Automobiles is a series that chronicles America's love affair with the car. The story of the manufacture and development of the automobile and its social and cultural impact is one of the principal historical narratives of the twentieth century. Each episode of Automobiles presents a different vehicle and the historical story and impact of that vehicle. Automobiles would be useful for classes on American History, The History of Science and Technology, Cultural History and Economics. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

The Volkswagon

The antithesis of the big, flashy American car, this little economic car was the best-selling car in automotive history. A truly international phenomenon, the German Volkswagen's efficiency, ease of driving, and simple design provided millions with basic, cheap, and reliable transportation. It's easily recognizable shape dotted the landscape from New York to Paris to Berlin and beyond, and became an icon for a generation in the 1960s and 1970s.

Vocabulary

• daredevil
• autobahn
• prototype
• icon
• cabriolet
• cylinder
• derivative
• subsidiary
• Spartan
• grandiose
• reparations
• utilitarian
• lynchpin
• niche

Discussion Questions

1. Although the Beetle gained popularity in the post-war years, its origins go back earlier. How is the Beetle's history rooted in the decade of the 1930s and world history?
2. What does the term "Volkswagen" mean? Why is this translation an appropriate name for the car?
3. Why did Adolph Hitler decide to place the Beetle factory in North Germany near the Rhine River?
4. Production of the Beetle halted during the Second World War. How did production resume after the war? Who orchestrated this rebirth of the Beetle?
5. How did the Beetle get its name?
6. The Volkswagen factory was a model of efficient production. Describe the automated processes that produced the Volkswagen Beetle.
7. The Beetle endured in popularity for decades. What are some of the reasons for the Beetle's sustained popularity?
8. What was the role of the Volkswagen factory and the Beetle on Germany's post-World War II economy?

Extended Activities

1. Design a car for the next century that will be what the Beetle was to this century.
2. Choosing any decade you please, design an ad for the Volkswagen Beetle in America.