Design Practice in Support of Capitalism: Industrial Design and Cold War Consumer Politics
Date
2021-12-18
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Abstract
The United States and the Soviet Union were political rivals in a battle between U.S. capitalism and Soviet communism known as the Cold War. In the 1950s, international exhibitions such as the Marshall Plan Exhibits, the Brussels World’s Fair, and the American National Exhibition in Moscow were critical opportunities for the U.S. to show audiences in Europe and the Soviet Union that capitalism, as opposed to communism, offered a better standard of living for people living under its economic system. This thesis examines the role of the U.S. industrial designers who designed and curated exhibits at these international exhibitions to demonstrate their support of capitalism during the Cold War.
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Keywords
Industrial Design, Design History, Cold War, Capitalism, Communism, Marshall Plan, Brussels World's Fair, American National Exhibition in Moscow, The Kitchen Debate, George Nelson
Citation
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