ABSTRACT
Thus far the story of consumerism may seem like a record of steady advance (whether you judge this a good thing or not). Except for the lull in the early nineteenth century, and apart from briefer though sometimes severe interruptions caused by economic recession or war, consumerism has seemed to gain ground with every passing decade. Yet consumerism also prompted doubts in every phase. These emerged by the later eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and (not surprisingly) an even greater array greeted the expansion of consumerism around 1900. This chapter deals with the critics of consumerism, important in Western society as a counterpoint to the larger development. Even more, it tackles some of the wider guilts these critics could reflect and encourage.
