Consumer society. The consumer society is doomed to degeneration What is not typical for a consumer society

We - consumer society. And this is quite sad... Today I want to bring to your attention some of my thoughts on this matter, and also consider the main characteristic features of a consumer society, in which you can easily recognize the surrounding reality. I would really like you to think about this and perhaps change your attitude towards some things that have long turned into habits, bad habits.

What is a consumer society?

In the classical sense, a consumer society is a society in which the leading role is occupied by people’s consumption of material goods and services. In other words, people in a consumer society live in order to consume, to consume as much as possible, because this is a very significant value. Some people form opinions about others based on how much they consume. Those who consume more occupy a higher position in society, those who consume less occupy a lower position.

The classic consumer society has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include the following:

• Incentive and motivation for the development of both producers and consumers;
• Everything is developing at a very fast pace;
• People want to work and earn money;
• People quickly spend what they earn - money is always on the move, in circulation;
• Relative social stability in society;
• Low social tension - everyone is thinking about how to earn and spend money.

Now let's look at the main disadvantages of a consumer society:

• People in a consumer society become very dependent and dependent;
• In the pursuit of consumption, people forget about more important human values;
• Due to high production rates, natural resources are quickly depleted, very often they are not restored;
• All processes occur very quickly, including destructive ones;
• People do not have a developed sense of responsibility, the responsibility of an individual to society is very small;
• Most people are illiterate and underdeveloped, they do not know how to think, they are easy to control and manipulate their minds;
• People are incapable of making decisions; they are accustomed to others deciding everything for them.

The most famous description of the consumer society is contained in the book “The Consumer Society” by Jean Baudrillard, a French sociologist, cultural scientist and philosopher, published in 1970. The book was published in Russian translation only in 2006.

Characteristic features of a consumer society

Now let's outline the main features that can characterize a consumer society:

• Growing needs of people and expenses for personal needs;
• Reducing the role of small stores in favor of large shopping centers and supermarkets;
• Widespread development of lending for consumer needs:, etc.;
• Wide development of all kinds of discount cards, discount systems and other products that stimulate consumption;
• Products become “morally obsolete” faster than they physically wear out or fail;
• Advertising actively imposes a “culture of consumption”: it is not the goods and services themselves that are advertised, but tastes, values, desires, norms of behavior, interests that involve the purchase of these goods and services;
• The concept of a “brand” is being actively promoted, as something for which one must “pay”;
• All important areas of human development are placed on a commercial basis: education (training centers, paid courses, trainings), sports, health (fitness centers, gyms, sports clubs), even beauty and appearance (paid body care, anti-aging procedures, plastic surgery) – all this is actively advertised and stimulated.

Do you notice the surrounding reality in this? This suggests that our consumer society is actively developing.

Consumer society and our reality

But the consumer society that you can all observe around you, and to which, with a high degree of probability, you can be counted directly, has gone quite far from its classical example, and for the worse. It practically does not use the classical advantages of the consumer society, but it has absorbed all the disadvantages in multiple quantities.

For the most part, our people absolutely do not want and do not know how to take responsibility for their lives and are accustomed to placing it on someone else: as a rule, on the state, or even personally on the president.

Look at what concepts politicians going to elections most often focus on to raise their ratings: salaries, pensions, jobs - perhaps these are the TOP 3. Why exactly these concepts? Because what people want to hear most of all is the consumer society. Because people want some “good uncle” who came to power to give them everything: salaries, pensions and jobs. The bigger, the better. Because all this will make it possible to consume more.

And also because people themselves cannot and do not want to take care of their own jobs, their earnings and provision for old age. Few people think about having, or creating for themselves. People prefer to be dependent on someone who will do it for them: on the state, on the employer. Even though it is much less profitable financially. Because it’s easier this way: you don’t need to think hard, you don’t need to take risks, you don’t need to make decisions, you don’t need to take responsibility. Typical consumer society.

And while all this is missing (desired jobs, high salaries and pensions), you can scold the government, organize a protest, or simply complain about life.

The situation in modern Russia is very interesting: when some local problems arise, say, in a separate locality or at a separate enterprise, what do people often do? They write a collective letter to the president: only he will solve all their problems! One single person whom the whole country looks to with hope! Consumer society…

But the most depressing thing is that the values ​​of a consumer society are in no way combined with the real capabilities of our people and our economy. And, what is very important, with the level.

In developed countries, a consumer society also exists and is developing, but there it does not have such a negative effect on each individual person as it does in our country.

Judge for yourself: in Russia and Ukraine from 2000 to 2012, consumption growth was observed almost every year, its rate reached 10-15% per year, while the growth of consumption often significantly exceeded the growth of production and the growth of real incomes of citizens. Moreover, even in the crisis years of 2008-2009, there was also an increase in consumption, it was just that its pace decreased. It stopped and began to decline only in 2014-2015, when it had already reached very serious proportions.

What does the excess of consumption rates over GDP growth rates indicate? The fact that the consumer society has such a strong influence that people bought even more than the country produced, that is, they bought imported products, stimulating the development of the economies of foreign countries.

And this situation has a very negative impact on the country’s own economy. It stimulates an unreasonable rise in prices, and as a result leads to the fact that locally produced goods cannot compete with imported ones.

What does the excess of consumption rates over income growth rates indicate? The fact that a significant part of goods and services was consumed on credit. People in a consumer society agree, as long as they comply with the principles of this society.

In our conditions, for such an opportunity, people for many years gave banks and other credit organizations tens and even hundreds (!) of percent per annum, which was absolutely not combined with the growth of their income and the ability to painlessly repay the loans received. As a result, a huge number of people are now in debt, many times exceeding their ability to repay; for many, these are 5-10 credits and loans from different organizations. That is, people borrowed until the last minute, while they still had money. This is due to the stereotypes imposed by the consumer society, and, of course, the low level of financial literacy and literacy in general (we remember that people living in a consumer society are not used to thinking).

The consumer society, combined with our lending conditions, is one of the key reasons why a huge number of people fall into a financial hole.

Our people absolutely do not know how to live within their means, they want not only to consume a lot, but even to consume what they have not yet earned! After all, this is required by the standards of consumer society.

Let's take a well-worn example: why would our person buy the latest model iPhone, which costs, say, 3 times his salary? Buy on credit, overpaying about half the cost. And a year later, again buy a new model on credit, because it is already outdated (we recall the sign of rapid “moral obsolescence” in a consumer society).

Why buy a branded item if an item from an unknown brand is in no way inferior in quality, but, say, 2 times cheaper? (remember the importance of the brand concept).

Why go to an expensive sports club to exercise instead of free exercise at the local stadium, which may be just as good in quality and even more useful?

Consider how people most often justify their excessive consumption:

• You only live once!
• I can afford it!
• Am I worse than others?

But these are by no means a person’s own thoughts - these are stereotypes imposed on him by consumer society. This is what a consumer who is easily influenced will say. And he will be sure that as a result he ended up in a financial hole not through his own fault, but, for example, through the fault of his employer (he fired him and stopped paying his salary) or through the fault of the state (it did not create a new job for him) or the bank’s fault (he, the bloodsucker, takes away the last). That is, everyone around him is to blame, but not himself - a typical situation for a consumer society.

