Theme 5: Introduction

For most of the history of mankind, people only bought goods that they needed. Most of the world’s population still functions under this model, and many struggle to meet their needs. However, in the developed nations in the last half of the 20th century, many people earned more money than they needed to simply satisfy their needs. This saw the development of large scale consumerism. In reality, consumerism has become the mainstay of the economies of the developed nations. In this theme, you will learn about the complex nature of consumerism and its relationship to your quality of life in Canada.