In late 19th-Century Britain a variety of foods became accessible to the average person, who would previously have lived on bread and potatoes — consumption beyond mere subsistence. This improvement in food variety did not extend durable items to the mass of people, however. The proliferating shops and department stores of that period served only a restricted population of urban middle-class people in Europe, but the display of tempting products in shops in daily public view was greatly extended — and display was a key element in the fostering of fashion and envy.
Although the period after World War Two is often identified as the beginning of the immense eruption of consumption across the industrialised world, the historian William Leach locates its roots in the United States around the turn of the century.
In the US, existing shops were rapidly extended through the s, mail-order shopping surged, and the new century saw massive multi-storey department stores covering millions of acres of selling space. Retailing was already passing decisively from small shopkeepers to corporate giants who had access to investment bankers and drew on assembly-line production of commodities, powered by fossil fuels.
The traditional objective of making products for their self-evident usefulness was displaced by the goal of profit and the need for a machinery of enticement.
Significantly, it was individual desire that was democratised, rather than wealth or political and economic power. The glove section at an early department store, which changed the way people shopped Credit: Getty Images.
Release from the perils of famine and premature starvation was in place for most people in the industrialised world soon after WWI ended. US production was more than 12 times greater in than in , while the population over the same period had increased by only a factor of three, suggesting just how much additional wealth was theoretically available.
The labour struggles of the 19th Century had, without jeopardising the burgeoning productivity, gradually eroded the seven-day week of and hour days that was worked at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in England. In the US in particular, economic growth had succeeded in providing basic security to the great majority of an entire population.
In these circumstances, there was a social choice to be made. It would be feasible to reduce hours of work further and release workers for the spiritual and pleasurable activities of free time with families and communities, and creative or educational pursuits. But business did not support such a trajectory, and it was not until the Great Depression that hours were reduced, in response to overwhelming levels of unemployment.
In , Kellogg adopted a six-hour shift to help accommodate unemployed workers. In , the US cereal manufacturer Kellogg adopted a six-hour shift to help accommodate unemployed workers, and other forms of work-sharing became more widespread.
Workers voted for it by three-to-one in both and , suggesting that, at the time, they still found life in their communities more attractive than consumer goods. This was particularly true of women. Kellogg, however, gradually overcame the resistance of its workers and whittled away at the short shifts until the last of them were abolished in If profit and growth were lagging, the system needed new impetus. The short depression of — led business leaders and economists in the US to fear that the immense productive powers created over the previous century had grown sufficiently to meet the basic needs of the entire population and had probably triggered a permanent crisis of overproduction.
Prospects for further economic expansion were thought to look bleak. The historian Benjamin Hunnicutt, who examined the mainstream press of the s, along with the publications of corporations, business organisations, and government inquiries, found extensive evidence that such fears were widespread in business circles during the s. Christine Frederick 2. William Chenery "Consumptionism" gives the consumer more power than ever before. We are healthier, happier people due to the mass-produced and advertised goods.
Prosperity based on consumption of goods If consumers stopped buying enough goods, the entire nation would be seriously weakened. People are losing the habits of thrift and avoiding waste. Samuel Strauss 2. Framing Questions What factors nurtured or weakened the unprecedented prosperity of the s? How did "prosperity" become a hallmark of national pride?
How was the word adapted for political and psychological aspirations of the nation? What role did "workingmen" and labor unions play in the economic panorama of the period? Compare the Twenties' boom-and-bust with similar economic cycles before and after the decade. View online. Gift of Ettie Stettheimer, Image: Art Resource, NY.
Reproduced by permission of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Digital image courtesy of Hathi Trust Digital Library. Reproduced by permission of the New Yorker. Current copyright holder of Life content unidentified; search in process. Many Americans had more money and more leisure time. Explanation: During the period of s, which was widely referred to as Jazz Age.
Most consumers had access to goods they wanted and needed. Many consumers began to overspend on goods they did not need.
Many businesses and consumers began to rely on the use of credit. Debt mostly became a thing of the past as most consumers avoided it. New taxes were introduced. New ways to operate equipment were developed. New products were invented.
More efficient ways to manufacture goods were designed. American Consumerism s Fact 2: The new advances in manufacturing techniques, the factory system and the efficiencies of the assembly line were transferred from meeting military needs to the consumer goods industry and making commercial products. American Consumerism s Fact 3: Technology had advanced and the nation had entered the age of steel and electricity.
Industries switched from coal power to electricity and most homes, especially in the towns and cities, were lit and powered by electricity. American Consumerism s Fact 4: The 's introduced Consumerism and Materialism to the United States with massive changes to lifestyle and culture. The Roaring Twenties or the Jazz Age, became associated with modernism, consumerism, sophistication and decadence.
American Consumerism s Fact 5: After an initial recession in , middle class Americans moved to a period of prosperity. American Consumerism s Fact 6: Access to electricity provided Americans with the power required to run new labor saving appliances and luxury products such as radios, phonographs, electric irons, refrigerators, washing machines, electric razors, vacuum cleaners and gramophones. American Consumerism s Fact 7: In the 'S America was beginning to prosper and new technology, mass production and labor saving devices gave Americans more time for leisure.
They were able to enjoy a wonderful taste of freedom due to the introduction of mass-produced, cheap automobiles that revolutionized transportation in America. By the Ford company was turning out a Model T every 24 seconds. From to over 15 million Model T Fords had been sold in America. For additional facts refer to Henry Ford and the Model T. American Consumerism s Fact 9: Mass Production techniques, such as the introduction of the Assembly Line in factories, enabled massive quantities of products to be produced quickly and efficiently by an automated, mechanical process and reduced consumer costs.
American Consumerism s Fact The lifestyles of Americans were significantly effected by the availability of labor saving products, luxury items and the emergence of mass advertising campaigns and consumerism. American Consumerism s Fact The consumer goods industry was not just restricted to the sale of automobiles and labor saving appliances and devices.
Personal grooming items such as cosmetics, hair dye, mouthwash, deodorants, tissues, and perfumes were added to the ever-growing list of consumer products. American Consumerism s Fact Consumerism in the fashion industry boomed. It was the era when the youth of America gained independence and the age of the Flappers.
Young women were influenced by the glamorous clothes, fashion and styles of movie stars. Refer to 's Fashion for Women.
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