Why did I devote a separate article to this topic and make it so emotional?

I want everyone to realize that they he can make his own choice. Either live according to the laws of the consumer society that were imposed on him, and have rather bleak prospects, or live according to his own rules, which may run counter to public opinion, but will be more effective and useful for him specifically. Personally, I chose the second option for myself a long time ago, which is what I wish for everyone. But, of course, the choice is yours, and you are responsible for it. Yes, yes, this happens when a person can choose and take responsibility for his choice.

Thank you for your continued attention. I am always glad to hear any of your opinions in the comments or on the forum. See you again at ! Learn to use personal finances wisely and effectively.

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Comments on this post: 21

I was really looking forward to this article, you are reading my thoughts. Sometimes it feels like consumption is eating away at the brain. By the way, the question is off topic: “How to choose hosting?”

1. Thank you, Garry, the more of us there are, the better 😉

Also, do you think buying a phone for $50 is acceptable if a person’s income does not exceed $3,000 a year? I'd just like to hear your opinion.

• I think it is acceptable, but not necessary.
  For example, until the beginning of 2014 I had a very simple phone, which at that time probably cost $30 new. Even earlier, there was an official device that was given to me at work - even simpler. Well, it was already falling apart for me (he was about 5 years old, he had been in various “scrapes”)), and I exchanged it for a smartphone for about 200 dollars. First of all, to be able to log in to the E-num service, read QR codes and always have the Internet at hand - this was necessary for work. Back then my internet there was completely free. But now I don’t even use the Internet on it for money, except for Wi-Fi sometimes).
  So, there are only 3 phones since 2004, one of them is a service phone, free)
  PS: my wife has had one phone since 2006, at that time it was modern, now it’s very outdated, but it’s enough).
  Here's a telephone story :)

Konstantin, we are all members of the consumer society, whether we want it or not. We are consumers, and we ourselves can choose to what extent we want to consume. A person who thinks and knows how to separate what he needs, who cannot be manipulated, will win and move on to the next stage of development. We know how to separate our own interests from those of another person. The same can be done in relation to society, it seems to me.

Great article! Everything is to the point. The only thing I disagree with the author is the opinion: “why buy a car if you don’t have an apartment.” I believe that investing in real estate for investment purposes is a very unprofitable business. Even if you simply put an amount equivalent to the cost of the apartment on deposit (even in foreign currency), then the monthly interest income will be the necessary amount to rent an excellent apartment and will even last for a living. Not to mention if you invest money in a business where the income is far from 10-15% per annum :) But our people have a lot of stereotypes about this, that it’s “reliability, stability, you need your own mink, etc.” But this is my opinion)

• Yuri, thanks for your opinion. I meant buying real estate for your own residence, if there is none. In my opinion, in most cases, owning your own property is more profitable and more interesting than renting it. Real estate is among the most important personal assets a person or family needs to live. But, of course, for some this may not be the case.

  I also completely agree that if you first invest money in a business, you can quickly save up for this very real estate. But I don’t agree that buying a car for personal needs is more important than buying a home for personal needs). Again, to each his own).

Hello. Almost the same telephone history as Kostya :):). Fourth since 2000. I think it would be useful for people to forget their phone at home once a week as a way to train their own willpower. The thoughts in my head become brighter. And consumption has become the norm, because the people were hungry and ignorant in Soviet times, but now, with the best intentions, they are pushing their children into this slavery, they say, we didn’t have it, let them at least have it. Something else is unpleasant. The local rulers of the planet benefit from such a rich country in the role of a “third world country”. That is, a kind of slave, otherwise, God forbid, he gets up from his knees, what to do with him then. Please note that there is nothing left except the Kalash and the remnants of the luxury of space research. One trade, and that’s what their top managers teach us at trainings. It’s scary that small businesses are being destroyed or crushed under retail chains, dictating production conditions. Although, at this difficult moment for the country, read people, IMHO, handicrafts can save us. Small production business - bees, cucumbers, clay pots. It's time to pull yourself together and start doing at least something. Import substitution. Let the government take credit for these achievements. No pity.

“And this situation has a very negative impact on the country’s own economy. It stimulates an unreasonable rise in prices, and as a result leads to the fact that locally produced goods cannot withstand competition with imported ones.” Why does rising prices reduce the competitiveness of domestic goods and not reduce the competitiveness of foreign ones?

After all, foreign production often moves closer to the consumer, that is, to Russia. Therefore, the economy should put pressure on them in the same way as on our producer.

• Because it becomes less profitable to produce domestic goods. The cost of their production becomes higher than the production of imported goods with a lower quality of products. By the way, it is in Russia that this phenomenon is observed very clearly in many areas.

2. Thank you Ivan. I agree, everything is so.. I also wrote a lot about this).

The article is correct, but I would like to express a couple of my thoughts on this matter.
Firstly, as Konstantin noted, we are a consumer society, we live in this society, and this means that we are obliged to take into account the rules of the consumer society (we are obliged to take into account, but are not obliged to follow them).
Let me give you an example: a man decided to get a job as a general director, came to an interview in an old worn-out suit (a financially literate person decided that he did not need a new stylish suit because he was above this endless consumption), and as a result he was refused, because “They greet you by their clothes.” In our consumer society, it is important not only what is behind one’s back, but also what is on display, in other words, the image (not just show-off, but an image that serves to achieve certain goals). A scene from the film “Duel of Brothers” comes to mind. The story of Adidas and Puma”, where one of the brothers took out a loan for a car in order to seem successful and was loaned from the bank. Of course, this can be considered as an investment in business, but still it can be closely intertwined in our lives.

Secondly, regarding brands. In some cases, buying a brand really means overpaying money for unnecessary show-off. But often the brand acts as a guarantor that the item will be of high quality (whatever one may say, brands are mainly large corporations that have technical advantages over small companies), and by choosing a branded item, the time spent searching for a non-branded product of good quality is significantly saved, that is, it saves time, which is important. And, of course, a brand can increase social status and serve as the basis for creating an image (why this should be described in the first paragraph).

Thirdly, you don’t need to have a negative attitude towards this phenomenon, but you need to learn to benefit from it. People in general cannot be changed, and you, knowing the principles of consumer society, can make good money from this. Warren Buffett, for example, is a very cunning bug in this regard - he only benefits, but does not spend much, denies the rules of endless consumption, but what if everyone is as frugal as our famous investor? Most likely there will be problems in the economy. But who said that saving so much is good? I think this is a reverse reaction to the principles of consumer society, that consuming a lot is bad, and consuming little is good, but, in my opinion, this is just the other extreme, and this is not good.

In conclusion, I want to say that you need to adhere to the rule of the golden mean everywhere, which, as I have noticed, can be applied in almost all areas of life. By applying the rule to the above points, we can draw a simple and important conclusion that you need to live within your means. No extremes. Not on credit, like people in a financial hole, but also not like Warren Buffett, driving an old car, having the opportunity to buy a new one. Actually, what’s wrong with the fact that having money (being in a state of financial independence) I will consume more, thereby providing myself with a higher quality of life? Otherwise, why do I need this financial independence?

