The manufacture of goods in large quantities using standardized designs, machinery, and processes to achieve economies of scale and lower per-unit costs. This system makes products affordable for broad consumer markets.
The term combines 'mass' (from Latin 'massa,' meaning bulk or quantity) with 'production' (from Latin 'producere,' to bring forth). The concept emerged during the Industrial Revolution but was perfected in early 20th-century America.
Mass production didn't just change how things were made—it transformed society by making previously luxury items like cars, radios, and appliances accessible to ordinary people, creating modern consumer culture. The concept proved decisive in WWII when American mass production capabilities overwhelmed Axis powers; as Stalin reportedly said, the war was won by 'American steel, British intelligence, and Russian blood'—with American mass production being the steel.
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