Consumerism In The 1920s - 1528 Words

The Business Dictionary defines consumerism as the â€Å"continual expansion of one’s wants and needs for goods services† (2016). Despite consumerisms current negative connotation, according to Dictionary.com the term itself originated with a more positive economic connotation in the early 1940s on the basis that consumerism inspired growth (2016). This concept of continual desire for the â€Å"latest and greatest† first became popular in the 1920s. Americans were tired of the strict rationing of World War I and were ready to begin spending money again. As production rose in efficiency and capacity, thanks to improvements made during the war, there was plenty to be sold. â€Å"By the 1920s, America was a society in which many men and women could afford†¦show more content†¦Debt became standard across the country. Beder explains that mortgages and credit were so common that â€Å"over half the furniture, cars, and household appliances†¦ were bought using hire purchase,† this debt was taken on to help Americans maintain or increase their status within their society (230). As a result, anyone could purchase anything and everything on credit in the 1920s, eventually leading to a catastrophic failure of the economy, known as the Great Depression. The rise in advertisement played a key role in the rise of consumption. Thanks to well-developed advertisement campaigns, America redefined what a necessity is. Advertisers encouraged Americans to actively work towards maintaining a high social standing. â€Å"Advertisers made no secret of their intention to promote novelty for its own sake, in the hope that consumers would exchange perfectly serviceable goods for goods that conformed to the latest fashions† (Lasch, 2000). Consumers devoured this advertisement scheme and began to rapidly increase their spending. Many advertisements for common, household products made claim that they could make the normal appear comparable to the high end. For example, Lux, a soap company, ran an ad in 1920 that depicted two women talking - one of the women complemented on the other on the quantity of sweaters she owned, only to find out that it is not a new sweater, but rather her old sweater that Lux soap made it look brand new (Lux)! Men and women alike began to believeShow MoreRelatedUrban Industrial Consumerism Between 1920 And 19291710 Words   |  7 Pages[introduction]Urban industrial consumerism between 1920 and 1929 collapsed in the Great Depression, but created a framework for a Consumer Recovery between 1941 and 1961. In the early twentieth century the United States began to dominate the world s economy. The US was a wealthy industrial nation, rich in many natural resources such as coal, wood, iron, and oil, and was able to maintain strong industries just as railway, mining, and manufacturing. Events like World War I (1914-1918), devastatingRead MoreUrban Industrial Consumerism Between 1920 And 19291443 Words   |  6 PagesUrban industrial consumerism between 1920 and 1929 collapsed in the Great Depression, but created a framework for a Consumer Recovery between 1941 and 1961. In the early twentieth century United States began to dominate the world s economy. Wealthy industrial nation, rich in many natural resources such as coal, wood, iron, and oil, was able to maintain strong industries just as railway, mining, and manufacturing. Events like World War I, devastating for the most of European countries, helped toRead MoreSimilarities And Differences Between The 1920s And 1950s908 Words   |  4 PagesThe 1920’s were a very important era in America for better or worse. 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