consumerism – Manchester Historian

The early origins of capitalism began in parts of Europe such as Italy and Germany coinciding with the fall of the feudal system. Capitalism is an economic system based on wage labour, in which the means of production is controlled by private or corporate interests for the purpose of profit, with prices determined largely by Continue Reading

While Chanukah (or Hanukkah) has been a Jewish festival for centuries, it did not become a major event in Jewish life until the twentieth century. Corinne Abrahams review the evolution of Hannukah, from nationalist celebration to Christmas competitor.

The commercialisation of Christmas is often lamented as one of the great tragedies of the twentieth century. Michael Cass and James Eatwell examine where this process began and follow it through to the present day.

Manchester’s Arndale covers 1,500,000 square feet of retail floor space, making it Europe’s largest city-centre shopping mall. How Manchester’s streets see over 750,000 shoppers flocking to the city centre on a weekly basis, a step backwards into history is necessary. Mass consumerism as we know it developed from the late Victorian period, in which the Continue Reading