I would like to hear Konstantin’s opinion on these arguments :)

• Daniel, wonderful reasoning, I really like it! Especially to “make the best” of any situation. Thank you for such a thoughtful addition! 🙂

  Image is one of the most useless things in the world. Vanity is of no use, only to those who sell this product.

3. Forgive me. I myself consume expensive brands, but I only bought ours for a long time (and about the TV, I haven’t had one for 7 years, but there is an Internet worse than TV!!! You and I are a society of consumers, whether we like it or not, we have no choice, we eat what is offered to us, we see, even the Internet provider is a consumer society, but they don’t understand and don’t take it seriously, I gave up my mobile phone for more than two months (people no longer understand that you can come and talk in person, which is more important and more effective than on mobile) Everyone is freaking out!!! Here comes the society of consumption, you refused their rules and you are the enemy!!

   This is what Pavel Durov wrote about this not so long ago (he posted his entire post in the VK group and on the forum). He wrote about giving up unhealthy foods, but he also wrote about TV. I have a lot of respect for this man, and I think he's worth listening to. Here are his words, quote:

   Some young people feel the need to lead a healthy lifestyle, but break down under social pressure. They are told: “It’s customary,” “It’s impossible otherwise,” “This is disrespect.”

   I am writing this to show that “this way” is possible. If you feel that this path is the right one, ignore your surroundings.

   A society whose traditions are built on self-poisoning has no future. We may well build our lives and our world on other values ​​- the values ​​of creation, self-development and hard work.

60 years have passed since this interview, which Erich Fromm gave to American journalist and TV presenter Mike Wallace. It was about contemporary American society at that time. A little more than half a century has passed, and everything that has been said can be attributed to absolutely any country with a developed economy, where one big word “CONSUMPTION” is at the forefront.

You can have different attitudes towards Fromm, some like his work, some don’t, I’ll just note that he has interesting thoughts.

Here, for example, is what he wrote in the introduction to his book To Have or To Be:

One needs to visualize the enormity of the Great Expectations, the amazing material and spiritual achievements of the industrial age, in order to understand the trauma that is caused to people today by the knowledge that these Great Expectations are failing. For the industrial age has truly failed to deliver on its Great Promises, and more and more people are beginning to realize that:

- Unlimited satisfaction of all desires does not contribute to well-being; it cannot be the path to happiness or even getting maximum pleasure.

The dream of being independent masters of our own lives came to an end when we began to realize that we had become cogs in the bureaucratic machine and our thoughts, feelings and tastes manipulated by government, industry and the media they control.

Economic progress has reached only a limited number of rich nations, and the gap between rich and poor nations is increasingly widening.

Technological progress itself has created a danger to the environment and the threat of nuclear war, each of which individually - or both together - is capable of destroying all civilization and, possibly, all life on Earth.

Arriving in Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for 1952, Albert Schweitzer called on the world to “dare to face the current situation...

Man has become a superman... But the superman, endowed with superhuman strength, has not yet risen to the level of superhuman intelligence.

The more his power grows, the poorer he becomes... Our conscience must be awakened to the realization that the more we become superhuman, the more inhuman we become".

Modern philosophers and sociologists have made attempts to study the “consumer society”; there have also been attempts at various classifications of this society. All this can be easily found on the Internet.

For example, I will give just a few distinctive features of modern society:

Main features of modern consumer society:

1. Drawing the absolute majority of the population into the consumption process.

Consumption ceases to be a way of struggling for physical survival and turns into a tool for constructing social identity and sociocultural integration into society.

Those. If earlier, some household items or, say, clothes were changed as they wore out, now a certain fashionista simply buys herself a dress to spend one evening in it, and then successfully forgets about it and buys herself a new dress or shoes. I remember watching a video where one lady proudly shows in her luxurious house a separate room, which is occupied by her shoes, the room, I’ll tell you right away, is quite large, and not some small closet. Well, some car lovers simply change their cars like gloves, my neighbor changed them and I need one too.

2. Revolutionary changes in the organization of trade and services.

Key positions are occupied by large shopping centers, supermarkets, which are turning into places of leisure, and museums of modern consumer culture. At the same time, the behavior of buyers is changing radically: the so-called shopping about - shopping without a more or less clearly realized goal, which is becoming a widespread form of leisure, occupies an increasing place.

This activity is probably familiar to many, isn’t it? Just go shopping, without any special purpose, “gawk”, so to speak.

3. Revolution in communications.

A new information space is emerging in which traditional ideas about space and time do not apply. A variety of social networks are formed and maintained through it: family, friendship, professional, etc. Communication is increasingly shifting to the Internet, regular telephone networks and the cellular communication system. All this allows us to significantly intensify communication and expand the circle of people involved in it. But at the same time, communication turns into a paid service: it is difficult to imagine modern interpersonal relationships without the mediation of a provider.

Agree that this is familiar to everyone, if previously communication was “live”, i.e. they came to visit, discussed something, communicated, but now it’s mainly a cell phone and the Internet. You and I pay for the services of both the cellular operator and the provider, i.e. in fact, we pay third parties for communication that used to be “live”. Of course, there is an exception when it comes to someone who lives far from you, but modern people, even with their neighbors or just acquaintances, now more often communicate by phone or via the Internet.

4. The emergence of a developed credit system.

The emergence of various forms of electronic bank cards has dramatically accelerated the process of making decisions on more or less large purchases and has minimized the time for thinking. The culture of accumulation is becoming a thing of the past. Money, as soon as it appears, is immediately used to purchase goods on credit. Inflation, even at moderate rates, stimulates the development of a culture of waste: money stored at home or in a bank depreciates, so it is more efficient to immediately use it for consumption.

5. Transformation of the system of mass consumer credit into a new form of social control.

When a house, car, or furniture is purchased on credit, the well-being of the family very strictly depends on the stability of the workplace. Any form of protest or conflict in the workplace is fraught with its loss and the collapse of credit well-being. The persistence of the unemployment factor increases this fear and willingness to compromise with the employer.

For many people, living on credit has become an integral part of their life. We pay off one loan, then immediately take out another one, or maybe 2 or 3 at the same time, this is the reality of modern life.

Advertising becomes a type of means of production: it produces desires, perceived needs and interests. At the same time, rational and functional arguments in favor of choosing a given product are increasingly giving way to its presentation as a symbol of a certain prestigious lifestyle. Advertising of a consumer society creates desires to belong to a certain group or type of people due to the possession of a specific product.

7. Formation of a brand cult.

The result of production is not goods endowed with some functional properties, but brands - trademarks that have turned into phenomena of mass consciousness (images, evaluations, expectations, symbols, etc.). Making and selling brands becomes efficient economic activities because people pay for their own representations.

8. Creating a new personality type.

A key feature of modern consumer society is the tendency to consume as a way of constructing one’s identity. Due to this, complete satisfaction of even basic needs becomes impossible, since identity requires daily reproduction. Hence the paradox of the high work activity of a person who is already well-fed, has a roof over his head and has a fairly extensive wardrobe. The logical consequence of the development of the capitalist mode of production is the formation of an insatiable consumer, for whom consumption acts as the main content of his life.

