In the 1920s, the United States enjoyed a great economic growth, which enabled millions of Americans to spend larger amounts of money. Recently invented items, such as cars, also contributed to this dramatic rise of consumerism that occurred during this period. Advertising campaigns helped to fuel the demand for the newly invented items. However, many economists believe that this over indulgence and over spending were harbingers to the Great Depression of the 1930s. The consumerism in the 1920s paved the way for a changing life style and attitude over money and spending in America. Many Americans acknowledge that we, as a society, spend too much money, but this does not stop us from wasting millions of dollars on products and services that we never use. It is true that consumerism has some positive effects, such as improving the economy, creating more employment opportunities and increasing the standard of living. However, the over spending and excessive wasting associated with consumerism result in an unhealthy craving for goods, decreased value of spiritual and moral values and excessive greed; all of which plague American society.
The end of World War I ushered in a new era of prosperity and steady economic growth in the United States. As people became wealthier, they were able to buy many of the newly invented goods in the market. New inventions such as the refrigerator, radio, and especially the much coveted car, were desired by all Americans, rich or poor. Many Americans did not care about the price or upkeep of the new car; they just had to have one. Radios and cars, luxuries until then, became necessities in the daily lives of the American people. Once a new gadget, came out, it also became a must have an...
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...nacea for all dissatisfaction.
The United States in the 1920s has many uncanny similarities to the United States in 2007. Both times were marked with over indulgence and overspending, and both practices came to end with severe economic downturns that followed. Americans in both eras frequently spent money and rarely thought about the consequences. Consumerism causes people to be extremely money-minded, because money becomes the main focus for most people. People become greedy and want everything that they can get their hands on. Although many people are extremely wealthy, they are also self- centered and remain apathetic to the struggles of the less fortunate. As money becomes the most important item in society, moral standards are loosened. Because of this people will lie, cheat and steal; basically they will do anything to become as wealthy as possible.
During the aftermath of World War I great change was happening to America’s society. Of the nations that were involved in the worldwide conflict from 1914 to 1918 no other nation experienced prosperity socially, politically, and economically as quickly as did the United States of America. The middle-class American suddenly became the most important component to the growth of the American economy. As the purchase of luxuries, the automobile in particular, became more available to middle-class, opportunity in the housing and labor industries expanded.
The decade after the First World War saw tremendous change. Progressivism was a leading factor of World War I and in the 1920’s the evidence can be seen. Industries were making their products at an increasing rate. Products that were not populous before World War I were now used by millions of Americans. The automobile was only used by less than ten million of Americans and by the end of this post war decade that number has climbed to over thirty million. Also many new inventions were coming through making life for Americans much more comfortable. Radios, vacuum cleaners, irons, washing machines, and refrigerators were among the new necessities Americans just had to have.
The 1920s were a time of leisure and carelessness. The Great War had ended in 1918 and everyone was eager to return to some semblance of normalcy. The end of the war and the horrors and atrocities that it resulted in now faced millions of people. Easily obtainable credit and rapidly rising stock prices prompted many to invest, resulting in big payoffs and newfound wealth for many. However, overproduction and inflated stock prices increased by corrupt industrialists culminat...
After World War I and during the 1920s, America’s economy was growing to be the best in the world. Consumerism had led to the increase in purchases made by Americans and the amount of products that had been produced. Some of the consumer goods that were now in demand had included the automobile,
Have you ever felt like you are spending too much money at a time, on pointless items? Statistics show that American’s consumption rate of goods has increased by forty-five percent in the last twenty years (Statistics-Consumption/quality of life pg. 194). Americans are experiencing a thing that is many times known as “Affluenza”, this is when someone buys more items, such as clothes, cars, houses, or any unnecessary items. Many people talk about this so-called “Affluenza”, like it is a medical term. The word Affluenza is pretty much saying that people make money and work hard for their money and they like to buy nice things, because they can and they have the money to. They are fortunate enough to be able to have these nice things for themselves because they work so hard for it. Many Americans are not satisfied with their positions because of false ads, selfishness, and jealousy. Some celebrities, some of the wealthiest people on the planet have committed suicide because they are not happy with what they have and they feel like they need more items, when really they have everything they need to be happy, but they suffer from Affluenza and make these bad decisions.
One of the most hazardous aspects of our society is that we are a consumer society. People are driven to spend money; the advertising industry has become a very successful and profitable industry by effectively convincing people to spend money. Many people have more money and possessions than they will ever need, while many more people will never have enough. People are driven to make as much money as possible so they can belong to a higher social class.
The massive amount of consumerism and materalistic ideology came from the decade of the 1980s and proved to be the time of wanting to have luxrious items throughout the daily routine of being an American citizen. The American culture of massive consumerism of the 1980s was influenced by the elements of the American Dream, the iconic pop stars and events, the deep recession troubling the lives of many, and the nationalistic pride that was shown through the actions of recreations and sports. Not only was the 1980s influenced by the culture of consumerism, but it impacted the future generations to only want to become a bigger and better version of the 1980s.
