Industrialization, Fordism and the Golden Age of Atlantic Capitalism: The UK, USA and Germany from 1800-1973

• In Event: 238 - Regular Session. Historical Sociology. Large Processes, Big Questions

Abstract

This paper proposes that the concept of fordism is central to an adequate understanding of the developmental trajectory of 20th century capitalism in Europe and North America. The strength of the concept of fordism lies in its multi-level character, as a conceptual framework for establishing causal linkages between the micro-organizational and macro-institutional constitution of economies. I begin my analysis with the turn of the 19th century, tracing the slow emergence and diffusion of standardization and large-scale production over that century. I then examine the establishment of production regimes in the 20th century. Ford’s Model T production system, based on special-purpose machinery and flow production, was developed by other American firms and generalized into the model of classical fordism, based on general-purpose machinery and batch production. In the UK there was substantial resistance to fordist production due to an enduring institutional legacy from its much longer history of industrialization, while Germany adopted the model more fully, with substantial help from the Marshall Planners, diverging only in cases where it made advances on fordist production in terms of flexibility. To understand the development of these production regimes requires turning to the international level of analysis, the regime of Atlantic fordism, based in the Bretton Woods system (1945-1973). Finally, I turn to the leading national growth regimes that were established within Atlantic fordism: liberal fordism in the US, blocked fordism in the UK and nonliberal fordism in Germany.

Author

• Matt Vidal, King's College London