ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the fortunes of the broader consumer co-operative movement in the US until the demise of the Co-operative of Berkeley (CCB) in 1993 to provide a broader picture of the Consumers CCB experience. It also looks the various experiments with consumer co-operatives during the nineteenth century. Following the Civil War, there were movements among farmers and workers, which encouraged consumer co-operatives. In rural areas, railway construction assisted the development of agriculture and settlement, allowing farmers and their co-operatives access to wholesalers and manufacturers. There were fluctuations of interest in US consumer co-operatives during the first half of the twentieth century. There was a gradual expansion of interest in co-operatives between 1900 and 1910. There was criticism of the high prices set by monopolies. The establishment and growth of Co-operative League of the USA was assisted by the impact of the First World War. The co-operatives also found support from both unions and farmers.
