Fiat

Giovanni Agnelli was the father of Fiat, having brought it to life in 1899 with a few investors, and led the company until he died in 1945; the other big name in the company was Vittorio Valletta who was basically the manager of all the company, being the man on the ground if you will.

Within a decade Fiat had become the largest automotive manufacturer in all of Italy and has maintained that exact claim ever since, the company turns 110 in two years. By the 20’s Fiats share of the market in Italy was almost 80% if not more, and it seemed nothing could stop the company. However Agnelli quit in 1921 after 1921, when workers held a revolutionary type demonstration by taking over all the plants and waving red communist flags over them – he told the workers they could run the company themselves. Within a year over three thousand of them came to Agnelli and begged him to return, which after much consideration he did so. The workers did not fare well running the company Agnelli founded.

In 1923 the largest car manufacturing plant in Europe was opened for Fiat, and it employed thousands, and also was the first European plant to use assembly lines rather than craftsmanship on each and every car. Unfortunately the company was commandeered by the Italian military in the Second World War to make war machines, and then later after the war they removed Agnelli and his family from Fiat because of the Fascist government control tainting him. Agnelli passed away soon after, and his grandson was not allowed to be a part of the company until some nearly twenty years later in 1966.

His grandson Gianni Agnelli completely reorganized the company and made it decentralized in management rather than centralized as it once was, thus allowing it to respond more effectively. Fiat started acquiring other automotive manufacturers in the 90’s, these included Alfa Romeo, Maserati and a few others.