Henry Ford: Trailblazer

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Essay Title: Henry Ford: Trailblazer – A detailed analysis of texts through time. This essay will provide information as to why Henry Ford was considered to be a 20th Century trailblazer – generally understood to be someone who pioneers his particular field or leads it for periods in time. His success in the automobile industry will be analysed to understand whether he is worthy of the title. Henry Ford left home at 16 to learn how to build engines.[1] More importantly, at 20 he began building an efficient, inexpensive and simple farm tractor to replace the large steam tractors of the time.[2] This already showed his drive, not seen in many youths his age, which would be the start of his policies of efficiency and innovation. Ford built his first car in 1892 working at the Edison Company, sold it and used the money to build a lighter, stronger vehicle.[3] In 1899 he left to the Detroit Automobile Company, but in 1902 after leaving them, Ford complained that they did not share his idea of producing a single model car at mass, but preferred individual orders of custom vehicles.[4] The Ford Motor Company produced 1708 two-cylinder cars in its first year, by 1915 they produced a million cars, but under the new system of higher wages and lower prices this rose to two million cars a year.[5] It was this idea of assembly line, mass production of a car for all, not just the rich, along with increasing workers' wages ($2.40 to $5.00 per day) and thereby decreasing car prices that changed the automobile industry and forged Henry Ford into the history books as a trailblazer.[6] Everything was privatised including owning their own iron mines, coal mines, forests, railway and steamships - pure efficiency.[7] Eventually Ford went global, parts shipped to 35 branches in USA and to the international branches so cars were being made externally, and not just in one
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