Manuel Schramm: Arbeiterkonsum und Klassenbildung in Leipzig 1884–1933: Der Konsumverein Leipzig-Plagwitz
The article asks if the consumer co-operative in Leipzig contributed to working class formation. It outlines the rise of the co-operative using membership, sales and retail outlet figures. The social structure of the membership is shown to have been overwhelmingly working-class throughout the period. Before World War I, the sales per member in relatively expensive items such as coffee or butter were higher than after the war. The discourse of the Leipzig co-operative remained surprisingly class-conscious even after 1918. The article concludes that consumption contributed to working-class formation, and that class-specific consumption did not diminish during the Weimar Republic.