19th Century Consumerism

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Consumerism, an ideology that encourages chronic purchasing of new goods and service has become an ideal lifestyle since the 19th century. The objective of this paper is to investigate factors such as Capitalism, Industrial Revolution and technological changes and how they lead to greater interconnection in the global scale and expansion of consumerism since it first came into being in Europe and North America in the 19th century.

Overview:

Capitalism and Industrial Revolution:

The search for the new marketplace, competition to keep the prices of goods low and demand for consumer goods all reinforce one another to fuel capitalism. In order to produce more consumer goods at a cheaper price, companies reduce total operating cost through …show more content…

In contrast to carriage and horses which relied on animals to harness power, the new source of energy, starting with coal used in steam engine revolutionized the transportation industry. (Lecture, March 7) Steamships and railroad trains which relied on steam engine reduced travel time for consumer goods to be transported. As the technology evolved aircraft in particular drastically reduced travel time, taking about only 7 hours to cross the Atlantic Ocean, leading to globalization connecting all the nations faster than ever. (Lecture, March 14) In addition, communication system like telegraphs, telephones, radio and wireless communication system like the internet provided an effective way to communicate between the transports. “The simplicity of the Internet and its high utility meant that its spread occurred at such a breakneck speed that the world become electronically connected seemingly overnight.” (Glenn, 2007) The internet is a crucial aspect in the global expansion of consumerism in modern days since purchasing is made very simple by being able to get anything 24 hours online from anywhere.

Greater accessibility in transportation and communication lead to the emergence of free trade agreements where countries exchange goods without any restriction. Agreements like North America Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA) and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) made the exchange of goods much easier among nations. Free trade increased interconnection between the countries by exchange goods, contributing to global expansion

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