Henry Ford
July 30, 1863-April 7, 1947
An American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production
Eli Whitney
December 8, 1765-January 8, 1825
An American inventor who is best known for inventing the cotton gin
James Watt
January 19, 1736-August 25, 1819
A Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain and the rest of the world
Karl Marx
May 5, 1818-March 14, 1883
A German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist whose ideas played a significant role in the establishment of the social sciences and the development of the socialist movement
Friedrich Engels
November 28, 1820-August 5, 1895
A German social scientist, author, political theorist, and philosopher who worked alongside Karl Marx to create the Marxist theory
Crop Rotation
The practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons in order to replenish the soil
"Laissez-Faire"
An economic environment in which transactions between private parties are free from tariffs, government subsidies, and enforced monopolies, with only enough government regulations sufficient to protect property rights against theft and aggression
"Hands Off" or "Let It Be"
Assembly Line
A manufacturing process in which parts are added to a product in a sequential manner to create a finished product much faster than with handcrafting-type methods
Utopian Socialism
The first currents of modern socialist thought as exemplified by the work of several people and inspired Karl Marx and other early socialists
"Zaibatsu"
A Japanese term referring to industrial and financial business conglomerates in the Empire of Japan whose influence and size allowed control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji period until the end of World War II
Socialism
An economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and co-operative management of the economy
Communism
A revolutionary socialist movement to create a classless, moneyless, and stateless social order structured upon common ownership of the means of production as well as a social, political, and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of this social order
"Bourgeoisie"
A French word used in the fields of political economy, political philosophy, sociology, and history which originally denoted the wealthy stratum of the middle class that originated during the latter part of the Middle Ages
Proletariat
A lower social class, usually the working class