving assembly line was bringing to America (it would increase efficiency 25 percent, and between 1920 and 1929 the number of cars bought and sold in the United States would increase by 2.6 million), but he was equally aware of the problems the United States now had when it came to labor issues
and discrimination. In Detroit, even with changes like Ford’s five-dollar day, workers often found themselves stuck in monotonous jobs with no rights or voice in regard to the conditions of the factory or the amount of heavy labor they were expected to do. Workers’ unions were struggling to form, and it was a battleground at times, with people getting beaten or even shot. Strikes became commonplace as workers tried to find and assert their own human rights in a machine
age but were denied legal unionization. And business owners struggled to balance the new demands of the industrial world, one that (seemingly) required that more be produced for less.
It was one of the immediate problems that Fordism created. With the moving assembly line (started in 1913), Ford could produce many more cars at much cheaper prices, and the demand for cheaper cars was certainly there, but this required huge amounts of human energy. With the surge of customers, Ford needed more workers, but because the conditions of the factories were designed to maximize production, the conditions were unregulated and thus quickly became deplorable.
Workers could not bear it for long; thus, in response, Ford had decided to double the average factory salary at that time, announcing that workers would now get a proper wage that in turn allowed Ford to run three shifts at the plant and workers flocked to get the high pay. Still, it wouldn’t take long for them to demand betterworking conditions as well. In raising wages, Ford had only addressed one side of the problem. Nevertheless, it was the beginning of
the modern American middle class—now workers could buy the inexpensive cars they were producing, and own their own homes. But it was also the beginning of a new consciousness about what workers were entitled to, and what work meant. And many of those workers were immigrants from Europe: In fact, in the early 1900s, the most common ethnic background to be found at Ford was German, and English came after that. It was this influx of foreign workers that allowed such rapid
industrialization to take place. And it was also yet another factor adding to America’s new sense of unrest.
Between 1877 and 1920, the United States was in the midst of its industrial revolution, shifting from a mainly agricultural-based economy to an economy that was mainly industrial. This new industrial market meant more jobs, more desired services, and eventually, more potential fear. During these years, the population of the country more than doubled, going from 36 million in 1870 to over 80 million by 1900. By 1910, over one million Jewish immigrants were living in New
York
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