American "Car Culture" in the 20th Century

Over the course of the twentieth century, automobile industry in US and other developed nations such as Canada, Germany among others, quickly developed from expensive toys meant for the rich to a defacto standard for transport for passengers in these countries. Unlike in any other county, the industry has led to sweeping changes in terms of employment levels, infrastructure, distribution of goods and social interactions. This paper will critically evaluate the American car culture in 20th century.

Ways that automobile shaped American culture and society

MacKenzie (76) indicates that automobiles have had a dramatic effect on the American culture. In the early 20th century, automobiles were very vital into all aspects of life such as movies, music of books. For instance, by 1908, there had been more than 130 songs written, the focus being automobiles. It is worth noting that the wide spread of car culture had largely shifted the preference of voters to right of political spectrums. Car culture led to raised individualism and reduced social interactions between various members of diverse socioeconomic classes largely influenced by Keynesian style political ideologies. Since the early 20th century, the automobile, suppliers of petroleum fuel, car manufacturers successfully lobbied the US government to building public facilities, such as roads and airports that shaped American lifestyles.

Ways that American culture and society shape automobiles

The American culture of innovation hard work and commitment has largely shaped the automobile industry. Henry Ford once indicated that he would have wished to see new car in the garage of America. The realization of his dream came with the creation of Ford model T . This was possible through the use of modern assembly lines, which led to rapid production, the interchangeable parts and effective maintenance. In the recent years, the use of new and advanced technologies has led to production of high-quality vehicles by firms, such as General Motors among others.

Conclusion

From studying the case above, one can see that, the American culture has affected the automobile industry and vice versa. With the emergence of new technologies, this is prone to changes as employment of contemporary forms of marketing takes place.