Capitalism in the classroom: A historical review of propaganda in United States schools

Abstract

United States schools have long served corporate, industry and business interests by sustaining a spirit of capitalism through discourses and practices in classrooms. As a literature review and discourse analysis, this paper traces the history of free enterprise and capitalist propaganda in United States schools to demonstrate how the sociological concept of a spirit functions through curriculum and pedagogy, thereby contributing to the naturalization of capitalism. Though cultural justifications for capitalism have changed over time since Max Weber first conceived of a spirit of capitalism, the viability of the system still relies on cultural legitimization. Contemporary capitalism depends on and promotes an imprudent culture and spirit of waste. Capitalist-driven global warming and climate changes threaten the justifications offered in prior spirits of capitalism, and it will take more than a new iteration to overcome the material conditions of ecological annihilation.