In 1928, Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, decided to bring a little bit of US suburbia to Brazil. As Gizmodo reports, the result of Ford’s plan was Fordlândia, a Ford-owned town for workers that brought homes, running water, electricity, swimming pools, and American meals to the heart of Brazil’s rainforest. The town was also imbued with Ford’s values: women, alcohol, and tobacco were all banned within the town, including inside the workers’ homes. Ultimately, the plan was unsuccessful, as Ford’s rubber trees (the reason for the company’s presence in Brazil) didn’t flourish, and Brazilian workers showed resistance to Ford’s strict values.
Henry Ford’s ‘Fordlândia’ was a failed attempt to bring Detroit-style living to Brazil
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