The whole essence of this point is contained in just one word, which is repeated ad infinitum, or you can say it in a circle, the word is “buy”... buy... and buy again.

There are also arguments for and against consumer society.

"BEHIND"

1. Consumption promotes good and responsible government that promotes the long-term social stability necessary for society.

(“good and responsible government” - this argument is very similar to a bedtime story)

2. In a consumer society, producers have an incentive to improve and create new goods and services, which contributes to progress in general.

(The question is, what is all this for, for the benefit of society as a whole or for earning money? These are two completely different things, the interests of the entire society and the interests of a separate group of people for whom only their own pocket is important)

3. High consumer standards are an incentive to earn money and, as a result, hard work, long-term study, and advanced training.

(And is there happiness in this? Working 12-15 hours a day to satisfy your unbridled desires, buy as much as possible, own as much as possible.)

4. Consumption helps reduce social tension.

(You mean buy it and don't think about anything else?)

5. Consumer motives of behavior soften national and religious prejudices, which helps reduce extremism and increase tolerance. In addition, a person in a consumer society is usually less risk-averse.

(You can’t say this in modern society)

6. Consumption of raw materials and goods from third world countries contributes to their development.

(You need to help those who live on the same planet with you, and not consume your neighbors).

"AGAINST"

• The consumer society makes a person dependent and dependent.
• The main goal of the individual becomes consumption, and hard work, study, and advanced training are only a side effect.
• The basis of a consumer society is natural resources, most of which are non-renewable.
• The consumer society exists exclusively in highly developed countries, while third world countries are used as a raw material appendage.
• In a consumer society, the acceleration of processes is encouraged. Negative, destructive processes are also accelerated.
• In a consumer society, the responsibility of the individual is reduced. For example, responsibility for environmental pollution by emissions from factories falls entirely on the manufacturer, and not on the consumer.
• Duality of the development process. For the functioning of a consumer society, only a thin layer of people is needed to ensure progress. Increased demands are placed on them. The rest, the majority of society, is engaged in ensuring the smooth operation of technology. The requirements for such people are reduced.
• . This leads to the duping of people, their degradation as individuals, and the decline of mass culture. In addition, this simplifies the manipulation of consciousness, since dark, ignorant people are very easy to deceive. Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Arnold wrote:

American colleagues explained to me that the low level of general culture and school education in their country is a deliberate achievement for economic purposes. The fact is that, after reading books, an educated person becomes a worse buyer: he buys less washing machines and cars, and begins to prefer Mozart or Van Gogh, Shakespeare or theorems to them. The economy of a consumer society suffers from this and, above all, the income of the owners of life - so they strive to prevent culture and education (which, in addition, prevent them from manipulating the population as a herd devoid of intelligence)

And now I propose to look at modern society in pictures (funny and not at all funny).

Modern people are zombies; they spend most of their lives with a phone in their hands. For them, the telephone is the closest and dearest object, and the owner himself loves this toy more than the people around him, and some owners of these devices even stroke them and kiss them, and talk to them affectionately.

“Happy” car owners. Sitting proudly in their acquisition, they sometimes do not notice the people around them, and some of them seem to be so important. Park your car in such a way that there is no room for others to walk, while finding thousands of excuses: there is a pedestrian crossing ahead, but why really need to slow down? They'll wait, because I'm in a hurry! This is the main essence of some “happy” car owners.

The modern world has given birth to a new type of hero. And if earlier the epic heroes were faced with a choice: “At the fork in the paths lies the Prophetic Stone, and on it is the inscription: “If you go to the right, you will lose your horse, you will save yourself; if you go to the left, you will lose yourself, you will save your horse; if you go straight, you will lose both yourself and your horse.” “, then in front of the current heroes the stone stands with completely different inscriptions.

“Discount” and “Sale” are two magic words that make a modern person... but look for yourself, who do these people look like?

What do you think of the operator’s satisfied face? who films all this (in the penultimate photo).

Next picture: a person needs help, let’s say he slipped and fell. There will definitely be someone who, instead of helping him up, will take his favorite toy out of his pocket and start filming this unfortunate person. And then he will post it all on the Internet in the humor category.

Especially for these, I would like to put the following picture:

The world of advertising. The streets of modern cities, for the most part, are one large sign with the word “buy”. You decide to watch TV and they immediately remind you that you need to buy something. I went online, and what, don’t you want to buy something?

TV Man. He spends most of his free time looking at this miracle box. Countless talk shows and TV series, is there really anything else needed? A TV man doesn’t need anything else; it’s a natural desire to spy on how others live, even if it’s just an invention of the scriptwriters. The desire itself is determined by the curiosity that exists in every person, but you can study the world around you, for example, or you can simply spy on others. And Life passes by...

The purpose of this article is not to analyze modern society in detail, I just showed some pictures from the life of a modern person. And where have we arrived at this point? I have one more, last picture.

In conclusion, I would like to return to Fromm again. This is what he writes about the nature of possession. He writes quite interestingly, in my opinion. He notes that possessing anything is just an illusion because... man himself is not eternal, and what a person strives to possess is also not eternal, there is nothing eternal in this material world. Moreover, a person becomes dependent on what he strives to possess (a slave to his own desires). A person himself becomes a thing because it directly depends on what he wants to have (everyone is familiar with obsessive thoughts of acquiring something that spin in circles in their heads). Fromm notes that such a connection is deadly, not life-giving.

THE NATURE OF POSSESSION

The nature of possession follows from the nature of private property. In this mode of existence, the most important thing is the acquisition of property and my unlimited right to keep everything that I have acquired. The mode of possession excludes all others; it does not require me to make any further effort to maintain my property or to use it productively. In Buddhism this behavior is described as "gluttony", and Judaism and Christianity call it "greed"; he turns everyone and everything into something lifeless, subject to someone else's power.

The statement “I have something” means a connection between the subject “I” (or “he”, “we”, “you”, “they”) and the object “O”.

It implies that the subject is constant, just like the object. However, is this constancy inherent in the subject? Or an object? After all, I will die someday; I may lose my position in society, which guarantees me the possession of something. An object is equally impermanent: it can break, get lost, or lose its value. Talk about the unchanging possession of something is associated with the illusion of the constancy and indestructibility of matter. And although it seems to me that I have everything, in fact I do not possess anything, since my possession, possession of an object and power over it is just a passing moment in the process of life.

Ultimately the statement "I am the definition of "I" through my possession of "O".

The subject is not “I as such,” but “I as what I possess.” My property creates me and my personality. The statement “I am I” has the subtext “I am I because I have X,” where X denotes all natural objects and living beings with which I relate myself through my right to control them and make them my permanent property.

With a possession orientation, there is no living connection between me and what I own. Both the object of my possession and I turned into things, and I possess the object because I have the power to make it mine. But there is also feedback here:

the object possesses me because my sense of identity, that is, mental health, is based on my possession of the object (and as many things as possible). This mode of existence is not established through a living, productive process between subject and object; it transforms both subject and object into things. The connection between them is deadly, not life-giving.

And half a century ago and now there are people who think and wonder: “Is everything okay with us? With humanity, in general, where has this consumer society led us and is there a way out?” I highlighted one, in my opinion, important point in the text and I will duplicate it.

