Behind the Bastards CZM Rewind: Part Two: How Cigarettes Invented Everything
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Jan 8, 2026 James Stout, a historian and returning guest, dives deep into the tumultuous history of the tobacco industry. They explore how World War I helped cigarettes become mainstream, highlighting military culture and bonding through tobacco. The conversation shifts to the rise of anti-smoking movements and how advertising targeted women, linking smoking to independence and body image. Stout also reveals the industry's deceptive health claims and manipulation of media, showing how tobacco shaped modern advertising and contributed to today's misinformation tactics.
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War Made Cigarettes Mainstream
- World War I made cigarettes mainstream by making them practical for trench life and bonding among soldiers.
- Robert Evans says wartime distribution and symbolism turned cigarettes into a widespread habit and social glue.
Cigarettes Shifted Social Gender Norms
- Cigarettes helped normalize mixed-gender socializing because women could smoke the same product as men after dinner.
- James Stout and Robert Evans note this eased changing gender roles during and after WWI.
Explosion In Cigarette Consumption
- Robert recounts the massive rise in per-person cigarette consumption from 54 per year in 1900 to 4,300 in 1963.
- He uses this to illustrate how deeply cigarettes penetrated American life.
