Ford toured Europe with a peacekeeping force to end World War I, but this was not the reason Hitler became his admirer.
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| Henry Ford, with a Model T, in Buffalo, New York, 1921 |
Presidential election
Year 1923. Presidential election was about to take place in America. Obviously, like every time, this time too, election surveys were conducted to know the status of the candidates. But when the results of this year's survey came out, everyone's breath had stopped. The reason was the unexpectedly increased popularity of an industrialist claimant amid the changing circumstances of the country after the First World War. Chances were raised that if this businessman won the election, then both the present and future of America would change.
A few years ago, when industrialist Donald Trump joined the race to become the President of America, even then the American media was referring to that incident of the past, saying that history is going to repeat itself once again. The industrialist who caused a stir in America's media and politics in 1923, and to whom Donald Trump has been compared, was Henry Ford, called the father of modern cars.
His father wanted to make Henry Ford, one of the world's biggest industrialists, a farmer while repairing friends' watches with the help of his nails. But Henry wanted to measure the sky, not the land, so he left the house. In 1891, he started his job as an engineer in Thomas Edison's company and while working there in 1896, Ford designed his first four-wheeled vehicle. On this achievement, the inventor of the bulb and scientist-industrial Edison praised Ford fiercely.
After collecting some money, Ford founded the Ford Motor Company on 16 June 1903, which changed the fate of the world's automobile sector forever. After this Henry Ford never looked back. Due to hard work and far-reaching strategies, Ford has become one of the top entrepreneurs around the world, including America. But no matter how high his stature may have become, his feet always remained on the ground. He believed that rural areas should be given importance in development works and farmers should always be looked at with respect. He was a firm supporter of farmers as well as laborers and also took full care of their facilities.
Belief
Henry Ford believed that unless the labor pressure was reduced, both the quality and quantity of production could not improve. Keeping this in mind, he developed the moving assembly line. This was such a technique, with the help of which the workers did not even work, but through machines, the work came to them. In this way, more than half the time and energy of the workers, which was spent in moving from one corner of the factory to the other, was saved. It was evident that this led to a significant improvement in both the quality and quantity of production.
Ford cared deeply about the personal lives of its employees outside the factory. He had made a committee here. Its job was only to study the standard of living of the people working for Ford and suggest ways to improve it. This committee used to keep an eye on the health of the children of the workers working in Ford Motors and even their family responsibilities. In those days when the wages of the workers were negligible, Ford fixed the wages of its workers at five dollars a day. Ford believed that the people who built the car should at least be able to afford it. Due to this move, there was a stir in all the other small and big industrial units.
Ship of Fools
As much as Henry Ford cared for these backward and laborers, he was also in favor of peace in the world. During the First World War (in 1915), he tried to establish peace in Europe by taking a delegation with him. He named this ship 'Peace Ship' (Ship of Peace). According to the American newspaper Chicago Daily Tribune, Ford took 63 peace supporters, 54 journalists and four children with him on this ship. On his move, the New York Times published a news on the main page. Its title was, 'World War Will End on Christmas Day, Ford Will Stop the War'. But the European media ridiculed him for this effort. The London Standard had described the ship as pro-Germany by calling it 'Pro German Peace Cruise' and many newspapers even gave it the name of 'Ship of Fools' (Ship of Fools). Ford was deeply hurt by this attitude of European intellectuals and returned to America a few days later.
Henry Ford seems to be a capitalist influenced by communism to some extent if we look at the methods and ideas of work. Although he did not have any political affiliation with any party, yet people had a great passion for him. Not only the common people, but even the then President of America, Woodrow Wilson was his admirer. Ever since Ford made the common man's car 'T', people had hoped that this was the person who would change the lives of Americans.
This was the reason that when he contested the Senate election in 1918 at the behest of President Wilson, he got full support of the public without any campaigning. However, he lost the election by a small margin. Despite this, the spirit of his supporters did not diminish. It is said that after this election, Ford's popularity increased further. It was believed that the common man of America wanted to see Ford as its next president. And as soon as news of Ford's candidacy for the presidency surfaced in 1924, his supporters set up Ford-for-President clubs across the country. These clubs were formed to garner electoral support for Ford.
