Thanks largely to Durant, GM had grown to eight times its 1916 size in just four years. Durant’s accomplishments included one of the most spectacular successes in business history, and his charisma and ideas attracted an intensely loyal following. Still, he had his critics.

After losing control of GM to bankers in 1910 and then regaining the upper hand in 1916 through his success with Chevrolet, Durant had again lost financial control in 1917. It was others on the board who led the company-buying spree of 1919, but when the value of GM shares slid from $400 to $12 in a postwar recession, GM’s financial backers forced Durant out for good.