« The moral values ​​of consumer society deny the need for comprehensive mental, moral and spiritual development of a person »

It was also noted who benefits from such a society, in which there is no place for the moral and spiritual development of people, increasing their educational level. It is beneficial to the so-called “masters of life”, for whom it is easier to manage a consumer society, because this society is like a herd of animals. In the pictures I provided, this herd is very clearly visible under the heading “Discount and Sale”.

Is it beneficial for you? For those who are reading or will read this article, just give yourself an honest answer. Would you like your children to live in this very consumer society, or maybe the society should be different, with a predominance of completely different values? By other values, of course, I mean, first of all, the predominance of moral and spiritual development in society.

The world is now approaching a new (although this is relative, given that history is cyclical) stage of its existence. This is a time of global cataclysms, and after the release of the program “This Is Coming,” it is already clear to many that we are already very close to this stage. For those who don’t believe, I can only say that you will soon see everything for yourself, so to speak, with your own eyes. No matter how strange it may sound, there is one plus in this stage. In the conditions in which humanity will be placed, or more correctly, in which it has placed itself, more and more people will begin to ask the simple question “Is there a way out?” After all, rules artificially imposed on society, with the tacit consent of this very society, simply do not work in an era of cataclysms. And a lot will depend on the answer to this question for each person. The fate of all humanity as a whole.

Prepared by: Igor (Vyatka)

We live in a time of intense social change. It affects all spheres of human life: the old foundations of society are being destroyed, the priorities of generations are changing, new trends are emerging in culture, politics, economics, etc. Many associate this with the advent of a new type of society - post-industrial, ushering in the era of white collar workers, information wars, a developed service sector and a consumer society - which we can observe in the USA, Canada, Western European countries, and Japan. Consumption in this case becomes self-sufficient, determines the relationship between the individual and society, social institutions, contributes to the formation of a system of values ​​and motivations, determines the dynamics and direction of social processes.

Many scientists have studied the development of social systems. Among them, the most famous are K. Marx, D. Bell, P. Sorokin, A. Weber, F. Tennis, T.B. Veblen. The theory of post-industrial society received its maximum scientific development in the works of D. Bell “The Coming Post-Industrial Society” and E. Toffler “The Third Wave”. D. Bell identified the main criteria for a new type of society, the main ones of which are 1) the central role of theoretical knowledge and 2) an increase in the share of the service sector. E. Toffler identified special waves that radically change the structure of any social system. Thus, there are agricultural, industrial and post-industrial waves, spreading unevenly among different societies and overlapping one another (the new wave does not cancel absolutely all the elements of the old one). The theoretical analysis of the phenomenon of consumption is most fully presented in the works of J. Ritzer “Modern Sociological Theories”, J. Baudrillard “Consumer Society: Its Myths and Structures”, V.I. wrote about the peculiarities of Russian consumption. Ilyin. Thus, J. Ritzer considered McDonaldization as one of the forms of mass, maximally rationalized consumption that appeared relatively recently. J. Baudrillard presented a very detailed and complete study of the phenomenon of the “affluent society”, which manifests itself in all spheres of human life in the development perspective. IN AND. Ilyin gave an analysis of the current situation in Russia, the relationship between consumer guidelines of society and its real capabilities.

The consumer society became possible during the transition of industrial countries to a post-industrial level of development, characterized primarily by the reorientation of the economy towards service and the dominance of knowledge-intensive industries; erasing the gap between producer and consumer. “Prosumer” economics appears - the producer-consumer economy (producer + consumer). With increasing competition, active development and implementation of innovative, ergonomic technologies becomes the key to success. The increase in information volumes creates a demand for improving computer technologies. There is active space exploration and the development of new directions in science (for example, genetic engineering, nanotechnology).

Economic growth, improved quality of life, and the emergence of mass production allowed the formation of a broad middle class with high purchasing power. Thus, consumption ceases to be a forced, biologically determined need and grows into a socio-cultural phenomenon. Life without consumption is no longer conceivable and impossible - most social relations are built on its basis.

A consumer society is a set of social relations in which individual consumption, mediated by the market, plays a key role. From here comes a new attitude towards “human resources”. “The way in which today’s society “forms” its members, writes Z. Bauman, dictates, first of all, the obligation to play the role of consumers.” Such a society is a natural product of mature capitalism. Of course, in any society, individual consumption, along with production, forms its basis. But only at a certain stage of development does individual consumption undergo deep institutionalization and become a key factor in the country’s economic development. On the one hand, it is increasingly mediated by the institution of the market, and on the other, the existence of a market relatively independent of individual consumption is impossible. The consumer society arises as a logical result of the development of capitalism.

The most important features of the model of consumer society, highlighted by V.I. Ilyin:

• ? Mass production makes it possible to draw into active consumption, which goes beyond the struggle for physical survival, not only the richest classes of society, but also the absolute majority of the population, although to very different degrees.
• ? Production is becoming not only mass (conveyor) but also flexible, which allows consumers to construct their individuality with the help of things. In other words, there is a mass production of symbols of difference, and the satisfaction of the need for them is only a passing moment of balance, again disrupted by the awareness of the need not to blend in with the crowd.
• ? Since production capabilities significantly outstrip the capabilities of individual consumption, driven by natural needs, a marketing revolution occurs, the result of which is the marketing orientation of firms. This means that before producing a new product, the manufacturer thinks about how and to whom it can be sold in conditions where, in principle, the means of satisfying this need already exist.
• ? In a consumer society, revolutionary changes are taking place in the organization of trade and the service sector. Key positions are occupied by large shopping centers, supermarkets, which are turning into places of leisure, and museums of modern consumer culture. At the same time, buyer behavior is changing radically: the so-called shopping about - shopping without having a more or less clearly realized goal.

Shopping is becoming a widespread form of leisure.

Social stratification is being formed, which is based on differences in the ability to access the space of a consumer society. As Z. Bauman writes, “everyone may have a desire to become a consumer and enjoy the opportunities that such a lifestyle provides. But not everyone is capable of being a consumer.” In other words, everyone wants, but not everyone can, and those who can have this opportunity to varying degrees. As a result, not all people living in developed countries live in a consumer society.

Many people only view it through impenetrable glass.

• ? Chains of cafes, beer bars, restaurants, nightclubs, etc. are flourishing. They satisfy the need not so much for food, but for communication without everyday problems and comfort. As a result, the culture of consumption and communication is increasingly changing. The latter turns into an object of consumption, purchased as the right to sit in a cozy place with a cup of coffee or lunch and chat. As a result, personal relationships are increasingly mediated by the market. The need for travel is also formed and satisfied through cafes and restaurants: ethnic and thematic establishments are becoming increasingly popular, creating the possibility of a phenomenon that can be called “culinary travel”. Today you are in China (Chinese restaurant), and tomorrow you are in America (American bar).
• ? With the advent of the era of consumer society, a real cultural revolution occurs, during which a transition takes place from the everyday culture of classical capitalism to modern consumerism (consumerism).
• ? The revolution in communications media is dramatically densifying communication.

