2. Henry Ford and Industrialization in the USSR
Ford and Stalin. How to Live in Humaneness · перевод (English) · раздел 6 из 42
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2. Henry Ford and Industrialization in the USSR
In the 20th century or at least its largest part the historically real issue of objective Good and Evil viewed globally always led to the question: which one of these two categories is represented by the «American way of life» and «American dream» and which one is represented by «the Soviet way of life» and «the ideals of bolshevism».
Many people including representatives of the well-read «intelligentsia» adhere to the view that history has given a final answer to this question even after September 11th, 2001 [1]. Namely, they think that the «American way of life» and the «American dream» suit human nature and the nature of human society better and therefore are universal and viable, while the Soviet way of life and the ideals of bolshevism are the product of a far-fetched social experiment and therefore are a historical bankrupt. This bankruptcy was manifested, and to many convincingly, by the irreversible failure of the USSR in terms of state institutions, social structure and culture. And the current status of the «former USSR» and the USA is one of the facts belonging to the globalization, which defines its future perspective.
Along with that since the mid 19th century and up to present time the course of globalization and its quality (goals, means to accomplish them, scenarios) has been determined by the extent to which the people of the USA and Russia have used their chances to provide mutual help and cooperation in developing the cultures of both two countries. That is why in order to understand the future trends of globalization and discover a variant of it that is objectively executable to the benefit of all the peoples of the world it is insufficient simply to proclaim the failure of the USSR and the seemingly cloudless future of the USA (even more so after September 11th, 2001). One must turn to our common history.
Usually when one needs an example of a positive cooperation between Russia and the USA one recalls the World War II. But in our opinion the cooperation between Russia (the USSR) and the USA in that period is not the kind of phenomenon that is exemplary to the present and future politicians, businessmen and common people in both countries. The reason is that the unity between the USSR and the USA during the WWII existed due to a common enemy. The hypothetic victory of that enemy would have ended the history of both countries and their peoples. But to discover a way to a peaceful and bright future of all the peoples of mankind one needs not to answer the question «whom should we be friends against?» but the question «in the name of what ideals should we be friends and how could we make our common ideals a reality?» That is why we should find another example of fruitful cooperation in our past.
The industrialization of the USSR - new branches of industry coming into being and old ones being modernized - was going on simultaneously with the «great depression» in the USA and world economic crisis. While the crisis paralyzed the economies of all industrialized countries for many Western companies sales to the Soviet market became a way of surviving financially. The so-called «class interests», «class solidarity» of capitalists in the fight against the «world evil of communism» for many of them receded into the background. They were ready to work for the socialist regime of the USSR contrary to their class interests for the sake of preserving their firms and keeping their present social status.
In the years preceding the «great depression» the anti-Marxist nature of Stalin’s bolshevism [2] was yet unclear. That is why the struggle between Trotskyites and Stalinists in the governing bodies of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) [ACP (B)] and their struggle outside the party for control over the minds of Soviet citizens were taken by many people (including foreigners) for the customary fighting between leaders and their teams which is more or less in the nature of all political parties. Rearranging life in Russia on the principles of Marxist «socialism» was a part of the global project to rearrange relationships in societies throughout the world. Therefore there are reasons to believe that the «great depression» of 1929 itself was organized on purpose by the «world backstage» [3] in order to force the private capital of industrially developed countries under threat of bankruptcy to work for the benefit of building Marx’s model of the «socialism» in the USSR. Such were the immediate tasks of «globalization» in that historic period.
Consequently industrialization in the USSR was lent active political support by a part of the backstage masonry [4] and received investments from the foreign private capital, including the private capital of the USA that diplomatically acknowledged the USSR only in November 1933. Under those conditions the Soviet government enjoyed the opportunity to choose from among many firms eager to take part in building socialism in the USSR and those were the most advanced firms of every branch of industry. «Ford Motors» (founded 1903) was among the leaders of the automotive branch throughout the whole of the 1st quarter of the 20th century. Therefore it is not surprising that it was given preference over others and received an opportunity to contribute to the Soviet automotive industry’s coming into being.
As a result the foundation of the automotive and tractor industries of the USSR in the Stalinist period was heavily assisted in terms of technology and staff training by Henry Ford I (1863 - 1947), one of the most prominent businessmen of the first half of the 20th century. The first Soviet mass-production tractor «Fordson - Putilovets» (1923) - a «Ford» tractor «Fordson» adapted for production and operation in the USSR - was designed and put into full production in the years of World War I. A car factory was constructed (1929 - 1932) in Gorky [5]; Moscow «ZiL» car factory [6] was modernized during the first five-year plan, staff for both of these factories received training. Everything mentioned above was accomplished with the help of Henry Ford and various experts from «Ford Motors» and their help played a decisive role in it.
But «Ford Motors» stands out among the many private firms that took part in the industrialization of the USSR because of Ford’s personality. Ford was its founder and chief executive for over 40 years. That Ford’s personality stands out against the background of many capitalist businessmen of the first half of the 20th century was reflected in the Soviet propaganda in a peculiar way.