Differential Coupon Rationing allowed some people like physicians to have more commodities, such as fuel oil or gasoline, than others. On the other hand, the war brought a temporary edge in the fierce competition from national and regional chains and the emerging supermarkets (Marchand 1994). Henry Ford (Greenfield Village), Henry Francis du Pont (Winterthur Museum), and the Rockefellars (Colonial Williamsburg) assembled great collections of early Americana, while middle-class consumers favored colonial-style furnishings and architecture purchased in stores or through mail-order catalogs (Green 1992; Marling 1988). Other government agencies controlled discretionary spending through new income taxes and constant appeals to buy War bonds. Advertising fear appeals played upon people’s anxieties (Marchand 1985). The War affected women’s dress. Norris, Frank D. (1990), Advertising and the Transformation of American Society, 1865-1920, New York: Greenwood Press. Others boasted about their contribution to the national effort or even traded shamefully upon tragedy. Scarce resources stimulated innovation in the use of plastics for products and packaging, a development that would in time greatly transform the everyday material dimension of consumer culture. First, they served as volunteers, workers, and members of the armed forces to support US participation in World War II.Second, both individuals and organizations attempted to rescue European Jews and other persecuted peoples. In the face of product shortages and conservation campaigns, some advertisers went on selling as if nothing were amiss. Belk, Russell W. (1992), "Moving Possessions: An Analysis Based on Personal Documents from the 1847-1869 Mormon Migration," Journal of Consumer Research, 19 (December), 339-361. Terrence H. Witkowski, California State University, Long Beach, NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 25 | 1998, Kyu Ree Kim, Seoul National University C. had less money to spend than they had had the decade before. These technological advances expanded the plastics business tremendously, but also imparted a down-market image to the material that persists to this day. The most crucial shortages were in the areas of housing and medical services. This "nonimportation movement" was successful in that the many onerous taxes, such as the Stamp Act and most of the Townshend Duties, were repealed, but it took six years of fighting to finally settle the political dispute with Great Britain. Of course, the harsh reality of a major war insured the success of these initiatives. (1979), Posters of World War I and World War II in the George C. Marshall Research Foundation, Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia. The 1930s presented a serious challenge to mass consumption. It was more ships than had been built in a … resulted from tensions between the African-American and Mexican-American communities. An alarmed industry had the order overturned and soon was working with the military to create a multitude of new packaging materials and applications that eventually were adapted for civilian life. As the automobile became increasingly common, its use encouraged new service institutions including drive-in restaurants, the first of which, Royce Hailey’s "Pig Stand," opening in Dallas in 1921 (Green 1992). Business Week reported how some department stores played their own game of rationing by first filling the orders of their best charge customers (Casdorph 1989). Wrist watches sold for as much as $50 above ceiling prices (Casdorph 1989). After rising 12 percent in 1941 and 1942, food prices increased just four percent over the remainder of the war. Major companies, such as Levi Strauss and Wells Fargo, incorporate their heritage into corporate and brand images. It begins with a brief review of the consumption context established in the 1920s and 1930s. As John Jeffries observes in his new and cogent history of America during World War II, our view of the war has been shaped by two widely accepted perspectives: as a watershed in American history, as a “Good War” of national unity, virtue, and success. A generation later, the population of … In 1942, when the United States interned Japanese Americans in “relocation centers,”, All of the following statements regarding the internment of Japanese Americans in the United States, During World War II, American women who worked outside the home. Kerling was put in charge of three other men. Swimwear companies replaced the billowing bathing skirts of the 1930s with fabric saving one- and two-piece outfits (Blum 1976). Marchand, Roland (1985), Advertising the American Dream: Making Way for Modernity, 1920-1940, Berkeley: University of California Press. To save money, they relearned traditional domestic arts and how to make do with what they had (Hill, Hirschman, and Bauman 1997). The 1930s did see continual development of mass audiences for radio, the movies, and professional sports whose stars were lionized by the mass media (Green 1992). were not allowed to have children under the age of three in their care. The War Assets Administration launched a vigorous and highly creative