In this Book
- Courteous Capitalism: Public Relations and the Monopoly Problem, 1900–1930
- Book
- 2023
- Published by: Johns Hopkins University Press
- Series: Hagley Library Studies in Business, Technology, and Politics
summary
A provocative history of how corporate titans in the 1920s used a massive public relations campaign to transform public opinion on big business.In the early twentieth century, as Americans erupted in righteous indignation over the flagrant abuses of big business, utility executives faced an existential crisis. With calls for strict regulation or outright government ownership of utilities, how could streetcar, electricity, and telephone executives thwart municipal ownership, rein in regulation, and secure huge profits? In Courteous Capitalism, Daniel Robert reveals how utility executives answered this question by launching the largest nongovernmental public relations campaign the nation had ever seen. In part, this campaign encouraged managers to compel their clerks to exude "courtesy," "sunshine," and "patience" toward customers. Rather than bribe the few, executives would convert the many using a combination of emotional labor and improved customer service. At the same time, executives organized the widespread manipulation of the press, schools, radio, and movies. At once a labor history of clerks and a social history of consumers, Courteous Capitalism offers an intriguing new argument for why a major reform goal of Progressives faded and why Americans changed their minds regarding corporate monopolies.
Table of Contents
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- Acknowledgments
- pp. vii-viii
- Half Title Page
- pp. ix-x
- Introduction
- pp. 1-17
- 1 Courteous Capitalism Begins
- pp. 18-53
- 2 Courteous Capitalism Intensifies
- pp. 54-86
- 3 The Architecture of Consent
- pp. 87-124
- 5 Making the News
- pp. 156-194
- 6 Subverting Civics
- pp. 195-236
- Conclusion
- pp. 237-246
Additional Information
ISBN
9781421447353
Related ISBN(s)
9781421447346
MARC Record
OCLC
1409030320
Pages
336
Launched on MUSE
2023-11-22
Language
English
Open Access
No