Why was Henry Ford helping the Soviets industrialise their country?

Question

I find this one of the more odd things in history that Ford Motor Corporation of the USA sent engineers to the Soviet Union to help them set up their GAZ car factories.
Does anybody know the reasons for this or a little more of the background or info?

Answer 1

During the 1930s, when Stalin was forcing the rapid industrialisation of Soviet Russia a surprising number of American and British companies helped the Soviets to set up industrial enterprises. The bottom line, of course, was it was about money, profit and potential markets.



One interesting character who built his commercial empire on trade with the Soviet Union was Armand Hammer. He had a relationship with every Soviet leader from Lenin to Brezhnev, and was often used as an unofficial diplomatic channel to the Kremlin by Western leaders at times of crisis.



The only reference I could find on the Internet to corporations trading with the Soviet Union was this:-



According to Professor Steven Kotkin of Princeton University:



“The list of capitalist firms which built Stalin's industrialized Soviet Union is a who's who of the most famous and advanced capitalist firms of the 20th Century. It includes not only American ones, but Italians and Germans, etcetera. Later on they would be embarrassed by this collaboration and remove this episode from their company histories, which were produced in the Cold War period after 1945.”



I'm sure if you did a search you will come up with something although, if the companies involved have been rewriting history it might not be easy.

Answer 2

the reply, as you may assume became funds. inspite of the actual shown actuality that automobiles were (in the start) in basic terms assembled at that plant, the factors were offered from Ford. Later even as all the factors were equipped interior the U.S., they were made less than licenses offered from Ford. as far as Ford making automobiles for the Nazis, Henry Ford turned right into a large fan of the Nazis, and a observed anti-Semite. in case you Google Ford&Nazi, you'll discover images of the Nazi's pinning a medal on Ford for his help of the Nazi reason from the start.

Answer 3

Probably in hopes of creating business opportunities. Or, perhaps Ford was a believer in the Communist ideals.





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Answer 4

Because he wanted a piece of the action,when they were up and running.