marketing campaign to sell this stuff. POSTER CAMPAIGNS AND WAR ADVERTISING Several different agencies of the U.S. government sponsored poster campaigns to achieve both mandated as well as voluntary compliance with their programs for mobilizing the consumer home front. Blum, John Morton (1976), V WAS FOR VICTORY: Politics and American Culture During World War II, San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Print media’s influence led to the use of Captain America and Wonder Woman as propaganda during World War II… By 1940, American consumers were beginning to feel a rekindled sense of security and optimism. While retail food sales surged 70 percent during the war years, chain store market share slipped to 33 percent from 1943 to 1945. At the onset of the Second World War, the American advertising business was saddled with a poor image. . Subsequent sections describe price controls and rationing, government poster campaigns and commercial war advertising, the role of women as war consumption managers, neighborhood stores and shopping, and product and packaging changes. TABLE 1 U.S. A $25 war bond could be purchased for $18.75. Witkowski, Terrence H. (1989), "Colonial Consumers in Revolt: Buyer Values and Behavior During the Nonimportation Movement, 1764-1776," Journal of Consumer Research, 16 (September), 216-226. These values were in retreat by the 1950s as frugal consumption gave way to an acceptance of planned obsolescence and a throwaway mentality. "Reconversion" began in earnest in May, 1945, and on V-J Day the OPA issued 184 price decontrol orders. The ad industry responded by forming a War Advertising Council comprised of representatives from advertisers, ad agencies, and the media. Shortages of food and paperboard obviated the need for elaborate displays that had been giving a promotional edge to supermarkets. Some Americans remained somewhat ambivalent about all this futurism and throughout the 1920s and 1930s they expressed a deepseated historical yearning. It repeatedly stressed that the war was being fought to preserve the American way of life and that it was being won by the American way. Williams, Faith M. (1972), "The Standard of Living in Wartime," in The American Family in World War II, Ray H. Abrams, ed. Encouraged by admen, who Marchand (1985) calls the "apostles of modernity," American consumers were learning to have faith in these and other technologies including commercial canning and frozen foods. To help shoppers recognize its package, Boraxo printed a picture of its familiar metal can on the front of its wartime paperboard carton (Ward 1994). There were four different rationing programs. This preview shows page 7 - 9 out of 17 pages. More than 8000 artists, who belonged to "Artists for Victory," designed posters. The writing of consumer history has more than just academic significance. Perhaps individualism had become less pronounced because other cultural values, such as collective/communal action and self-sufficient modes of production, had been evoked during depression-era "consumer survival" (Hill, Hirschman, and Bauman 1997). Since tin was in short supply, companies switched from metal cans to glass jars and paperboard lids. The past fifteen years have witnessed a surge of interest in the field of American consumer history. Such views were aired at town meetings and widely disseminated via letters reprinted in colonial newspapers. Advice was abundant. . Although the 1930s saw increases in the percentage of U.S. households with inside flush toilets (see Table 2) and electric lighting and appliances (see Table 1), not every family could acquire a thoroughly modern consumer infrastructure. In effect, the American Revolution was abetted by a consumer revolution (Breen 1988; Witkowski 1989). It begins with a brief review of the consumption context established in the 1920s and 1930s. The youngest, at 22, was Herbert Haupt. At the onset of the Second World War, the American advertising business was saddled with a poor image. This collection of primary sources explores the ways in which African Americans … 7-8). Subsequent sections describe price controls and rationing, government poster campaigns and commercial war advertising, the role of women as war consumption managers, neighborhood stores and shopping, and product and packaging changes. Fox, Stephen (1984), The Mirror Makers: A History of American Advertising and Its Creators, New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. Fussell, Paul (1989), Wartime: Understanding and Behavior in the Second World War, New York: Oxford University Press. Even taking into account a 25 percent inflation during this period, total purchases of all goods and services were about 10 percent higher in the first quarter of 1943 than in the first quarter of 1940. As of Wednesday evening, 405,400 COVID-19 deaths had been reported in the US… To liquidate a potential thre… Several different agencies of the U.S. government sponsored poster campaigns to achieve both mandated as well as voluntary compliance with their programs for mobilizing the consumer home front. Barnow, Erik (1975), Tube of Plenty: The Evolution