Thrift: The History of an American Cultural Movement.

252 Pages·2014·64.679 MB·English

by  Andrew L. Yarrow

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THRIFT
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TH RI FT
The History of an American
Cultural Movement
Andrew L. Yarrow
University of Massachusetts Press
Amherst and Boston
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Copyright © 2014 by Andrew L. Yarrow
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 978-1-62534-132-7 (paper); 131-0 (hardcover)
Designed by Dennis Anderson
Set in Adobe Caslon Pro by House of Equations, Inc.
Printed and bound by Sheridan Books, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Yarrow, Andrew L.
Thrift : the history of an American cultural movement / Andrew L. Yarrow.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-62534-132-7 (paperback : alkaline paper) —
ISBN 978-1-62534-131-0 (hardcover : alkaline paper)
1. Thriftiness—United States—History—20th century.
2. Social movements—United States—History—20th century.
3. Social values—United States—History—20th century.
4. Saving and investment—Social aspects—United States—History—20th century.
5. United States—Economic conditions—20th century.
6. United States—Social conditions—20th century. I. Title.
HG179.Y35 2014
339.4'30973—dc23
2014021803
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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To my son, Richard, who is headed for great things in
scholarship, politics, and making this a better world;
and to the memory of my parents, Marian Radke Yarrow and
Leon J. Yarrow, scholars from whom I learned that scholarship
means little if it is not in the service of humanity.
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Prelude 1
1 The Early Twentieth-Century
American Thrift Movement 5
2 Precursors of a Movement 16
3 Thrift’s Heyday, 1910s–1930 30
4 Teaching Thrift in the Schools 52
5 The Philosophy of Thrift 65
6 National Thrift Week 80
7 Allies and Strange Bedfellows 96
8 The International Dimension 115
9 The Decline of Thrift 126
10 From Thrift to Sustainability 142
Notes 163
Index 199
Illustrations follow pages 64, 114, and 144.
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