To begin to comprehend this statement it is first necessary to understand what is meant by 'modern'. For Marshall Berman, Marx gives the "definitive vision of the modern environment" (Berman, 1982, 21) in the Communist Manifesto:

The bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly revolutionizing the instruments of production, and with them the relations of production, and with them all the relations of society.... Constant revolutionizing of production, uninterrupted disturbance of all social relations, everlasting uncertainty and agitation, distinguish the bourgeois epoch from all earlier ones. (Marx in Berman, 1982, 21)

The statement claims that Fordism and Taylorism were specifically modern modes of organising labour which immediately suggests that this is all they were. Putting this in the context of Marx's statement would mean that the two 'isms' only effected the relations of production while leaving both the instruments of production and social relations unaffected.

In this essay I will examine if Fordism and Taylorism were indeed modern modes of organis

Taylor's problem with the labour processes in the factories had to do with the actual way worker performed their tasks; their movements and the amount of energy they expended. After becoming a foreman Taylor began using a stopwatch to measure tasks and to find ways of reducing the time in which they were performed as well as finding ways for workers to expend less energy by limiting their movements and making them move in particular ways. Techniques were discovered which shaved a significant amount of time and energy from the production process. One of the best ways of doing this, he discovered was by the division of labour. The advantages of this system of labour had already been pointed out by Adam Smith and Babbage. Instead of a single skilled labourer producing the whole product the division of labour meant the production process would be separated, by the management, into a series different tasks each one given to a separate worker. This meant that unskilled workers could be used in almost all the labour processes and all this without making them work longer hours.

Gramsci, Antonio, Prison Notebooks, 1929-32, in Course Reader.

Were all the principles found in Fordism and Taylorism first conceived of in the modern era? Some principles can, in fact, be seen in other instances throughout history. The Chinese philosopher Mencius (372-289BC) dealt with concept models and systems familiar now under the term of production management techniques. He indicated the advantages of the division of labour. Records indicate that the ancient Greeks understood the advantages of, and practised, uniform work methods. They employed work songs to develop a rhythm, in order to achieve a smooth, less fatiguing tempo, to improve productivity which we can compare to Taylor's efficiency of motion principles which were used to the same effect.

The gap between management and labour therefore grew vastly when the management took control of organising the labour proccess. No longer was the skilled worker irreplacable. Now one worker was much the same as another, in fact the less skilled the worker the better in Taylorist factories.

It should be clearly understood that Ford's puritanical initiatives had nothing to do with saving their souls. Indeed Gramsci picks up on this point:

"Adaptation to the new methods of production and work cannot take place simply through social compulsion.... Coercion has therefore to be ingeniously combined with persuasion and consent. This effect can be achieved, in forms proper to the society in question, by higher remuneration such as to permit a particular living standard which can maintain and restore the strength that has been worn down by the new form of toil."(Gramsci, 1929, 310).

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Approximate Word count = 3468
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)