World of Fairs: The Century-of-Progress Expositions

by Robert W. Rydell

In the depths of the Great Depression, when America's future seemed bleak, nearly one hundred million people visited expositions celebrating the "century of progress." These fairs fired the national imagination and served as cultural icons on which Americans fixed their hopes for prosperity and power.

World of Fairs continues Robert W. Rydell's unique cultural history—begun in his acclaimed All the World's a Fair—this time focusing on the interwar exhibitions. He shows how the ideas of a few—particularly artists, architects, and scientists—were broadcast to millions, proclaiming the arrival of modern America—a new empire of abundance build on old foundations of inequality.

Rydell revisits several fairs, highlighting the 1926 Philadelphia Sesquicentennial, the 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition, the 1933-34 Chicago Century of Progress Exposition, the 1935-36 San Diego California Pacific Exposition, the 1936 Dallas Texas Centennial Exposition, the 1937 Cleveland Great Lakes and International Exposition, the 1939-40 San Francisco Golden Gate International Exposition, the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, and the 1958 Brussels Universal Exposition.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

About the author

Robert W. Rydell is professor of history at Montana State University-Bozeman. He is the author of six books, including All the World’s a Fair and World of Fairs, both published by the University of Chicago Press.

Reviews

[Charles Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Each chapter a stand alone essay on a fair. Race, eugenics, communism, etc.

[Hotavio · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first "for fun" reading since being freed from the reading seminar. I have always been fascinated by world's fairs and expositions. This one was more business than fun. Rydell focuses on "Century of Progress" expositions, a catch all for depression era US expos. The argument is that the New Deal government used these expos as an instrument to push the image of the post-Depression US as a radically scientific modern colonial Utopia. To promote this, the US government consulted big business to shell out massive resources in a time when they were scarce. The gamble pays off, of course, and what develops is the formulation of a modern US capitalist identity bolstered by positive can-do spirit.
The author's focal points are the 1933 Chicago and the 1939 New York World's Fairs, but the author frequently includes examples from a host of other US World's Fairs. The result is a lot of jumping around, which can be frustrating at times. To examine the ideological evolution of the fairs, Rydell examines the precursors to the 30s fairs, which often were discolored by racist, pro-imperial, and dubious scientific exhibits. He then explains the marriage of science to the two most prominent expos of the 30s, lastly amidst remarkable advances in the sciences displayed in the fairs, he juxtaposes pre-Civil Rights era injustice in the fairs. The paradox stands in the face of what US Worlds Fairs tried to present to spectators. Rydell jumps to the 1958 Brussels Worlds Fair. the Soviets have seemingly beat the US at it's own game with the launch of Sputnik. To what extent was the US successful in it's former promotions? Rydell's inclusion of the fair is interesting and telling. Still, the scope of the book is much farther reaching than the book implies.
Overall, Rydell makes some good points and brings out some of the fascinating characteristics of the fairs. Still, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have enjoyed this more if it were presented as a series of essays and if Rydell hadn't narrowed his scope some.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful book on the more modern (1930s) world's fairs. Also useful as a lit review for fairs in general--if you read one book by Robert Rydell (though you should read lots of them!) this is the one to read.