The Rise of Mass Consumption and Its Impact on the Working Class
During the late nineteenth century, international capitalism underwent a significant transformation, shifting from a disorganized system to a more structured one. This shift led to fundamental changes in the “world economy,” including the emergence of large-scale capital, new commercial production and reproduction systems, and innovations in the production process, collectively known as the 2nd Industrial Revolution.
The Emergence of Fordism and Mass Production
Around World War I, a new model of regulation called Fordism began to take shape. Driven by wartime needs and the growth of a consumer market, Fordism aimed to transform the “working condition” by separating it from the traditional poverty standard associated with workers. This required the ability to produce large quantities of goods at a rapid pace and a relatively low price (consumer standard).
Initially, mass production focused on low-value goods produced in large series, catering to both luxury and essential needs. However, the idea of transforming the working class into a wealthier class through large-scale production indicated a trend towards giving wages an economic value they had never possessed before.
The Transformation of the Domestic Economic Space
Mass production led to the reconstruction of a new social space: the domestic economic space. This space was shaped by new business needs, resulting in consumption norms, lifestyles, and wage bases that were incompatible with traditional forms of labor prevalent in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Throughout the twentieth century, the demand for goods also fueled the growth of a powerful advertising and trade promotion industry. This industry played a crucial role in overcoming resistance to consumerism, challenging traditional values such as austerity, Puritanism, and excessive savings.
Standardization of Consumption and the Role of the State
Consumption became normalized and standardized, establishing a social norm for workers’ consumption. This norm was based on the acquisition of both traditional subsistence goods and new goods (cars, appliances, etc.) that were previously inaccessible to the working class. These goods became more affordable due to mass production, although similar consumption patterns remained differentiated for the elite.
The working class experienced a process of rationalization in the workplace, which was initially associated with material wealth. However, this eventually led to a crisis of demand, as evidenced by the financial crash. The New Deal emerged as a response, expanding mass consumption and creating a robust infrastructure of collective consumption (the Welfare State).
The Extension of Mass Consumption and the New Consumer
Consumption became the primary form of social integration, albeit unevenly distributed. Economic growth provided an expanded base for access to private goods, supported by a network of public goods consumption.
Consumption practices became increasingly homogenous, driven by a way of life centered around acquiring products that were not only affordable but also embodied certain values. Advertising and product design played a direct role in extending work culture into a fluid consumption culture.
In the post-Fordist era, consumption became a mandatory activity, complementing the intensive workday with leisure time. Fordist consumption served as a means of reproducing status, but as a habitus, it also became a site of struggle where the new working class sought to organize access to this standard of mass consumption.
The triumph of mass consumption among the working class gave rise to a new type of consumer who distinguished themselves through cultural consumption, a hallmark of the emerging urban professional classes.
The State as an Engine of Consumption
The State played a significant role in shaping consumption patterns. It integrated wage claims control, ensuring that workers received a fair price for their labor and stabilizing the price-consumption dynamics. Additionally, the State provided indirect wages through public services and social rights, which served as material forms of socializing the group basis in private consumption.
Workers benefited indirectly from state expenditures on infrastructure, services (education), and programs that protected individuals from economic insecurity (widowhood, unemployment). In this way, the State acted as an engine of consumption, driving economic growth and shaping the landscape of mass consumption.