The story of Fordlandia, Henry Ford's attempt at making an American utopia in Brazil

Buried deep into the Brazilian jungle sit the remains of what was once Henry Ford’s utopian city. A place where one of the richest and most influential men on the planet wanted not to make money, but to - quote - help develop that wonderful and fertile land.
And I can tell you right now that Henry Ford definitely didn’t make any money out of his dream city. In fact, it turned out to be one of his biggest failures - but we’ll get to that later.
So stick around until the end of this video to find out the story of Fordlandia, an American attempt at making an American rubber factory and an American-style community in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.
Thanks for watching & don't forget to subscribe!
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[@bonnieriker5218]

My grandfather, David Riker, son of a confederate, lived in Santarem and was a part of the building of Fordlandia. He acted as an interpreter and supplied beef to the workers. He planted the first ceremonial rubber tree as well. My father, Octavio was one of his three sons who came to Detroit to live and work for Henry Ford, and I and my siblings grew up in Michigan.

[@longostrechos]

Really interesting! Your grandfather could speak Portuguese? Did your father grew up in Brazil? Drop me a line if you can. Thank you

[@heyinway]

If ole Henry had only listened to the natives. No matter where or the situation, the locals know best.

[@motorheadscom]

Yup, I think so, too.

[@Mosfet510]

This is the first I've heard of it. Very interesting!

[@penguinvic4188]

In theory this was a great idea ... a bit like Esperanto (and who speaks that these days?). Some of the problems with Fordlandia were truly self inflicted. Banning things like football (in Brazil, of all places) and forcing the natives to eat American style food, among other things, and having a lack of empathy for local customs, etc. In the end, if you don’t listen to the locals, you’re fighting an uphill battle.

[@OffGridInvestor]

I heard there literally like 5000 people who speak Esperanto. Most people just speak English or Spanish or French. Near enough.

[@penguinvic4188]

@@OffGridInvestor Esperanto was one of those brilliant good ideas that become heroic failures ... because they ignore the human condition, as in this case ignoring the lingua franca. For instance when it was invented in 1887, French was the language to know on the European continent, i.e. for culture, trade, even the postal service. So why learn Esperanto? It was never spoken by many people to begin with, and I suspect it’s numbers are dwindling each year. It has the status of starting off as a dead language and looks destined for that. Today one is better off learning Chinese (Mandarin), or Spanish or German or even French. Certainly it gives one much more people to practice on.

[@erdbeerenrex]

Agricultural experts to Henry Ford: " Your a long way from home"... "This is Brazil !

[@genekelly8467]

Ford was both brilliant and arrogant. Had he bothered to consult them (Brazil had excellent agronomists and plant scientists) he would have had more success. ironically, he did bring in rubber tree experts, and by 1943 they had developed a fire blight-resistant strain of rubber tree. Getulio Vargas liked and respected Ford, and eventually Ford hired Brazilian managers who were abled to adapt the FORD culture to the Brazilians. good exposition-and a warning to those who think you can "conquer" the amazon region. American billionaire D.K. Ludwig tried the same thins years later (Jari, 1970s), and was defeated as well.

[@kevinmonseler3592]

Hello from Canada, New subscriber, I find your videos very informative and interesting. Keep up the great videos, looking forward to the next one!

[@oliverheaviside2539]

He might have succeeded if he understood “when in Rome do as the Romans”. (In this case When in Brazil...)

[@PortCharmers]

Strange considering the ancient Romans are best known for spreading "as the Romans do" all over Europe, little Asia and north Africa.

[@davef.2811]

Interesting history lesson. Could you do one on Manaus? Thanks.

[@JDMAlain]

Man you should do one about the Hershey city in Cuba!

[@motorheadscom]

Noted

[@fk4515]

Or Alberta Michigan a similar Henry Ford project in Michigan's upper peninsula where he built a company town around a sawmill to produce lumber for Ford automobiles.

[@JJosephS1]

Very interesting. Too bad it didn't work out. It would have been great for both Brazil and Ford. Looks like they were able to learn from the original and Belterra was a much better project. What doomed them after WWII was the invention of synthetic rubber and other high grade plastics that also didn't need rubber by-products or derivatives.

[@emmanuelmedeiros7]

As a libertarian from Brazil I have no qualms with foreigners investing in my country, as long as it is done in an ethical manner, paying for the land or using virgin land, but Ford had many deals with the government, lots of handouts. And still it failed. I think it was good that it failed.

[@lifeofpete5904]

Great video! Thank you

[@RafaelPereira-me2yc]

I didn't know roughly this City and it's amazing history ! Tks :)

[@rockandroll4689]

love Ford and love Henry Ford! He was awesome and helped make America what it is today more than anyone else. So he had a failure - who doesn't? get over it

[@markbarber7839]

Very interesting thanks for the video

[@tylerwoznicki7292]

You have some of the best car content 👌

[@motorheadscom]

Thank you!

