Publisher's Synopsis
Gary Cross tackles one of the great conundrums of modern society: why, despite quantum leaps in technology and production methods, do we never have either enough money, or enough time? He argues that in the 1920s and 30s, advanced Western societies opted for consumerism (rather than more leisure, and a different approach to culture), creating insatiable needs which oblige us to work more than industrialism requires. In this wide-ranging analysis, he explains how consumerism prevailed over alternative uses of economic growth. Encompassing both the American and European experience, this book reveals a history neglected by both optimists and pessimists of popular culture. By linking mass consumption to changing meanings of free time, Gary Cross offers a fresh context for understanding the dilemmas of modern consumerism.
