Vehicle Industry of 1930's- Chapters 1-10 (D)*

Ford Model

General Motors

Before U.S. got involved in WWII, the vehicle

industry moved ahead as the use of steel was thought to be one of the most important role in the American economy. The annual income of Americans was spent on purchasing cars and trucks, along with the necessities that come along with the responsibility of owning a car, such as: oil, parts, repairs, etc. The top leading car companies during the 30's were General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, they were known as "The Big Three," and they helped fuel the upswing in the economy. However, American's learned the hard way of just how important the connection of the auto industry was to the prosperous economy, for when the stock market crashed and America entered the Great Depression, not only did the economy suffer, but so did the people. This then caused the auto industry to reach a record downfall of the number of cars companies were selling.
         Before the economic downfall the smaller automakers had sold a good amount of the car that you would see on the road, however as a result of the Great Depression, these small automakers suffered the most for their numbers dropped, while "The Big Three" managed to get by. Some of these small companies were able to move on and switch from their car dealership job to selling other products that still managed to make money during the crisis so they could be able to survive.The ones who still remained in the car business obviously had a harder time, and some went to desperate measures and sold cars that would force clients to return and spend more money on their car.
         The automobile industry survived many upheavals in the 1930's. It remained, despite the foundering economy, the dominant industry in the United Sates. The Big Three expanded as the independent companies were forced out of business. Most significantly, the automakers eventually accepted industrial democracy in the plants. The wave of unionization, supported by the Roosevelt administration, swept the country and could have been even more violent if the leaders of the auto companies did not realize that they were fighting a losing battle. Taken together, the events of the 1930's solidified the strength of the auto industry and set the tone for the mobilization effort in WWII.
          In the novel there is a section where once again, struggling people who are frustrated of the government and bank involvement, blame a person working for the "monster." In this situation the car dealer is standing up for his job stating that it is not his fault that the cars they are selling are expensive, and frankly he does not care if the people even buys his products. The car dealer explains that it is not him, but it is the finance company that should be blamed for the overpriced cars, and scares the farmers into paying an absurd amount with the threat of these finance companies coming after them. However in truth, greedy people are just blaming companies and banks for their selfish acts. This is an ongoing motif that is shown in the novel, where land owners and tractor drivers blame the bank and other institutions for forcing the tenant farmers off the land.
Reference for above paragraph: "Now listen here, you-you bought a car, an' now you're squawkin'. I don't give a damn if you don't make payments. We ain't got our paper. We turn that over to the finance company. They'll get after you,not us."(65)

Sources: information/facts- #1, #2, #3