[@francfurian8215]

That was very interesting. Cheers😊

[@motorheadscom]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@daniellafferety4025]

If anything is left recognizable after so long it's a mirical. Remeber no repairs yet its still there.

[@curvs4me]

Funny how the early Ford's were their own worst enemy and their best ally simultaneously. Their stubbornness and refusal to listen to experts both achieved them great successes and afFORDed them many failures. Obviously the successes greatly outweighed the failures. If Onree had been more personally involved it may well have succeeded. He didn't accept failure, which would make Managers afraid to say what was really happening. If he was there he would likely have immediately fixed the issues causing the problems. Lesson: You cannot be a micro manager like Ford and be absent simultaneously. If his people had the authority to adapt Fordlandia to the environment, who knows. I know for sure that he simply told people to make it work. If it didn't, he would make the changes to fix it. No unilateral actions by management at early Ford lol. It wouldn't have had a chance today. People were more flexible, forgiving, and grateful back then.

[@danielhuset3542]

The nerve of those pussies assuming that they could decide what hours they were willing to work. If they had winters like Detroit they'd never leave the hut.

[@kennedysingh3916]

Very interesting

[@motorheadscom]

Glad you think so!

[@corycaputo6410]

I hope the locals recovered those car parts ! I would think they are of interest to many model A fans !) $$

[@RobsonRoverRepair]

As a country that's only 1.2 million hectares that's a staggering area of land to buy just to save money.

[@KenanTurkiye]

There was 99 comments, so I had to make that 100. So, hi. :)

[@kellingtonlink956]

Great research. Thanks for the video.

[@motorheadscom]

Thanks for watching!

[@travisdean8794]

A vision and mistake any of us could've made.

[@horaciomora75]

Henry Ford ¡ un visionario total ! En Fordlandia fracasó, pero fue solo un tropiezo

[@RonaldoMinowa]

Amazon ignore anyone, doesn’t matter who you’re ! Nobody will destroy it before be destructed.

[@joshmnky]

Ford makes them square dance and don't allow alcohol... I bet they were required to use extra mayonnaise on their cucumber sandwiches.

[@MrCarlyMS]

Good story

[@motorheadscom]

Thanks for watching

[@medevilmonkey]

Hoping your channel blows up

[@motorheadscom]

You and me both

[@jamesleaty7308]

Sandinista tire and revolution company. I'm glad we still have people like that today.

[@danielhuset3542]

There is nobody like Henry Ford in today's world. In a related issue remembered it's sinkholelseason

[@jamesleaty7308]

@@danielhuset3542 For their faults Elon Musk, Gates, Jeff Bezos. They want be rich, but at least they are trying to push the needle.

[@danielhuset3542]

@@jamesleaty7308 Henry Ford doubled the prevailing wage and with the success of the model T doubled wages again. Why doesn't any of the rich douchebags you mention do same? Move the needle? He single handedly created the middle class. In the 30's he paid 25% of all personal income tax collected in the U.S. 25 fucking %! Now a public service message from H.F. - it's sinkhole season do you know where your corvette is?

[@sinceninetyeightysixgustof8122]

Windsor is across the border from Detroit and is intertwined with Detroit and the auto industry

[@matthewmccon4189]

Sources?

[@BMPellogia]

Ford never had alot of sucess here in brazil.They hesitated too much and never took alot of risks(not mentioning bad decisions) causing them to struggle to compete in a restrict market.Over the last years they basically lived off goverment funding and now shut down all factories here,causing around 10,000 people to lose their jobs

[@carlthornton3076]

Very Good!... #93 ✝ {7-26-2022}

[@jujenho]

To try to compare salaries and living conditions of local people with those in the United States at that time is utterly misleading. They never had anything better in their lives. When Forlandia closed, they were abandoned, and then misery really arrived, as can be seen today. It was infinitely better then.

[@noeliagouty6858]

I agree! Not to mention all the infrastructures such as schools, hospitals, water purification plants (!) and even pools (!) that are still considered luxuries in many towns in the interior of Brazil.

[@g.stephens263]

Ford was, at best, an adequate engineer with many character flaws. He did not invent the assembly line (that honor belongs to Ransom Olds), and his refusal to modernize Ford automobiles in the 20's, led Chevrolet to replace Ford as the best selling car in the US. He was an anti-Semite (he hired Albert Kahn to design his factory, but wouldn't let 'that Jew' in it), and supported Hitler in the 30's. As an aside, not all Model T's and A's were black, but, early on black paint dried faster than other colors.

