Abstract
This historical review of consumer economic boycotts in the 20th century finds that from the early 1900s to the 1970s, consumers at the grassroots level repeatedly launched boycotts in response to price rises for food. What is particularly noteworthy about these protest actions is the important roles assumed by housewives, both as leaders and followers. Also of interest is the ad hoc nature of the boycott efforts and their inability to have more than a temporary remedial effect on the retail pricing practices which prompted the boycott actions. The paper ends with a discussion of the demise of the price-increase boycotts, a discussion which draws heavily on the changing role of American women in the late 20th century.
Zusammenfassung
Ein historischer Rückblick auf Verbraucherboykotte im 20. Jahrhundert zeigt, da\ vom Beginn des Jahrhunderts bis in die 70er Jahre wiederholt Boykotte gegen Preissteigerungen stattgefunden haben, die nicht durch VerbraucherverbÄnde von oben her organisiert, sondern von Verbrauchern an der Basis initiiert und durchgeführt wurden. Besonders auffÄllig ist bei diesen Protestaktionen die herausragende Rolle der Hausfrauen, sowohl in initiierender als auch in teilnehmender Funktion. Bemerkenswert ist auch, da\ die Boykotte eher einen ad hoc-Charakter hatten und lediglich kurzfristige Rücknahmen der Preiserhöhungen bewirkten. Der Beitrag schlie\t mit einer Diskussion zum allmÄhlichen Verschwinden von Boykotten gegen Preiserhöhungen. Zum einen hat das Thema Preiserhöhungen an AktualitÄt eingebü\t; Fragen wie Tierversuche oder UmweltschÄden können heute mehr Engagement bewirken. Zum anderen hat sich die Rolle der Frauen in den letzten Jahrzehnten — nicht zuletzt durch stÄrkere BerufstÄtigkeit — so gewandelt, da\ Frauen für BoykottaktivitÄten nicht mehr so leicht zu motivieren sind wie früher.
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Friedman, M. American consumer boycotts in response to rising food prices: Housewives' protests at the grassroots level. J Consum Policy 18, 55–72 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01018088
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01018088