of American Television, London: Oxford University Press. His parents had taken him to the United States when he was five. ABSTRACT - This paper provides an historical account of the American consumer experience during World War II. To make matters worse, poor business judgment during the first years of the war created a public relations disaster. Crawford, Anthony R. ed. 38. Gas masks, aircraft tubing, and tank periscopes were recycled as parts in children’s toys (Chiles 1995). For a comprehensive overview, see: Selected Finding Aids Related to NARA's World War II Holdings African Americans Records of Military Agencies Relating to African Americans from the Post-World War I Period to the Korean War , Reference Information Paper Casualty Lists and Missing Missing Air Crew Reports (MACRs) World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air With the economy mired in a Great Depression and unemployment rates averaging 17.9 percent from 1930 to 1940, many people were forced to greatly lower their material expectations and to scrimp wherever they could (Hill, Hirschman and Bauman 1997). The War Production Board allocated scarce materials and stopped or limited the production of civilian goods, while the Office of Price Administration imposed price freezes and forced housewives to learn and live with a complex system of rationing. Fox, Frank W. (1975), Madison Avenue Goes to War: The Strange Military Career of American Advertising, 1941-45, Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press. SOME IMPLICATIONS AND POSTWAR CONTINUITIES World War II was a signal event in the history of American consumer culture. B. made consumerism a powerful force in society. It begins with a brief review of the consumption context established in the 1920s and 1930s. For example, zinc replaced copper in pennies and half and half got its start as "wartime cream." Swimwear companies replaced the billowing bathing skirts of the 1930s with fabric saving one- and two-piece outfits (Blum 1976). There were four different rationing programs. People traded straight pins, radio tubes, cooking utensils, garbage can lids, and used vacuum cleaners. The rationing system required the cooperation of retail grocers, public schools, nd the local media. Ultimately, the message was that free enterprise, and the freedom to advertise, should not be questioned (Fox 1975). Planning for the future was the theme of the 1939 New York World’s Fair with its slogan, "The World of Tomorrow," and symbol, the Trylon and Perisphere. By the Fall of 1944, however, OPA officials had concluded that military production was so great, and the stockpile already so large, that metals and other strategic materials could be released temporarily for civilian use. The War Advertising Council changed its name to the Ad Council and maintained the tradition of industry-sponsored public service advertising. For example, Procter and Gamble’s Crisco started the war in a tin can wrapped in paper. By 1920, many American marketing institutions and managerial practices had attained what might be termed their "modern" form. Membership in ACR is relatively inexpensive, but brings significant benefits to its members. 1943). However, the rhetoric of war advertising went a step further. Sobel, Robert (1978), They Satisfy: The Cigarette in American Life, Garden City, NY: Anchor Books. Examples include "Grow More... Can More ... in ’44" by the War Food Program and "Your Victory Garden Counts More Than Ever!" In addition to government information programs, corporations distributed meal planning guides and included helpful tips in advertisements. The appearance of selfless public service shored up the ad industry’s image with a sometimes hostile public. During World War II, New Zealand became increasingly worried about the potential of a full-scale Japanese invasion, in which New Zealand would … Five Hundred thrity-eight million pounds of waste fats, twenty-three million tons of paper, and eight hundred million pounds of tin had been salvaged; and all goals set by the Red Cross and National War Fund had been reached and exceeded (Fox 1975, p. 54). 105-116. Although tied to the automobile and stocked with products (lottery tickets, videos, and condoms) never sold in the 1940s, they still offer convenience at high prices and, like many neighborhood groceries of the past, cater to a largely working class clientele. Such views were aired at town meetings and widely disseminated via letters reprinted in colonial newspapers. Above all, it ended the Great Depression and created an affluent society. In the final tally… Second, numerous campaigns encouraged recycling such as "Save Your Cans" (1941-42) from the War Production Board, Salvage Division, "Don’t Burn Waste Paper" (ca. Uniform Coupon Rationing, used for shoes, sugar, coffee, and other items, applied the principle that everyone should share alike. Manufacturers used rayon for hosiery after silk and nylon were removed from domestic use. In 1943 Norman Rockwell in the Saturday Evening Post illustrated the four freedoms which Roosevelt stated that he hoped the war would achieve for the world in his State of the