The Strength Through Joy Car

Sunrise. February 20, 2008. Get a bell and ring it everyday for a year at sunrise and sunset. This installment: Sunrise looking at the smokestacks of the Volkswagen Factory in Wolfsburg. This is the factory that has been making Volkswagens since 1939. The car was originally conceived by Adolph Hitler to be an affordable car for the average German. Volkswagen means "people's car", but at first it was known as the KDF car "Kraft- Durch- Freude or Strength Through Joy". "The idea behind the Volkswagen was to stimulate the German economy into the modern era by putting as many Germans as possible behind the wheels of automobiles on the new Autobahn, something the US didn't get around to until the 1950's. The Volkswagen, originally known as the KDF car (Kraft-Durch-Freude or Strength Through Joy), was designed to be affordable to the average consumer, and so was the financing.

Literally, the word "volkswagen" means "people's car." In Germany, the idea of a people's car wasn't exactly a new one. Before the 1930's, there had been many efforts to create simple cars that everyone could afford, but none met with profound success. Almost all cars before 1930, even if they were designed to be simple enough for the average person, ended up costing more than the average worker's yearly wage.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler met with Ferdinand Porsche to discuss Hitler's idea of a volkswagen. Hitler proposed a people's car that could carry 5 people, cruise up to 62mph, return 33mpg, and cost only 1000 Reich Marks. This was an opportunity for Porsche to push his idea of a small car forward, as was it to help Hitler get a real people's car for the citizens of Germany." from:http://people.westminstercollege.edu/staff/bknorr/html/history2.htm
dailybell2008.blogspot.com

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