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Year 11
AQA

The role of Henry Ford in the 'boom'

I can explain the impact of Henry Ford and the growth of the US car industry.

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New
New
Year 11
AQA

The role of Henry Ford in the 'boom'

I can explain the impact of Henry Ford and the growth of the US car industry.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Henry Ford developed an assembly line to speed up production.
  2. Cars became more affordable throughout the 1920s due to mass production and increases in popularity.
  3. New roads and housing complexes were built to accommodate the new cars and people's changing habits.
  4. The motor industry generated investment and led to a boom in other industries like oil and hospitality.

Common misconception

The benefits of mass production in the car industry were felt equally by all groups.

Mass production benefited consumers and businesses greatly but workers suffered from monotonous work and restrictions on trade unionism.

Keywords

  • Assembly line - an assembly line is a production line in a factory where goods are produced in large numbers

  • Trade union - a trade union is an organisation of workers formed to protect their collective interests

  • Strike - a strike is a period of time when people refuse to work in order to demand better working conditions

  • Investment - the act of putting money into a business is known as an investment

Before beginning the final task, students could be encouraged to consider stakeholders (i.e. factory workers; managers; business owners, etc.) and asked if all benefitted equally from the spin-off effects of the car boom.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What best describes the effect of laissez-faire policies?
Correct answer: governments avoid interfering with the economy
governments interfere with the economy
governments take complete control over the economy
Q2.
What happened to the US economy in the 1920s?
experienced no growth
experienced some growth
Correct answer: experienced significant growth
Q3.
Why did countries like Britain and France have to pay large sums of money to the USA during the 1920s?
Britain and France owed the USA reparations for damages caused during WWI
Britain and France promised aid to the USA after WWI
Correct answer: Britain and France owed the USA for loans taken out during WWI
Q4.
Which products are consumer goods?
Correct answer: cars
cranes
Correct answer: radios
railways
ships
Q5.
Write the missing word. The US experienced a cycle of as different causes of economic growth affected one another and accelerated growth.
Correct Answer: prosperity, Prosperity
Q6.
Sort the following into order to explain how hire purchase schemes contributed to economic growth.
1 - consumers allowed to buy goods by making small payments spread out over time
2 - more people can afford to purchase consumer goods
3 - sales of consumer goods increase
4 - production of consumer goods increases to meet higher demand
5 - businesses employ more workers and incraese wages

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each keyword with its correct definition.
Correct Answer:trade union,an organisation of workers formed to protect their interests

an organisation of workers formed to protect their interests

Correct Answer:strike,a period of time when people refuse to work

a period of time when people refuse to work

Correct Answer:assembly line,production line in a factory where goods are produced

production line in a factory where goods are produced

Correct Answer:investment,the act of putting money into a business

the act of putting money into a business

Q2.
Write the misisng word. Henry Ford did not allow his employees to organise into trade ...
Correct Answer: unions, Unions
Q3.
Match each of the statistics with the value which represents them.
Correct Answer:cost of a Model T in 1911,$800

$800

Correct Answer:cost of a Model T in 1928,$295

$295

Correct Answer:profits of Henry Ford by 1928,$2500

$2500

Q4.
Write the missing word. Assembly lines allowed workers to become more so manufacturing became quicker and cheaper.
Correct Answer: productive, Productive
Q5.
Identify the spin-off benefit of the boom in car production.
Henry Ford became one of the richest businessmen in the world
15 000 000 Americans purchased Model T's
Correct answer: investment in the US oil industry increased
Q6.
How did increased car ownership affect housing in the USA?
it encouraged many car owners purchase multiple homes
Correct answer: it encouraged some car owners to move
it encouraged some car owners to give up their homes completely

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