How Cars Changed the United States After World War II

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Main text
Conclusion
Works Cited
Note Card Info

Introduction

American communities have always been shaped by the transportation options that were available to their residents.

The automobile allowed the suburbs to develop as quickly as they did after World War II. The national rail network allowed the farmers to become part of the national economic recovery that started at the beginning of the Second World War and continued throughout 1960.

Main text

Commercial transport in 1914 relied on railways and boats for everything but local delivery, highways connecting cities did not yet exist and commercial airlines had not been invented (Frey, 1941). Cars increased during WWI and the building of highways throughout the United States began in earnest. However it was not until after World War Two when carmakers began to build cars that were more stylish, modern, and functional (Bellis, 2008).

The history of the automobile started back in 1885 when the very first car that was similar to those used today was invented. Before that car there were several attempts at a steam-powered vehicle that were successful were not very practical. One of them invented by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot and constructed by M. Brezin in 1769 could only travel six km/hour and were so heavy that they could only be driven on flat surfaces that were incredibly strong (Bellis, 2008). The internal combustion engine was not designed until 1807 and used a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen to create energy (Glancey, 2003).

Up until the early 19th century designers played with updated designs for the internal combustion engine with little success because nobody had invented a fuel that could be used safely and reliably (Corbett, 2005). In 1860 Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir from France developed a two-stroke gas engine. He played with the design over the next two years and then built an experimental vehicle that could travel up to three km/hour. Unfortunately Lenoir died before he could make any money off his invention or enjoy it (Glancey, 2003).

In the United States the first gasoline-run car was built by Charles and Frank Duryea was taken for its first road trials in Springfield, MA on September 21, 1893. Henry Ford’s cars were not available until 1896 and the first of his cars could be bought for 200 dollars (Corbett, 2005). The development of the car changed life in the small towns of America. As cars become more available they went from being a luxury of the rich to more of a necessity to the middle classes (Glancey, 2003).

There was also a population explosion after the war both in new children and immigrants to the cities, both from the farms and other countries. Farmers moved from the farms to the factories, cities overflowed with migrants from the Dustbowl, and immigration from Europe increased.

Because the increase of individuals in the city had increased and the post-war economy was strong many families had the ability to buy their own homes, unfortunately in the city there were no homes to buy. This caused many families to move from the city to suburbs where the homes being built were inexpensive and gave families more privacy (Pelfrey, 2006). This also started the creation of the nuclear family, father, mother, and children without the family support of uncles, aunts and grandparents.

The strength of the economy allowed those same families that were buying houses to buy a car to take them to their jobs, giving them the freedom to travel where they wish and live where they wanted (Pelfrey, 2006). The increase of the suburbs leads to more roads linking the suburbs to the cities and from one city to another cities. While building roads had been started before both of the world wars, with more people leaving the cities the need increased dramatically and more roads were built.

The car opened up more of the United States to both vacation travelers and people looking for a new place to live.

Before World War II when people wanted to travel across the United States they used trains. With cars becoming more popular and more interstates being built, the car became the preferred mode of travel. The interstate destroyed some towns by cutting them off from the travels that focused on reaching gas, hotels and food. It also allowed some towns to grow by being close to the interstate and used tourism to draw the motorists into the town. At gas stations and rest stops to enhance customer loyalty maps and other tourist information were available for free (Pelfrey, 2006).

Cities and states began setting up markers to honor important events in history that happened in or near that town.

The first one was set up in 1927 to highlight the history of Virginia. The earliest markers were designed to be read from cars as they traveled the interstate, however, as highway speeds increased the markers were incorporated into rest stops (Washington Smithsonian, 2008).

American firms dominated the car market in the United States from 1910 through the 1960s.

After the war, Buick car models offered owners an experience in upscale power, style and roominess that members of the new generation took advantage of. Members of the middle class were attracted to those features and by 1954 the Buick was the third best-selling car in America after General Motors and Ford. American families went shopping for cars with the features that matched their desire for well-built consumer goods, an increasingly mobile lifestyle, and the ability to help them raise their children (Pelfrey, 2006). General Motors capitalized on the family’s desires and priced many of the Buick models so that many families were able to buy them on credit.

