A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption

Author Lizabeth Cohen talked about her book A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America, published by Knopf. In the book, the author writes that after World War II, most Americans lived their lives operating under the assumption that mass consumption would bring widespread prosperity. Ms. Cohen cites social egalitarianism as the main reason that this vision of prosperous consumerism was never fully realized. Things like the housing shortage experienced by GI’s and their families after the war created suburbs segregated by race or class. The book goes on to examine how mass consumerism has affected different aspects of U.S. social, economic, and cultural life since World War II. After the presentation the author answered questions from members of the audience. close