"Antisemitic stereotypes of Jews as capitalists have hindered research into the economic dimension of the Jewish past. The figure of the Jew as trader and financier dominated the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. But the economy has been central to Jewish life and the Jewish image in the world;...

"When the Nazis came to power in 1933, they promised to build a vibrant consumer society. But they faced a dilemma. They recognized that consolidating support for the regime required providing Germans with the products they desired. At the same time, the Nazis worried about the degrading...

1958, the year of consumption and chemicals -- Plastics and the victory of functionalist design, 1945-1962 -- Plastics and the socialist apartment of the future -- Plastic consumer goods in the everyday world of East Germany, 1958-1969 -- Centralization : plastics, design, and total control,...