World's Fairs: A Global History of Exhibitions

摘要

What do the typewriter, the telephone, and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer have in common? They all debuted at World's Fairs, large exhibitions showcasing the host cities, countries, and people of their time, as well as the promise of capitalist enterprise. Practically bookending the rise and fall of industrialization in the West, the era of the World's Fair reflected the optimism of the industrialist, that regardless of the unrest caused by labour disputes, pollution-filled slums, and the rapid decline of the skilled trades, the West (despite the appellation, the fairs were until recently confined mostly to North America and Western Europe) could put on a show that washed away the unsavory aspects of capitalism and celebrated the promise of an ever more convenient future.