The Fordist period.

Fordism is defined as an organisation of industry and work which was seen as a system of mass production, assembly line work and strict regulation and structuring of work tasks (lecture notes). Dramatic changes in the organisation and composition of work over the last five decades have seen production becoming more flexible and specialised enabling a greater variety of goods to be produced. More multi-purpose machinery and equipment have ultimately reduced the size of the …

…road to a near workerless economy is within sight, and that the road could head for a safe haven or a terrible abyss. It all depends on how well civilisation prepares for the post market era. He is too optimistic and suggests that the end of work could signal the beginning of a great social transformation, a rebirth in the human spirit. (Jeremy Rifkin 1995, "The Third Industrial Revolution", Rosenbrock et al 1981, The British Industrial Revolution)