From Big Shoulders to Big Macs

Abstract

Chicago's economy changed over the 20th century from one known for its physical prowess to one known for its mental prowess, from a manufacturing center to a service center. It remained the home of multinational corporations, but in many cases, their production was moved elsewhere. The meatpacking industry is representative of the Chicago economy at the start of the 20th century, whereas McDonald's is consistent with what it had become by the end of the century. It is shown that many of the elements of the McDonaldization hypothesis were present a century ago, particularly in the problems faced by the meatpacking industry.