A new information space is emerging in which traditional ideas about space and time do not apply. A variety of social networks are formed and supported through it: family, friendship, professional, etc. Communication is turning into a paid service: it is difficult to imagine modern interpersonal relationships without the mediation of a provider.

• ? Such universal forms of human relations as love and sex are also increasingly taking on the form of market services and turning into forms of consumption. Dating and marriage on the current scale are provided by the services of intermediary firms.
• ? The role of the consumer in the economic system is changing dramatically. “The system,” as J. Baudrillard noted, “
• ? The change in the role and place of consumers in the economic system significantly changes its character: it is closely intertwined with the culture of consumption, which turns into a material economic force.
• ? The economy of a consumer society is based on a new type of personality. Its key characteristic is the tendency to consume as a way of constructing one’s identity. Due to this, complete satisfaction of even basic needs becomes impossible, since identity requires daily reproduction. Hence the paradox of the high work activity of a person who is already well-fed, has a roof over his head and has a fairly extensive wardrobe.
• ? The consumer society creates a massive need for individualization. Competition among producers ultimately leads to competition among consumers.
• ? The main form of freedom in a consumer society is freedom

consumer choice. Consumer democracy reigns here.

• ? A developed credit system and various forms of electronic bank cards are appearing, which dramatically speeds up the decision-making process on more or less large purchases and minimizes time for thinking.
• ? The system of mass consumer credit is becoming the basis of a new form of social control, which turns out to be more effective than repressive instruments.
• ? Advertising is becoming, on the one hand, a key factor in market success, and on the other, one of the most widespread phenomena of mass culture.
• ? The structure of the cost of goods and services is changing significantly. To the traditional exchange (market) and consumer forms of value is added symbolic value, which plays an increasingly prominent role in pricing.
• ? The result of production is not only, and sometimes not so much, goods endowed with some functional properties, but also brands - trademarks that have turned into phenomena of mass consciousness (images, evaluations, expectations, symbols, etc.). Making and selling brands becomes efficient economic activities because people pay for their own representations.
• ? As a result of globalization, the local market is turning into one of the branches of the world market. Each local manufacturer competes to one degree or another with manufacturers from other regions and countries. This leads to a radical change in both consumer standards and the range of trade. The space of consumer freedom is expanding significantly.
• ? Fashion turns into an engine of production, since it ensures the obsolescence of a thing much earlier than its physical wear and tear. Things depreciate in value, like money during inflation. And a completely wealthy person constantly feels symbolically disadvantaged to one degree or another.
• ? Packaging is one of the important characteristics of a product. Without it, even a very good product goes unnoticed against the backdrop of countless competitors. It often acts as a factor in market success or failure.
• ? There is an aestheticization of consumption, which dramatically increases the role of design.
• ? Education (primarily higher education) acts as a service purchased on a mass scale on a market basis.
• ? With the advent of television, virtual reality is being formed, parallel to and competing with ordinary reality. The Internet and computer games have dramatically expanded the boundaries of the virtual world, displacing the real world.
• ? Politics takes the form of political marketing. In the most developed Western democracies, there is a dialectical contradiction: on the one hand, as in ancient times, government remains the domain of a narrow political elite, and on the other, developed mechanisms of formal democracy require confirmation of the elite’s right to power through a system of general elections.
• ? At the same time, consumption is gradually turning into a subject of political struggle, and consumerism into the core of political ideology. The fight for the voter, which is at the center of Western democracy, is impossible without the fight for his mind as a consumer. And consumerism at the end of the 20th century penetrates ever deeper into the programs and content of political campaigns of Western political parties.
• ? The most important manifestation of political freedom for citizens is the choice of sources of information and models for explaining political reality. A citizen acts as a consumer of a special kind of product.
• ? The main form of existence of sport is the consumption of sports spectacles, which fill leisure time with strong emotions and ensure the construction of identity around the names of countries and clubs. Sport is being professionalized and turned into a form of business, mass culture and politics.
• ? Physical education acts as a market service (subscriptions to gyms, consultations with specialists using literature, the media, etc.). Engaging in it is not only an investment in one’s own health, but also the construction of social identity (belonging to a group of modern and successful people), it is the creation of a text in the genre of prestigious consumption. Since the health motive is not sufficient to involve the wider population, especially young people, in consuming the services of physical education centers, actively cultivated aesthetic values ​​come to the fore: the body is an instrument of social communication, and success in life depends on its beauty.
• ? Medicine is becoming a powerful sector of the economy. Its driving motive is making a profit through the provision of medical services and the sale of medical drugs. The logic of this industry is no different from the logic of the service industry. Hence its active participation in the formation of a mass consumer culture, an element of which is the consumption of consultations with doctors, psychologists, reading relevant literature, the purchase of drugs that prevent diseases (food supplements, vitamins, etc.) and constantly emerging new miracle drugs. Mass concern for health, on the one hand, is a key factor in the development of the industry, and on the other hand, it is constructed by the labor market, which constantly creates risks of social exclusion of physically weak and sick people; Advertising of medical products and services plays a huge role in this process.
• ? The consumer society creates unprecedented tension in the relationship between people and nature. This contradiction has two dimensions: man and the environment, man and his health. Uncontrolled consumption has a devastating impact on both the environment and human health. Awareness of these dangerous contradictions gives rise to two different directions in ideology and everyday practice. On the one hand, there are calls to limit consumption and be closer to nature. On this basis, ecological settlements are emerging, a passion for Eastern ascetic teachings is spreading, etc. Manifestations of “postmaterialism” are becoming more and more noticeable in modern Western culture. On the other hand, a developed consumer society turns its ulcers into a source of new consumer needs, transforming into market demand.
• ? In different countries, this process of formation of a consumer society will develop at different times: in the USA - immediately after the war, in Western Europe - as the economy recovered, mainly in the mid-1950s.

Post-Soviet Russia is in a contradictory situation. On the one hand, it is a transforming crisis society, significantly inferior in terms of socio-economic development to developed Western countries. On the other hand, capitalism is being formed here. True, its main contours significantly distinguish it from those models that are characteristic of developed market communities. Western consumer culture is penetrating the country on a massive scale, a revolution of consumer demands is taking place, a new system of means of consumption is being formed, copying foreign models, a noticeable layer of people has emerged whose material capabilities can allow the reproduction of the lifestyles of wealthy groups in the developed countries of the world. However, the majority of the population is not allowed into the space of the consumer society. For him, there is a virtual (media) and secondary consumer society (the market for second-hand and counterfeit goods). In other words, this majority lives in the shadow of consumer society: it feels it, but can enjoy its benefits in very limited surrogate forms. However, oases of consumer society are sources of desires, hopes, illusions and motives for a huge part of the population, especially young people. Just as Russian capitalism resembles the ersatz capitalism of the Western model, so the domestic consumer society, bearing the key characteristics of the theoretical model, is distinguished by the embryonic state of many of its attributes and an oasis form of existence.

