8.2 - consumerism in the 1950s

summarise the 1950s economy in one word

slay

the strong economy in the 1950s led to…

rising wages, lower taxes and a rise in disposable income

the 50s was the first time…

the middle class had disposable income and it was them who drove consumerism

what else happened in the 1950s?

working hours were reduced

how did this boost consumerism?

there was an increase in leisure time and as such people were willing to spend more on leisure

british people lived in a [blank] during the 1950s

cycle of prosperity

what rose in numbers during the 1950s?

self service shops

when did the first self service shop open?

1942

how many were there by 1967?

24,000

when did the first supermarket open?

1950

how many supermarkets were there by 1967?

3,000

how much did consumer spending increase by over the 1950s?

115%

what was more money being spent on?

non-essential goods

was consumption still mostly based around necessity?

yes

the 50s was the first decade where britain…

began to be influenced by the ‘american way of life’, specifically their culture of desire for material goods

what helped this?

the deregulation of broadcasting in 1954 which cleared the way for commercial tv

how was this lifestyle further encouraged?

through hollywood movies, tv and magazines all of which advertised these luxury goods