After returning from Europe many returning veterans’ wanted a car that was styled similarly to a European sports car and several American companies started to manufacture small quantities of fiberglass-body sports cars (Banham, 2002). The body of the car was able to be built without the expensive manufacturing equipment that the cars with steel bodies required. The fiberglass was lightweight, resisted rust, dents and was easy to repair should it be damaged. The car companies distrusted plastic-bodied cars after experimenting with them in the early 1940s however; the new formula that was being used was functional, economical and practical (Banham, 2006). While the fiberglass body was originally intended to be used in limited edition cars the ease in making the material caused General Motors to start making their Corvettes out of the new material.

In 1955, the auto manufacturers known collectively as the Big Three and individually known as Chrysler, Ford and General Motors dominated the nation’s sales of new cars and about half of the cars sold were built by General Motors. This domination of the industry could not last and during the 1960s foreign cars begin to be seen in the United States market.

The first of the Big Three is General Motors. Its history started in 1908 and was founded by William Durant. It was initially founded as a holding company for Buick but it later started to acquire other companies such as Oldsmobile, Cadillac and Oakland. During the early 1900’s many of the motor companies were very in trouble, the economic situation was poor due to a stock market panic. Durant used this opportunity to acquire smaller companies that would have otherwise gone bankrupt (Pelfrey, 2006). General Motors was the first of the Big Three to be able to make sales outside of the United States. It retained its status as a leader of the auto companies for over one hundred years.

Ford Motor Company has consistently been a member of the Big Three but its placement in that ranking has consistently changed. Henry Ford attempted several times to start his company and after several false starts finally created the Model T which fit the needs of the American population for a reliable and affordable vehicle. By 1918 half of all cars in the United States were the Model T (Allen, 2008).

Not only did Henry Ford create the first affordable automobile he built a factory using standardized interchangeable parts with a conveyor-belt-based assembly line. In 93 minutes, it was possible for one car to be built from its parts to the completed unit (Allen, 2008). Ford was also responsible for shortening the workday at his plant from nine hours to eight so that the factory could be run in three shifts around the clock.

After World War II Chrysler’s automobile division were in chaos. There was nobody specifically in charge and because of that the various departments were competing against each other with the same passion that they were competing with the other two motor companies. While Chrysler has maintained its spot in the Big Three by sheer determination it survived through the post-war days because of the increasing demand for new automobiles combined with the economic recovery that the end of the war created (McCausey, 2007).

In the ’60s Chrysler started to build turbine engines in their cars as an alternative to the piston engine found in cars up to that point. Chrysler continued the connection with airplanes by designing the cars with an airplane-like feel through both the style of the car and how the instrument panel was constructed. They had to reassure the public that the mechanics of the car would be very similar to driving a car using the piston engine but would provide an exciting new experience for them (McCausey, 2007).

The turbine engine contained fewer moving parts which should have resulted in a lower maintenance cost for the vehicle it did not. It had limitations in the technology, high levels of emissions and ate fuel when sitting in stop-and-go traffic. The flaws with the new engine prevented it from being mass-produced and most cars even today still use the piston engine (McCausey, 2007).

In the early 1960’s Ford deduced that the market was ready for a new type of car. The Baby Boomers were growing up and we’re almost ready to drive, families had the ability to buy second cars and individuals who were not married were new sources of revenue as they started to buy their own cars (Allen, 2008). People who wanted to buy another car were also looking for models that were affordable and provided the excitement that they craved; Ford answered that demand with the Mustang. It was lean and sporty with more sophistication than Ford’s first attempt at a compact car the Falcon and had some of the draws that the Thunderbird possessed (Banham, 2002).

The American manufactures were starting to build smaller cars to compete with the foreign cars. The market research showed that the emotional appeal, style and options for the car had the ability to sell. The Mustang was a popular car that captured the imagination of a generation (Allen, 2008). Unfortunately by the 1970’s the imports from other countries overshadowed Ford’s efforts and Ford had to adjust with new designs, more compact cars and deal with internal problems in the company itself.

As the highway system was built across America the ultimate driving experience became exploring America in a car like the 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible. This car was considered to be a performance vehicle with more horsepower, style and comfort. At this time Americans were devoting more time to fun activities that took place both on and off the highways. While the luxury model of the Grand Prix was only produced in 1967; it typified the era with its sleek shape and optional 428 cubic-inch V8 engine.

