Question

What effect did mass production have on society?
​

Answer 1

Mass production is a way of producing large amounts of standardized material goods, which means that they are all generally identical. In most cases, mass production involves the use of an assembly line, which involves a product being moved down a line as the individual parts are added until it reaches the end of the line as a finished product.

Prior to the 19th century, most objects and products were produced by hand, either by a single person or a group of people working together. This process was slow and often produced small batches of items that had no standard shape or size. Throughout the 19th century, however, new tools and technologies allowed for labor to become mechanized, which increased the speed of production and the output of material goods. Eventually, this type mechanization developed into the type of manufacturing we are familiar with today.

Answer 2

Mass production is the modern system of manufacturing that uses principles such as interchangeability and the use of the assembly line. Although notions regarding mass production existed in many industrialized nations, the concept wasn't fully realized until Henry Ford (1863-1947) put it to use in 1914. Ford's success in producing the Model T automobile set the early standard for what mass production could achieve. As a result, mass production quickly became the dominant form of manufacturing around the world. The idea of mass production also took hold in popular culture. Numerous artists, writers, and filmmakers used the image of the assembly line to symbolize either the good or the evil of modern industrial society.