모스크바 미국국립박람회와 소비에트 부엌: 흐루쇼프 하의 소비주의와 소련 사회

This paper aims to explore the impact of American consumerism on Soviet society in the context of the Cold War, which was central theme of the 1959 American National Exhibition in Moscow. The Soviets showed dual attitudes to the exhibition. Some responded positively to the American consumer goods, envying model houses and kitchens with modern equipments. In contrast, others were critical of the displayed items, emphasizing that the exhibition was like a department store than a site of national achievement.
According to this negative perception, the exhibition’s focus on consumption was an insult to Soviet intelligence and advanced level of civilization. The dual reception of the Exhibition by Soviet citizens reflexed to some degree the heated discussions on consumerism in post-Stalin Soviet society. The Soviet authorities wanted to contain the desires of Soviet people within “rational consumption norms.”, preventing them from exceeding the national economy’s capacity to satisfy them. Accepting this conception which was widely propagated among them, the Soviets refused to think unlimited individual consumption needs as a good model of consumer culture. Apparently, in 1959 Soviet citizens had in mind a different model of consumer society from capitalist one.