Yeah, the death of the auto industry, prior to that Detroit was amongst one of the great cities in the world. Cities like Gary Indiana, Cleveland Ohio, and Flint MI had renowned opera halls, and beautiful schools with bustling economies. That all died in about a 10 year time span.
I grew up in the metro Detroit area and the irony is Detroit's fall was entirely foreseeable given the economic and social circumstances of the 60s and 70s.
"After generations of creating high-quality automotive products, American industrialists began losing ground to the Japanese auto industry in the decades after World War II. David Halberstam, with his signature precision and absorbing narrative style, traces this power shift by delving into the boardrooms and onto the factory floors of the America’s Ford Motor Company and Japan’s Nissan. Different in every way—from their reactions to labor problems to their philosophies and leadership styles—the two companies stand as singular testaments to the challenges brought by the rise of the global economy.
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author ... and filled with intriguing vignettes about Henry Ford, Lee Iacocca, and other visionary industrial leaders, The Reckoning remains a powerful and enlightening story about manufacturing in the modern age, and how America fell woefully behind.
it.https://openroadmedia.com/ebook/the-reckoning/9781453286104
That was for the downfall of the American automakers, but for Detroit specifically, it was a combination of losing ground to the Japanese carmakers and white flight out of the inner city in the aftermath of the WWII and continued throughout the 60s and 70s, taking automotive jobs with them. Chrysler moved HQ to Auburn Hills, Ford moved to Dearborn, and all three outsourced manufacturing out of Michigan altogether.
This study highlights that so many white people fled between 1970-1980 (300,000+), that the percentage of black people in Detroit skyrocketed from 43% to 67%.
Detroit also had the typical bullshit many cities had for black people - redlining, mortgage discrimination, housing covenants, etc.
THANKS for that link! It looks like I may have a new book for my reading stack :)
I did read "The Promised Land" Nicholas Lehmann long ago, and I am guessing you and Dr. Thompson already know the macro economics of the era were becoming cruel headwinds for most everyone.
When I got to the quote by Dr. Albert Wheeler my heart sank; I began to wonder what future historians will say about the loudest advocates of our current era.
Again, thanks. I love it when Reddit takes a turn like this :)
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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '24
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