Why did traditional shaving die out in America but not in Europe?

The products are marketed as time-saving, convenient, easy to use items that are priced cheap enough to allow instant gratification at a price that everyone can afford. Was that good for the consumers?  Well, perhaps not, but  it was certainly good for the manufacturers.

But it might be. While we here might disagree, think about this,

Clearly the disposable and cartridges, along with canned shaving cream and gel, own the market place. People within this hobby decry the high cost of cartridges. And yet the masses disagree as clearly that is their choice

Now some might say "they don't know" .... They know. They choose to ignore it. The Internet exist everywhere. They can order whatever they want.

If it were truly bad for the consumers, they would switch, but they dont.

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ...We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. ...In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons...who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.”
― Edward L. Bernays, Propaganda

“It is often very illuminating...to ask yourself how you got at the facts on which you base your opinion. Who actually saw, heard, felt, counted, named the thing, about which you have an opinion?”
― Walter Lippmann, Public Opinion

Until a year ago I had no idea de razors, brushes and shave soap existed. No idea at all. You can't google something you don't know exists.

I only found or because someone from Europe on a forum suggested it because I said I found shaving so freaking awful. So I think most people simple don't know. Just like half the nation doesn't know anything about guns yet there's over 300million guns.

Whoa Bernays?

I can't argue against Bernays as we are all sheep ...

Not everyone got the experience that we are lucky enough to enjoy with our shaves.

Today I listened to someone giving a presentation, they mentioned off hand that they used to shave 'With these things you would screw off and drop the blade in, man they were the worst. They would cut you and tear your face up, boy.' This man was probably ecstatic when they came out with cartridge razors.

How many people is that true for? How many people never learned to shave with a DE, SE, or straight razor correctly, despite growing up using them?

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You nailed it regarding our gullibility to advertising, both product and politics.

The products are marketed as time-saving, convenient, easy to use items that are priced cheap enough to allow instant gratification at a price that everyone can afford. Was that good for the consumers?  Well, perhaps not, but  it was certainly good for the manufacturers.

If it were truly bad for the consumers, they would switch, but they dont.

Then how do you explain cigarette smoking? Habit. Habits are not easily broken, whether they are good or bad. Why did they start smoking to begin with? Largely due to advertising, marketing and seeing others doing it.

In addition, and this is the most important, Gillette doesnt market or introduce a new shaving system to a market unless their analysts feel that the market can support it. read-discretionary spending and money.

I'm not sure there is even 'market research'.

I'm thinking it's more of 'OMG my patent is about to expire and competitors can copy. So let's make something new while we still have market share and stop advertising the old one and push the new one and hope everyone migrates to the new-hotness and gets rid of the old handle so generic guys dont have any incentive for making a copy'...

If you notice the new cartridges are not priced that out if line from the old ones and there are always coupons floating around for the new carts that generally make them cheaper than the old one and the average consumer gets suckered into the new 'system'.

Business thrive on repeat customers. Not the one time sale. and by 'discounting' the new system they ensure that the average consumers switches over and in the proccess let's the old system die a slow death before copies come on the market.

Then how do you explain cigarette smoking?  Habit.  Habits are not easily broken, whether they are good or bad.  Why did they start smoking to begin with? Largely due to advertising, marketing and seeing others doing it.

Whoa ... see my post above. Whoa Bernays? I can't argue against Bernays as we are all sheep ...

That was the magic word. Say Bernays and the discussion is over!

But smoking cigarettes is a different subject. The habit is addiction. Shaving with electrics, disposable, or cartridge razors is NOT a physical addiction.

Apples and Oranges

Well, from a newbies perspective...

At 42 years old, I have been shaving with cartridge razors since I was 15. I had a vague idea that things were different "back in the day", but no idea that the tools were still available and useable as vintage items, even, let alone as newly manufactured products. I had no idea that "shave soap" was still available, other than seeing Williams in the local store and having no comprehension of how or why it was used.

After 10 years of shaving with canned cream/gel and carts, I stopped shaving altogether except in the event I needed to look for a new job, or go to court, or something. My beard grew and was kept trimmed, but almost always present.

It wasn't until I started shaving my head in November 2015, and could not tolerate the irritation and ingrown hairs, that I even thought to look for a different option, and even then, I was not researching traditional shaving methods, I was looking for tips on eliminating ingrown hairs. I stumbled onto DE razors, entirely by accident.

Someone pointed out in an above reply that you can't google something that you are completely unaware of. My generation and younger is, unfortunately, completely unaware of these methods, products, and options, until we stumble upon them accidentally, or become exposed through a freind/family/coworker...

The answer to the original question is simple...inundation with advertisements for "new technology" and an abandonment of information on "old technology" coupled with our incessant and unending search for the latest and greatest products(reference the iPhone debacle) has led us to the current situation. People don't know about safety razors and traditional methods, and their incesssant desire to own the latest technology propels the market for carts and gel ever forward.

I even asked the barbers in the local shops what they use for shaving. They all use cartridge razors, even on themselves...

Then how do you explain cigarette smoking?  Habit.  Habits are not easily broken, whether they are good or bad.  Why did they start smoking to begin with? Largely due to advertising, marketing and seeing others doing it.

Whoa  ... see  my post above. Whoa Bernays?   I can't argue against Bernays as we are all sheep ...    

That was the magic word. Say Bernays and the discussion is over!

But smoking cigarettes is a different subject. The habit is addiction. Shaving with electrics, disposable, or cartridge razors is NOT a physical addiction.

Apples and  Oranges

Bernays is never the stopping point for conversation, he's always the starting point of a conversation.