General history. Recent history. 9th grade Shubin Alexander Vladlenovich

§ 18. The emergence of a “consumer society”

"Consumer society"

After World War II and the implementation of the Marshall Plan, Western countries entered a period of economic growth. This rise was sometimes interrupted by economic crises, but despite this, by the 1960s. The industry of the largest capitalist country - the USA - grew one and a half times. Real incomes (adjusted for inflation) in the 1950s in Western Europe they doubled, and in the USA - by more than a fifth. The number of passenger cars in the United States increased between 1941 and 1959. twice. But 15% of the US population was below the officially recognized poverty level, although this level itself was not the most miserable - 2 thousand dollars a year.

"American dream". Family watching TV in their own home

The social state, which also came to be called the “welfare state,” guaranteed old people and some of the unemployed from poverty. The poorest sections of the population were replenished primarily by emigrants who sought at all costs to get to the richest countries in the world. At the same time, increasingly wider layers of workers, farmers and employees gained access to such benefits of civilization as sewerage, running water, gas stove, washing machine, TV, car and, finally, their own home. The middle class was growing in size. Corporations that provided mass production of consumer goods competed for an expanding consumer market. Ubiquitous advertising, films, other works of popular culture and even political figures promoted the new achievements of competing companies, be it a tourist trip to Tropical Africa or toothpaste. Products were manufactured with the expectation that they would be replaced frequently - after any breakdown or simply when fashion dictated by corporations changed. The more often fashion changed, the more clothes, furniture, and houses were sold. Consumption of life's goods became the goal of people's lives. It ensured economic prosperity, added flavor to life after monotonous work in a factory or office, made the everyday life of a housewife easier, and determined a person’s position in society. People were treated based on which stores they bought things from. The term “consumer society” arose, which defined a new stage in the development of a state-monopoly industrial society. This stage was characterized by the growth of the well-being of the population and the dependence of human life and the country on the consumption of as many goods as possible.

Outstanding writers of the mid-20th century. opposed consumerism and mass culture. A critical picture of the Western way of life was painted by Italian directors who belonged to the neorealist movement (Roberto Rossellini, Luchino Visconti, Vittorio de Sica). In the films “Rome - Open City”, “Bicycle Thieves” and others, they showed without embellishment the difficult life of the social lower classes. The novel “Lolita” by Russian emigrant Vladimir Nabokov, which challenged the traditional morality of Western society, made a shocking impression on the American reader. The ideal of such writers as Ernest Hemingway, Heinrich Böll and Albert Camus was a person who knows how to defend his freedom and dignity in the face of difficult, sometimes hopeless circumstances. This same problem is one of the key ones in works of foreign science fiction, which has achieved great success since the 1950s. But the image of the future of such classics of English science fiction as Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov and Arthur Clarke is gloomy - man is squeezed into the framework defined by technology, society is deprived of development prospects. The personality painfully searches for a way out of this dead end. Through the mouths of its writers, Western society voiced the fear of a new way of life, when man became not only a consumer, but also a slave of technology.

President John Kennedy a few minutes before his death. Dallas. 1963

The new way of life also required new political leaders - young, dynamic, fashionable. US President John Kennedy became the symbol of the onset of a new era in Western countries. Kennedy was very popular due to his personal charm. He was considered a symbol of a real man, and this image was actively supported by the propaganda apparatus of the Democrats. A brilliant career, his beautiful wife Jacqueline, and even the president’s romance with movie star Marilyn Monroe contributed to Kennedy’s transformation into a symbol of the “American Dream.” But the president’s support for the struggle of the black population for their rights and an attempt to restore order in the work of the intelligence services and the activities of large entrepreneurs led to the fact that on November 22, 1963, during a visit to the center of Texas - Dallas - Kennedy was shot. Officially, his only killer was Lee Oswald, a man with an unbalanced psyche, whose views were close to the communists. Immediately after his arrest, Oswald was also killed. Some researchers of the Kennedy assassination argue that the president was shot by several people, and he fell victim to a wide conspiracy. Kennedy's assassination confirmed that the “consumer society” is also corroded by acute contradictions.

The emergence of the European Economic Community

Europeans sought to overcome those tragic contradictions between countries that led to two world wars. The process of European integration began in Western Europe. In 1949, the Council of Europe was created - a political association of Western European countries ready to comply with democratic norms in foreign and domestic policy.

List the main events in the history of the Franco-German conflict.

Since the 19th century The Franco-German conflict seemed insoluble, leading to wars. The country, which was defeated in the war, sought revenge. The winner took advantage of the situation to humiliate and weaken the opponent. After World War II, the situation could have repeated itself, but the Marshall Plan was the first sign of the opposite: instead of paying reparations, West Germany received aid. Then, on the initiative of the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, the Treaty of Paris was concluded in 1951, establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, a customs union in several industries. It included France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. This unification allowed the participating countries to share resources that had been a bone of contention for many years. Economic cooperation (cooperation) has made it possible to more effectively manage the industrial capacities of several developed European countries. This contributed to their economic growth.

Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer

The countries that signed the Paris Treaty became the core of the Pan-European market. In 1957, the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) was signed in Rome, which extended the customs union to the entire economy of the participating countries. The EEC participants also agreed to jointly regulate the use of nuclear energy. In the 1960-1980s. Almost all Western European countries joined the EEC.

"West German economic miracle"

After World War II, Germany lay in ruins. Part of the population continued to be held captive, some Germans were evicted from Eastern European countries and found themselves on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany without a means of subsistence. Millions of people were on the verge of starvation. But the cessation of reparation payments, the establishment of a new stable currency by the allies, the Marshall Plan and the inclusion of Germany in the system of Western alliances helped the German economy get back on its feet.

The country's political system also contributed to this. According to the constitution of 1949, Germany became a federal parliamentary republic. The states had broad autonomy, the prime minister (chancellor) was approved by parliament (Bundestag). The powers of the president were sharply limited; he was elected by parliament. There were two major forces operating in Germany - the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its ally the Christian Social Union, on the one hand, and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) on the other. The CDU was supported by the small liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), and CDU leader Konrad Adenauer became chancellor.

Adenauer was born in 1876. At first he gained fame as a lawyer. During the First World War and the Weimar Republic, Adenauer was the mayor of Cologne. After World War II, Adenauer founded the CDU. He believed that Germany could only develop together with Western countries. Therefore, when in 1952–1953. The USSR proposed the creation of a united but neutral Germany, Adenauer rejected this proposal.

Production of the millionth car at the Volkswagen plant. 1960

In 1955, Germany joined NATO. Under the cover of the North Atlantic bloc and in conditions of restrictions on the development of the armed forces, the Federal Republic of Germany spent insignificant funds on military needs. Settlers from the east and former prisoners of war who returned from the USSR after 1955, together with West Germans eager to get out of poverty, represented a source of relatively cheap and hardworking labor. Germany retained a cadre of production organizers who quickly restored powerful industrial companies. Economics Minister Ludwig Erhard created the concept social market economy, which was the theoretical basis of socio-economic policy. Private corporations regularly paid taxes, and these funds were spent on helping the economically weaker sections of the population and on the development of new production. Councils were created at enterprises, with the help of which workers and employees could participate in making the most important production decisions. All these factors, together with traditional German organization and high quality of work, made it possible to triple the gross national product of Germany in the 1950s - the first half of the 1960s. This turned Germany into one of the most developed Western countries and made it possible to talk about the “West German economic miracle.”