Ford also took great care while giving statements in the media that his words could reach the common man. As far as American politics is concerned, he said that the leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties are only slaves of their personal interests. With these statements, the common people were convinced that only Ford would be able to free them from the corruption spread in the country. A member of the US Congress had also complained about this fact that poor farmers keep ruminating throughout the day, 'When Ford will come... when Ford will come'. As if Christ is coming again on earth.
Seeing the tremendous support Ford was getting, a magazine named Colliers sent its agents door-to-door to conduct a survey. According to this survey report, Ford was getting the support of 34 percent people, which was a clear majority according to then. At the same time, the then President Warren Harding had the support of only 20 percent of the people. At the same time, another report suggests that most of Ford's supporters were Native Americans. Under this, the organization of more than two thousand rural newspapers had conducted a survey among its readers. In this, Ford got the support of 41 percent of the people. The most interesting thing about this whole matter is that till then it was not clear from which party Henry Ford would contest, and whether he would contest or not.
Being a kingmaker more than a king
However, later Ford himself gave his support to Calvin Coolidge, not contesting the election. The reason for his decision was never clear. Some people say that he was afraid of defeat. While some believe that Ford believed in being a kingmaker more than a king. Some politicians also say that Ford's dream was to develop a town in the lap of nature in Muscle Shoals, Alabama province. To fulfill this dream, he left politics. However, due to his support, Coolidge became president and thus Ford became one of the most powerful people of the time.
There are decisive ups and downs in the life of every successful person, and even Henry Ford was not spared from this. After a few years, Ford started to weaken in the market. His rival companies began to present cars as more of a luxury than a convenient vehicle. In such a situation, the pressure on Henry Ford to change his car Model 'T' increased day by day. But for Ford, this car was not just a means of earning and becoming America's richest person. With this was his hope that one day every American would have his own car.
But alas, empty emotions don't work in business. By 1927, Ford had to cease production of the Model T. By that time it was too late. Ford's stature in the business world had diminished. Troubled by this, Ford was slowly starting to get tensed. With time, negativity also started increasing in them. He had heard somewhere that Jews were behind the assassination of America's greatest president, Abraham Lincoln. In this age of age, this thing settled in his heart and mind in such a way that he threw himself in proving it. Gradually the hatred towards Jews in his mind kept on increasing. It was this similarity that brought him and Hitler together.
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| Media published cartoon on Henry Ford's 'Peace Ship' |
The International Jew: The World's Most Problem
Between 1919 and 1927, through his weekly newspaper 'The Dearborn Independent', Henry Ford vented his anger against the Jews. Here his articles discussed how Jews had ruined American culture and beliefs. Also, in these articles, the Jews were also held responsible for the First World War. Later all these articles were compiled and given the shape of a book. Its name was, 'The International Jew: The World's Most Problem'. The book soon became one of the best-selling books of Nazi Germany.
Ford, who claimed to be a pacifist, was strongly condemned by the intelligentsia for writing against a particular community and causing an increase in violence against it. But being anti-Semitic, Ford was the only American personality whom Hitler not only liked but also considered him as a source of inspiration. Hitler has mentioned this in his autobiography 'Mein Kampf'. Also, in 1937, he had accepted this in a public forum as well. Ford was awarded the 'Grand Cross of the German Eagle' by Germany on his 75th birthday in 1938, just before World War II, due to an ideology similar to Hitler. It was the highest honor given to a non-German at that time.
Despite all the positives and negatives of his life, what Ford is most remembered for is that he finally ushered in a new era of transportation. It is said that in every century such an inventor is born who teaches people to live life with new technology. And later these techniques become such a part of our life without which life seems difficult. From railway tracks to today's microprocessor, there are some such important milestones in the progress of mankind. An important stop in these is also the name of Henry Ford. His car 'T' had changed the way the middle class traveled forever. Seeing these achievements, Will Rodgers, the famous actor and writer of that era, told Ford, 'It will take centuries to know whether you have helped us or harmed us. But it is certain, you have brought us far away from where we met you.
Ford was also well aware of what he had given to the people. An incident can be mentioned here to understand this. In the last days of his life, he was talking to a schoolboy named John. Ford started telling the child how people used to study in one-room schools in his time. The child said in surprise at Ford's words, 'But sir, times have changed, this is the modern age. And...' John could not even finish his point that Henry Ford stopped him in the middle. He replied to him, 'Children, this is the modern age and I invented it.'