On the heels of war, new technology caused a decrease in prices of goods in the 1920’s and in the 1950’s the GI Bill increased income. The bureaucratization of business in the 1920’s meant that more people could be employed in higher paying white-collar jobs than before, including, for the first time, housewives. This new income combined with the reduced prices for goods that resulted from mechanized production, assembly lines and a general decrease of the cost of technology created a thriving consumerist middle class that went on to fuel the economy in all sectors, especially the upper classes. Likewise, during World War II Americans saved up around 150 billion dollars, and this sum combined with the income of the GI Bill allowed normal people to buy expensive things, from houses to cars to electronics to educations at a rapid rate, fueling the trademark prosperity of the 1950’s. The new automobile culture of the 50’s spawned new businesses that catered to mobile Americans, such as nicer and more standardized hotels like Holiday Inn, and drive-up restaurants like McDonalds. Just as the culture of the 1920’s was transfo...
...ansion of radio, film, the automobile, and advertising were some of the incredible changes that transformed America’s economy and the way of life for its citizens, making many of them very materialistic. This was reflected in the economy of the time, which was booming throughout the decade. The mass consumerism was most reflected the in the expansion of the automobile industry, which saw cars become practical necessities after being basically obsolete up until about 10 years prior. Political and social changes also altered the very culture of America, especially the issues of women’s rights and prohibition. The literature of this period also greatly reflected the consumerist nature of America, in works like the Great Gatsby. All of these things helped contribute to the strikingly different America during the roaring twenties that has changed global society forever.
The 1950’s and 60’s saw a great increase in consumerism. People made more money and had the desire to go out and purchase all of the luxurious goods they could afford. There was also an increase in advertisement for these new goods. Commercials began playing in people’s homes on their new televisions. During this time, the overall economy increased by 37%. Credit also got introduced at this time with the idea of “buy now and pay later”. With this there was a massive debt increase. In the twentieth century, we have one day a year that consumerism sky rockets. Black Friday. During this time, sale prices bring shoppers into stores to spend hours and hundreds of dollars on “great deals”. Advertising continues to be one of the main ways of catching
The 1920’s brought many cultural changes that drastically contrasted with those of the 19th century. The Victorian era of the 19th century was a time of character, frugality, and religion. Ideas of the 20th century created a society of modern values. The “Roaring Twenties” was a time of luxury, consumerism and prosperity . New industries from the world war, and the invention of the moving assembly line raised the economy. Businesses flourished on the concept of pleasing the consumer’s needs and desires. Advertisers like Bruce Barton were “consumption engineers”; they gave moral advice while advertising their product to the consumer by portraying themselves as a friend helping out another friend . As America became a power house of production,
A major powerhouse that pushed the boundaries during the early 20th century—especially during the 1920s—was the United States. After coming out of World War I victorious and with relatively little losses, The United States’ post-war economy was the epitome of consumerism. As the cost of production continued to drop, items once thought of as a luxury, such as vehicles, became within the price range of everyday consumers. The trend began when Henry Ford created the assembly line and continued to pick up momentum as the century progressed. This eventually led to widespread adoption of other goods once considered luxury, such as radios, telephones, and refrigerators. As more money was poured into these emerging fields, the infrastructure behind them continued to grow. Roads were paved, telephone lines were strung, and gas stations began popping up. In essence, these advances
Modern technology has provided us with numerous time-saving devices such as automobiles, cellphones, vacuum cleaners and dishwashers. In North American the middle class and upper classes are larger than ever before, most of them taking for granted things that were once considered luxuries, such as colored televisions and air conditioning. People spend vast amounts of money on expensive things that at one point either did not exist or were well beyond our necessity. Americas past time has changed from baseball to an uncontrollable shopping driven culture. In recent decades the range of life choices available to people ...
Starting in the 1920’s America began its shift towards a consumer culture as the economic growth of the nation began to depend more on the proliferation of consumer goods than of capital goods. Even at the outset of this trend, the automobile held a significant place in the new consumer economy. The automobile, which was once thought of as a rare luxury, was being sold by the millions. Assembly lines were becoming more efficient, thus allowing cars to be made more cheaply allowing the price of automobiles to drop. The growth of the automobile helped stimulate the economy through its dependence on other industries such as glass, rubber and steel, which were connected to the production of cars. These automobile related industries created new jobs, greater affluence and more spending power for millions of American consumers. Even at the beginning of America’s transformation into the consumer culture of today the automobile was at the forefront this conversion.
Consumerism in the 21st century is what has shaped our economy for centuries. Throughout our history, the American dream has been to become the most successful person you can possibly become given the opportunities presented to you. Consumerism has provided our country with a lot of jobs and efficient sources of income for the general population. Consumerism gives our country an upside unlike many other countries in that you could grow up in a hardworking blue collar family and become the most successful person in America. Even though consumerism has a lot of positive effects, it also could be the reason for a lot of society’s issues that people have to live have to live through day in and day out.