Following WWII, the race for recovery began as countries began the process of reconstruction. Nations such as France struggled with planning what they wanted the future of their country to look like. Countries from all over Europe would look at each other in hopes of obtaining an idea for their new systems of government and society. The top two nations to look at were the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., both of which had differing ideas about reconstruction.
The most notable thing to come out of the post-war period is consumerism. The cultural and political focuses of the pre-war period faded into an economic focus, creating an emphasis on the market systems in place all over the world. America took the opportunity to expand its mass-market system to the nations once occupied by America in the period of war. Victoria De Grazia in Irresistible Empire- America’s Advance through Twentieth-century Europe describes how America took the lead in pushing their views of the market system to nations all over Europe. This ties into the propaganda and art that was created during this time representing many aspects of consumerism.
One notable piece of art representing this time of consumerism is CONSUMER CULTURE by Sally Edelstein. This work demonstrates the appeal of consumer culture and the fears that came with this time of nuclear warfare. Utilizing a collage effect, Sally was able to piece together what consumerism looked like in the mid-twentieth century.
All of the aspects of consumer culture can be traced back to the marshall plan following WWII which was intended to prevent communism, but in turn, emphasized America’s free-market economy and sprung the rest of the world to the side of consumerism.
It is definitely evident that the Marshall Plan forced consumerism onto the world stage in a way that might not have been expected. Consumerism began to make its colonies throughout Europe. However, I don’t believe that this “colonization” was exactly what other forms of infiltration were. You are not suggesting that it was, but it is a point that I find interesting to explore. The European countries adapted what was coming into their cultures as it came. Britain tried to do everything better than America had done, which suggested that they were simply using the influencer to create their own realities. It is interesting to think what kind of world might have been created if all colonization worked in this more adaptable way than the way that it actually did (but that takes us far outside of our time period, so it is a question for another time).
I really like your chose of image I think it does a good job highlighting the aesthetics of consumerism. The expansion of consumerism was a reflection of their sphere of influence. The expansion of the market economy was beneficial to both the American economy as well as their desire to gain support in the cold war.
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I really like your image. I think it is a look into the mindset of the consumerist culture of the time. Advertisements are designed to be bold to convince buyers to buy products. America was trying to sell Europe on its products which would be beneficial for the American economy.
In my opinion, I think that your choice of artifact played an influential role in your blogpost. The powerful image you chose and manner in which you applied it to your post really set the tone for the audience. I think that your image and the information you provided to link with the content of your post was excellent, good job.