Inventions like the steam engine and electricity relegated more and more work to machines and reduced the need for talented craftsmen. They led to a 'deskilling' of the workplace. The newer white-collar office jobs increased the educational requirements of the workforce. The increase in wages created a vast American middle class which in return began to spend money on the latest electric appliances like the incandescent lamp, the electric fan, the electric iron, washing machines , vacuum cleaners and so on. Electricity also paved the way for the assembly line, allowing Ford to manufacture cheap cars.
The utility-supplied electricity was a major factor in shaping the American business and culture in the first half of the twentieth century.
The Big Switch: Our New Digital Destiny By Nicholas Carr
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