The Volkswagen was the first of the cars to become popular in the States and even though it began its career as the brain child of Hitler combined with the low cost and rising popularity of the car around four million Volkswagen Bugs had been sold in the US before 1972. The popularity of the Beatles was not sustainable and by 1973 more consumers bought cars from Japan than West Germany (Bellis, 2008).

During the 1970s there was a gas shortage in the United States and buyers were looking for more fuel-efficient cars. This caused the industry to create smaller engines that used less gas and started the search for more efficient public transportation. The Clean Air Act was passed which limited how much pollution a car could create. The first car to meet those standards was the Honda Civic without using a catalytic converter and using regular gasoline (Bellis, 2008).

During the late 1980s and ’90s General Motors worked very hard to put a car that was able to run off of electricity rather than gas on the market. The people designing the car that came to be known as the EV1 had to solve several design problems, they needed a car with creature comforts after devices and a long enough range between charges to be practical (Pelfrey, 2007). The engineers and consultants created a system that recharged the batteries while the car slows down. Many drivers liked the acceleration and quiet performance of the EV1. By 2003 General Motors declared the vehicle to not be commercially viable and destroyed most of the EV1’s.

At the end of the 20th-century urban sprawl combined with too much traffic defined American cities.

Local governments had to make wise choices about land use, highway construction and the loss of unspoiled land with the demand for housing and economic development. Families had to choose between housing costs and how much time they wanted to spend in traffic and running errands (Corbett, 2005).

While the interstates opened up new land for development it caused the traditional patterns of commuting to change.

Offices and stores moved out to the suburbs where the housing developments had been built. Roads that had been designed for intercity traffic or to bypass the city became jammed with commuters traveling from the suburb to city and back (Corbett, 2005). Suburban roads became crowded even on the weekends as families needed to travel to run errands.

Conclusion

As more people started to drive politicians combined with the public pushed for increased automotive safety as well as improvements in driver education, traffic enforcement and better roads (Corbett, 2005). While the standards for highway safety had begun in the 1960s focusing on seat belts, padded dashboards, dual braking and standard bumper heights. As the years progressed new government regulations required airbags, shatter-resistant windshields, and safety seats for children (Corbett, 2005).

The advances in transportation technology provide a view into the history of the development of a nation.

The choices that both communities and individuals made over the years explain the daily lives of thousands of individuals.

Going from the invention of the steam engine to the internal combustion engine and electricity those technological advances help to explain both the country’s development as well as its structure.

Works Cited

Allen, Scott. “Henry Ford – Founder of Ford Motor Company and Assembly Line Innovator.” 2008.

Banham, Russ. The Ford Centruy: Ford Motor Company and the Innovations That Shaped the World. New York: Artisan, 2002.

Bellis, Mary. “Automobile History.” Ed. About.com: About.com, 2008.

Corbett, David. The History of Cars (from Past to Present). New York: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2005.

Glancey, Jonathan. The Car. New York: Carlton Publishing Group, 2003.

Lee, A. Robert. A Permanent Etcetera: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Post-War America. London: Pluto Press, 1994.

McCausey, Greg. Dodge Daytona and Chrysler Laser the Definitive History 1984-1993. New York: Trafford Publishing, 2007.

Pelfrey, William. Billy, Alfred, and General Motors: The Story of Two Unique Men, a Legendary Company and a Remarkable Time in American History. New York: AMACOM, 2006.

Smithsonian, Washington. “America on the Move”. Washington, DC, 2007.

Wright, Richard A. “World War II Put Brakes on Progress of Automotive Styling”. Detroit, 2008.

Note Card Info

Allen, Scott.

In response to growing demand, Ford built a new factory using interchangeable parts and a conveyor-belt based assembly.

Was responsible for cutting the workday from 9 hours to 8 to create 3 shifts

Russ Banham

Description of Henry Ford and successors

The release of the Model A and Model T cars

Mary Bellis

The building of steam driven cars by Cugnot

Jonthan Glancey

The changes the car has created over time.

The many different roles that the car has played over time

How the car has changed – different models

Social impact

Robert A. Lee

Formation of the suburb

Traffic patterns

Greg McCausey

History of Chrysler

Participation in the Manhattan Project

William Pelfrey

History of General Motors

Richard Wright

The car before and after WWII

Descriptions, technical information.

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