Ludwig Erhard

The emergence of the Fifth Republic in France

The prosperity of the “consumer society” was largely based on the resources of Asian and African countries, especially cheap oil coming from the Middle East. But colonial contradictions divided, rather than brought together, Western countries and therefore interfered with European integration. At the same time, the unification in one state of peoples at completely different stages of development led to an aggravation of ethnic (national) contradictions in Europe. Millions of people from Asia and Africa came here in search of a better life and became “second-class citizens.” Colonial oppression also made the growth of national liberation movements in Asian and African countries inevitable. It became increasingly difficult for European states to keep colonies in their hands. In addition, it was possible to exploit raw material sources in a purely economic way. All this turned the colonial system into an anachronism. But abandoning it turned out to be painful, because the destruction of this system led to economic restructuring and the resettlement of millions of people from former colonies to European countries. France experienced this transition especially hard.

In 1954, as soon as France managed to free itself from the burden of the war in Indochina, an uprising began in its nearby colony of Algeria. It was not easy to leave this country, since millions of French lived here. The guerrilla war, led by the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN), grew, and France had to spend much more money on maintaining the colony than it received from it.

Dispersal of the Algerian demonstration by the French. December 1960

One part of the French insisted on ending the war, while the other - especially the inhabitants of Algeria - demanded the suppression of the uprising. In May 1958, the commanders of the troops stationed in the colony opposed the indecisive actions of the government and announced their readiness to land in France and seize power. Under these conditions, General de Gaulle returned to political activity.

Charles de Gaulle was born in 1890 into an aristocratic family and had a brilliant military career. The idea of ​​the greatness of France was at the center of de Gaulle's political views. After the country's surrender in 1940, he founded the Free French patriotic movement in London. After World War II, he led the French government and insisted that the constitution provide for strong presidential powers. But the authors of the constitution of the Fourth Republic, adopted in 1946, did not agree with this, and de Gaulle resigned.

Charles de Gaulle meets with the command of French troops in Algeria

Far-right supporters of the dictatorship (“ultra”) saw in the general a “strong personality” capable of preserving Algeria as a colony. Liberal leaders believed he could keep the military from carrying out a coup. De Gaulle agreed to lead the state on the condition that France become a presidential republic. In June 1958, he became prime minister with emergency powers, and in September the French voted in a referendum for the constitution he developed. The president, elected for 7 years, became not only the head of state, but also the head of the executive branch, and was given the opportunity to reject laws adopted by parliament and adopt his own legislative acts - decrees. In December 1958, de Gaulle was elected president of France. The new political system was called the Fifth Republic.

Remember when the previous four republics existed in France.

When de Gaulle became president of France in 1958, they expected a miracle from him - a quick and victorious end to the war, ensuring economic growth and social stability. In 1960, de Gaulle decisively parted with the colonies, granting independence to almost all overseas possessions, except Algeria. France retained its economic and political influence in these countries. By this time, de Gaulle realized that it would not be possible to deal with the Algerian partisans by military means. But as soon as the president entered into negotiations with the FLN, the French “ultra” in Algeria rebelled against him in January 1960. De Gaulle resolutely suppressed this protest. In 1962, he signed an agreement granting Algeria independence. The French people supported the president in the referendum. After this, the “ultra” declared him a traitor and created the Secret Army Organization (SLA), whose main goal was to destroy the president and seize power in the country. The OAS was supported by thousands of French people forced to flee Algeria. The organization made several attempts on de Gaulle's life, but by 1963 it was defeated. France, like Germany, managed to employ its refugee compatriots, which ultimately only contributed to the country’s economic recovery.

Demonstration of supporters of Algerian independence

De Gaulle set a course for modernizing the French economy. The aerospace industry and nuclear energy were founded, and government control of the economy was strengthened. De Gaulle pursued an independent foreign policy. In 1966, France left the NATO military organization, remaining only in its political structure. The President put forward the idea of ​​a “common European home” (integration of Western and Eastern Europe without America) and began rapprochement with the USSR, laying the foundations of the policy of “détente” together with the Social Democrats of Germany.

Conservative and Labor Britain

Britain developed more slowly after World War II than other major Western states. Two forces were fighting in the country - traditional conservatism and the growing power of organized labor. The first force was represented by the Conservative Party, which was supported by representatives of big capital, and the second was the Labor Party, which was supported by trade unions. The rivalry between the two parties led to the gradual formation of a social state, without shocks or disruptions. In 1945–1951, during the government of Labor leader Clement Attlee, the government created a system of free medical care and nationalized a number of industries, including the metallurgical and coal industries, transport, and energy. State gasification of London made it possible to get rid of the smog (smoke) harmful to people's health associated with coal heating. Labor hoped that their nationalization would provide funds for social benefits. But the conservative British bureaucracy was unable to establish effective management of enterprises. Returning to power in 1951, Churchill carried out partial denationalization, but retained the social security system introduced by Labour.

The reign of the Conservatives became a time of relatively prosperous “stagnation” in the life of the British. The government tried to avoid change. The economy developed slowly as British companies became accustomed to working with the colonies, where they were free from foreign competition. After the collapse of the British colonial system in 1945-1960. The country's industry had difficulty adapting to new conditions. The country fenced itself off from the EEC with customs tariffs, and when it finally decided to join this organization, it could not do so for a long time due to de Gaulle’s disagreement. The UK only became a member of the EEC in 1973.

Harold Wilson

In 1964, Harold Wilson's Labor government came to power. He again nationalized the steel industry and entered into a “social contract” with the unions, which included freezing both prices and wages while workers voluntarily refused to strike. But in the context of the emerging economic crisis, prices and taxes rose, and soon strikes resumed. Labor Britain has escaped the control of its own party. Nevertheless, Wilson's reforms gave new impetus to the development of the country's economy.

Let's sum it up

After World War II, as a result of rapid economic growth in Western countries, a “consumer society” emerged. In this society, social protection of people from poverty and unemployment was carried out. There was a convergence of the economies of Western European countries within the European Economic Community. However, economic successes did not protect Western countries from political upheavals, which were associated both with the collapse of the colonial system and with the struggle of workers organized in trade unions with entrepreneurs. But the governments of Western European countries succeeded in the 1950s and the first half of the 1960s. overcome crises through reforms.

1958 - creation of the Fifth Republic in France.

1954–1962 - Algerian War of Independence.

1963 – assassination of US President John Kennedy.

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

(John Kennedy)

1. What is a “consumer society”, how does it differ from other forms of industrial society?

2. What are the reasons for the “West German economic miracle”?

3. Why do you think de Gaulle was compared to Napoleon Bonaparte?

4. Why did Great Britain develop more slowly than Germany and France?

1. Initially, some ideologists compared the de Gaulle regime with the fascist one. Point out the most important differences between the Fifth Republic and fascist regimes.

2. The SLA considered itself the successor to the Resistance movement. Some SLA members participated in the Resistance. What are the similarities and differences between the SLA and the Resistance?

*3. L. Erhard wrote: “More and more new groups are demanding more from the national economy than it is able to give. All successes achieved in this way are deceptive; they are Pyrrhic victories. Every citizen pays for them in the form of higher prices.” Which “groups” is this statement directed at?