Cold War on the home front
‘The American Home’ exhibition 1953 by the Finnish-American Society and the United States Information Agency
Abstract
In the 1950s circulating exhibitions presenting consumer culture and design were part of the United States’ cultural diplomacy. The exhibitions were propaganda tools devised to promote the American way of life and standards of living—and the social system producing them—to Europeans in the battle against communism. One such example was ‘The American Home’ exhibition organized in Helsinki in 1953. The two-part exhibition consisted of a presentation of American design produced by the US Information Agency, and the other, organized independently by the Finnish-American Society, showcased American consumer culture and household goods. In the article I examine the exhibition from the perspectives of both the Finns and the Americans. I explore it through the agency of the Society as a builder of interstate relations and promoter of American culture in Finland, and through cultural activities of the US, bound by its policy in Finland, aiming at reinforcing Finland’s western connections and curbing Soviet influence. As sources I have used newspaper articles, archive material of the Society and the field reports from the US legation in Helsinki to the Department of State. I demonstrate that the exhibition was an effective political and social propaganda tool under opportune circumstances in the Cold War. The American way of life and consumer goods produced by it were considered tempting: only the far left rejected them. The exhibition fostered the modernization and “Americanization” of Finnish everyday life. Through an emphasis on household work it addressed woman’s status in society. It inspired Finnish design and the domestic appliance industry alike. The Americans thought that the exhibition changed the vision Finns had of the US and its culture and reduced the lead of the Soviet Union as promoter of Soviet culture in Finland. The way to the “hearts and minds” of the Finns in the 1950s was through the modern home and consumer products.
Keywords: Cold War, cultural diplomacy, Finnish- American Society, exhibitions, design, consumer culture