Union address to … On the other hand, government poster programs set a precedent for later attempts to reduce smoking, drug use, and energy consumption via mass media campaigns. As the mouthpiece of capitalism, advertising was associated with the business failures of the Great Depression (Marchand 1994). Direct-mail catalogs had become a great success through the attentive customer service of A. Montgomery Ward an the promotional genius of Richard Warren Sears (Boorstin 1973). Fourth, still more campaigns encouraged home food production and canning. Hine, Thomas (1994), The Total Package: The Evolution and Secret Meanings of Boxes, Bottles, Cans, and Tubes, Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company. The government would use the money to pay for military equipment. 1943). FAMILIES WITH ELECTRICITY AND APPLIANCES, 1920-1950 TABLE 2 U.S.HOUSEHOLDS WITH INSIDE TOILETS, 1920-1950 Such consumerism did not diffuse throughout American society as completely as it would in the 1950s and thereafter. Price controls and rationing proved to effective, at least during the war years, but were unpopular enough to ensure very sparing use by postwar policy-makers. Poster campaigns usually stressed one of five major consumption themes. Ward, Barbara McLean (1994), "A Fair Share at a Fair Price: Rationing, Resourcce Management, and Price Controls during World War II," in Produce and Conserve, Share and Play Square: The Grocer and the Consumer on the Home-Front Battlefield during World War II, Barbara McLean Ward, ed.. Portsmouth, NH: Strawbery Banke Museum, pp 79-103. Perhaps individualism had become less pronounced because other cultural values, such as collective/communal action and self-sufficient modes of production, had been evoked during depression-era "consumer survival" (Hill, Hirschman, and Bauman 1997). After Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941, America sent the first convoys with goods to the Soviet Union by August. As the large inventories at the end of 1941 were depleted, however, the sale of durable goods at retail dropped 33 percent from 1941 to 1942 and an additional 50 percent from 1942 to 1943 (Williams 1972/orig. Never again would big government reach down to individuals with such a personal touch" (Ward 1994, p. 101). Nevertheless, the awareness that millions of American service men and women were risking their lives overseas kept illicit buying and selling from getting too far out of hand. The appearance of selfless public service shored up the ad industry’s image with a sometimes hostile public. Consumers discovered that some brands could be packaged in more than one way at a time. Five Hundred thrity-eight million pounds of waste fats, twenty-three million tons of paper, and eight hundred million pounds of tin had been salvaged; and all goals set by the Red Cross and National War Fund had been reached and exceeded (Fox 1975, p. 54). The World War II period is especially relevant to studies of macro-level consumption and to public policy and environmental analysis because it provides an example of how government can organize various private and public interests to persuade consumers to voluntarily make changes in their shopping habits, rate and duration of product use, and recycling behavior. E. None of the answers are correct. In 1943 the zoot suit riots in Los Angeles A resulted from tensions between the, 22 out of 23 people found this document helpful, In 1943, the “zoot-suit riots” in Los Angeles. The grocers enjoyed high margins when selling branded items and the large corporations gained favorable public relations by associating themselves with Norman Rockwell images of small business. The gross national product leaped from $91 billion in 1939 to $166 billion in 1945 and the economy created 17 million new jobs (Blum 1976). Manufacturers used rayon for hosiery after silk and nylon were removed from domestic use. During the 1920s, chains had accounted for over a third of all grocery sales and, despite the passage of some anti-chain legislation during the depression, this figure increased to 38 percent in 1940 and 1941. History itself is a very marketable commodity. The Douglas Aircraft Company factory in Long Beach, … The second major episode of American patriotic consumption ocurred during the World War II. "When the nation went to war, the rhetoric changed. Smith, Ruth Ann & David S. Lux (1993), "Historical Method in Consumer Research: Developing Causal Explanations of Change," Journal of Consumer Research, 19 (March), 595-610. The electrification of household technologies, such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, irons, and toasters created wonderful labor saving devices that, ironically, did not reduce women’s work since standards of cleanliness also rose (Cowan 1983; Lupton 1993). Bakelite, the trade name for phenol formaldehyde, was used to make stylish radio cabinets and streamlined, Moderne-style irons and electric shavers (Katz 1984). The amphibious vehicles known as DUKWs (or Ducks), still carry tourists through the forests and waters in and around Wisconsin Dells.

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