[@danielhuset3542]

Such staggering ignorance, where to begin? First off Ford got the idea of the assembly line from the meat packing industry, Ransom Olds had nothing to do with it, if he had he might not have become a footnote in history while Henry Ford made history. Secondly, he was not an admirer of Hitler, Hitler was an admirer of Henry Ford for his contributions to the German economy, he built an assembly plant in Koln, Germany long before Hitler came to power. It was untouched by destruction during WW2 and is in operation today. Haters abounded when he was alive and continue 75 years after his death. Ford has a message for the bankrupt losers in GM land - it's sinkhole season do you know where your corvette is? Give thanks they didn't become part of Fiat.

[@flilguy]

@@danielhuset3542 I got most of my information about Henry Ford from PBS. Since the Ford Motor Company donates to PBS, their information shows Ford in the best way possible. I currently drive a Ford. I do feel that GM peaked in the 1970s and 80s. It's possible my next vehicle will be a Toyota assembled in the USA. www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/henryford-antisemitism/

[@danielhuset3542]

The Ford family doesn't give money to PBS the Ford Foundation does, the Ford family has no say in who received money. The Ford Foundation is in no way obligated to show Henry Ford in the best light.

[@flilguy]

@@danielhuset3542 I didn't say the Ford Family donated to PBS. I said the Ford Motor Company which was a "Freudian slip" for Ford Foundation. Regardless I highly doubt that the Ford Foundation would fund anything highly critical of Henry Ford. There is also the Ford Motor Company Fund which also donates to PBS. www.fordfund.org/ Ford Motor Company and Ford Fund are completely separate entities from the Ford Foundation. PBS has always portrayed Henry Ford in the best light possible. It's not like they come out and and say he was a Jew hating racist although everyone knows that he was. thejewishnews.com/2020/07/28/its-time-to-truly-face-the-hatred-of-henry-ford/

[@g.stephens263]

@@danielhuset3542 "there's none so blind as those who won't see!"

[@jesussavescars807]

I bet a million bucks you and mr bean are from the same country cause you look just like him😂😂😂😂🙌

[@dougtilaran3496]

So. It was a lot like Missouri

[@seasong7655]

The original Starbase

[@theuncluded6220]

"One of his biggest failures"? You mean beside the Ford "Edsel"??🤣🤣

[@g.stephens263]

Geez, Henry I was long dead when Ford Motors introduced the Edsel.

[@theuncluded6220]

@@g.stephens263 I know, just a joke because the Edsel was one of the biggest failures also.

[@branonmack]

Listen to the "experts" and see where it gets you... name one person in history that accomplished anything by listening to the "experts".

[@outhouse9451]

Good idea, bad execution

[@bradforward850]

Ofcourse, that;'s where a lot of the Nazis went. South America.

[@imnew2nm324]

What has that got to do with Ford building a rubber plantation in Brazil in 1928?

[@MrsStormtrooper]

The Nazis that came to Brazil didn't go that far up. Things are tough in here, especially the heat.

[@vladkornienko7889]

A man chooses. A slave obyes!

[@randymagnum143]

Roflmao......8 hour work day was too much.

[@Acer_Maximinus]

Don’t know why you’re laughing. They wanted different hours, not less hours. They wanted to work at night out of the heat. This was plainly stated in the video.

[@jasonbourne1596]

I think Ford was an idiot and should of listened to people who know better than he does about the area. He also should respect the work schedule of the locals, who cares when it gets done as long as it gets done.

[@maxpower9848]

he was much worse than an idiot!!!!

[@JaytovenTracks]

Come back when you're ready to tell the real story.

[@propbraker]

Ungrateful savages, if they didn’t want to work in those terms, than maybe not join the company? They had freaking free health care, and food, housing and they all trashed it away.

[@jimmygrant424]

I thought so too especially destroying (vandalizing) their meal ticket!!!!....... I've seen you on KZbin land before Rusty Shackleford. I remember that name cuz I had a teacher whose son was named that.

[@caulkins69]

@@jimmygrant424 The name comes from King of the Hill. There are probably multiple people using it on KZbin.

[@imnew2nm324]

OK Karen

[@propbraker]

@@imnew2nm324 OK sweet heart.

[@motorhomemac]

So what your saying is , that life is much better than democrat run city's in America ?

[@jamesofallthings3684]

I'm sure he had insider information on the plans for America so decided to try and bail out.

[@OrangeSunubrst]

Where is Volvo City, Amazonia? Volvo was for as far as I know the only automotive maker who ever made an actual car with the model name 'Amazon'. upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Volvo-122-coupe-1.jpg/560px-Volvo-122-coupe-1.jpg