Ch1-10 (D)

In the 1930s, horse pulled vehicles were still often used over motorized vehicles - farmers were, after all, short on money. It was only during and after the great migration of "Okies" to California, did the use of automobiles become more widespread. One could argue that the tractor could be seen as a counterexample for that statement, but the tractor was not created for transport, the tractor was not very fast, and the tractor was just as expensive and not all farmers had one - much like the Joads, it seems, lacked a tractor or car. But what kinds of cars DID exist? The largest 3 companies/brands producing automobiles for the primary purpose of transportation at the time were Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors. Ford, the car company named after the inventor of the production line himself, specialized in the idea of reliability. Their cars were supposed to be hardy and would last a while, and Henry Ford only released variations of cars rather reluctantly in response to General Motors. Creating a large variety of cars to suit a larger spectrum of consumers, including kinds known today like the Buick or Chevrolet. This was quite the effective strategy for the market, and General Motors caught up to Ford in sales quite quickly. Chrysler, on the other hand, was just as steady as the other two companies - they acquired Dodge to open up their lineup in 1929, and still was able to turn decent profits with what models they already had. Cars were not all that often used among farm folk in the 1930s due to financial problems, until movement became necessary in the Dust Bowl. Even then, they could only purchase the more run down cars, although there were 3 main producers of this product of the automobile.

↑This is a car. Sources: (Also APUSH book again) http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_kind_of_transportation_did_they_use_in_the_1930%27s_and_the_1940%27s http://www.ehow.com/info_12199271_car-brands-were-there-1930s.html

↑These are hyperlinks.

But the kinds of hyperlinks you want are here:

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