Pocketbook Politics: Economic Citizenship in Twentieth-Century America (Politics and Society in Twentieth Century America)

"How much does it cost?" We think of this question as one that preoccupies the nation's shoppers, not its statesmen. But, as "Pocketbook Politics" dramatically shows, the twentieth-century American polity in fact developed in response to that very consumer concern. In this groundbreaking study, Meg Jacobs demonstrates how pocketbook politics provided the engine for American political conflict throughout the twentieth century. From Woodrow Wilson to Franklin Roosevelt to Richard Nixon, national politics turned on public anger over the high cost of living. Beginning with the explosion of prices at the turn of the century, every strike, demonstration, and boycott was, in effect, a protest against rising prices and inadequate income. On one side, a reform coalition of ordinary Americans, mass retailers, and national politicians fought for laws and policies that promoted militant unionism, government price controls, and a Keynesian program of full employment. On the other, small businessmen fiercely resisted this low-price, high-wage agenda that threatened to bankrupt them. This book recaptures this dramatic struggle, beginning with the immigrant Jewish, Irish, and Italian women who flocked to Edward Filene's famous Boston bargain basement that opened in 1909 and ending with the Great Inflation of the 1970s. "Pocketbook Politics" offers a new interpretation of state power by integrating popular politics and elite policymaking. Unlike most social historians who focus exclusively on consumers at the grass-roots, Jacobs breaks new methodological ground by insisting on the centrality of national politics and the state in the nearly century-long fight to fulfill the American Dream of abundance. "How much does it cost?" We think of this question as one that preoccupies the nation's shoppers, not its statesmen. But, as Pocketbook Politics dramatically shows, the twentieth-century American polity in fact developed in response to that very consumer concern.In this groundbreaking study, Meg Jacobs demonstrates how pocketbook politics provided the engine for American political conflict throughout the last century. From Woodrow Wilson to Franklin Roosevelt to Richard Nixon, national politics turned on public anger over the high cost of living.Beginning with the explosion of prices at the turn of the century, every strike, demonstration, and boycott was, in effect, a protest against rising prices and inadequate income. On one side, a reform coalition of ordinary Americans, mass retailers, and national politicians fought for laws and policies that promoted militant unionism, government price controls, and a Keynesian program of full employment. On the other, small businessmen fiercely resisted this low-price, high-wage agenda, which threatened to bankrupt them.This book recaptures this dramatic struggle, beginning with the immigrant Jewish, Irish, and Italian women who flocked to Edward Filene's famous Boston bargain basement that opened in 1909 and ending with the Great Inflation of the 1970s.Pocketbook Politics offers a new interpretation of state power by integrating popular politics and elite policymaking. Unlike most social historians who focus exclusively on consumers at the grassroots, Jacobs breaks new methodological ground by insisting on the centrality of national politics and the state in the nearly century-long fight to fulfill the American Dream of abundance. In This Study, Meg Jacobs Demonstrates How Pocketbook Politics Provided The Engine For American Political Conflict Throughout The Last Century. From Woodrow Wilson To Franklin Roosevelt To Richard Nixon, National Politics Turned On Public Anger Over The High Cost Of Living.. Beginning With The Explosion Of Prices At The Turn Of The Century, Every Strike, Demonstration, And Boycott Was, In Effect, A Protest Against Rising Prices And Inadequate Income. On One Side, A Reform Coalition Of Ordinary Americans, Mass Retailers, And National Politicians Fought For Laws And Policies That Promoted Militant Unionism, Government Price Controls, And A Keynesian Program Of Full Employment. On The Other, Small Businessmen Fiercely Resisted This Low-price, High-wage Agenda, Which Threatened To Bankrupt Them.. Pocketbook Politics Offers A New Interpretation Of State Power By Integrating Popular Politics And Elite Policymaking. Unlike Most Social Historians Who Focus Exclusively On Consumers At The Grassroots, Jacobs Breaks New Methodological Ground By Insisting On The Centrality Of National Politics And The State In The Nearly Century-long Fight To Fulfill The American Dream Of Abundance.--book Jacket. From The Bargain Basement To The Bargaining Table, 1900-1917 -- Business Without A Buyer, 1917-1930 -- The New Deal And The Problem Of Prices, 1930-1935 -- The New Deal And The Problem Of Wages, 1935-1940 -- The Consumer Goes To War, 1940-1946 -- Pocketbook Politics In An Age Of Inflation, 1946-1960. Meg Jacobs. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [266]-326) And Index. "In this groundbreaking study, Meg Jacobs demonstrates how pocketbook politics provided the engine for American political conflict throughout the twentieth century. Beginning with the explosion of prices at the turn of the century, every strike, demonstration, and boycott was, in effect, a protest against rising prices and inadequate income. On one side, a reform coalition of ordinary Americans, mass retailers, and national politicians fought for laws and policies that promoted militant unionism, government price controls, and a Keynesian program of full employment. On the other, small businessmen fiercely resisted this low-price, high-wage agenda that threatened to bankrupt them." "Pocketbook Politics offers a new interpretation of state power by integrating popular politics and elite policymaking. Jacobs breaks new methodological ground by insisting on the centrality of national politics and the state in the nearly century-long fight to fulfill the American Dream of abundance." -- Book Cover Frontmatter List of Illustrations (page ix) Acknowledgments (page xi) Introduction Economic Citizenship in the Twentieth Century (page 1) PART I. THE HIGH COST OF LIVING AND THE RISE OF POCKETBOOK POLITICS, 1900-1930 Chapter One From the Bargain Basement to the Bargaining Table, 1900-1917 (page 15) Chapter Two Business without a Buyer, 1917-1930 (page 53) PART II. PURCHASING POWER TO THE PEOPLE, 1930-1940 Chapter Three The New Deal and the Problem of Prices, 1930-1935 (page 95) Chapter Four The New Deal and the Problem of Wages, 1935-1940 (page 136) PART III. THE EVILS OF INFLATION IN WAR AND PEACE, 1940-1960 Chapter Five The Consumer Goes to War, 1940-1946 (page 179) Chapter Six Pocketbook Politics in an Age of Inflation, 1946-1960 (page 221) Epilogue Back to Bargain Hunting (page 262) Notes (page 266) Index (page 327) 'How much does it cost?' We think of this question as one that preoccupies the nation's shoppers, not its statesmen. This book shows, the twentieth-century American polity in fact developed in response to that very consumer concern. It offers an interpretation of state power by integrating popular politics and policymaking. ON JANUARY 4, 1909, William Filene's Sons and Company opened its Bargain Basement.