Society in the 1950s

Society in the 1950s

Eisenhower at Home

Businesslike cabinetModern

Republicanism Balance budget Extend social security Cut federal health care

and education Consolidate government

welfare agencies

Eisenhower at Home

Interstate 1956 Highway Act

authorizes construction of 42,000 miles linking major cities (now 47,000)

Largest highway system

Largest public works project until 2011

Took attention from public transportation in cities

Eisenhower at Home

Steady growth in economyLittle inflationSmall surpluses/deficitsPer-capita income triples from 1945-1960Mid 1950s average income was 2x that of

1920sHighest standard of living in the world

Culture

ConformityConsumerismTelevision

By 1961 55 million TV sets

3 networks Comedies, westerns,

quiz shows, sports Common (white,

middle class) culture

Culture

Advertising Name brands Shopping Credit Cards Fast Food Franchising

Culture

Books/Records More reading than ever despite TV Paperback phenomenon (1 million/day) LP’s and 45’s Rock ‘n’ roll stolen by Elvis Presley

Culture

Corporatocracy Conglomerates dominate More white-collar than blue-collar jobs Teamwork/conformity The Organization Man (1956) Unions

AFL and CIO merge more power more middle-class more conservative

Conformity = Suburbs, new car, good schools, Disneyland

Women’s Roles

Baby Boom Larger families and younger marriages 50 million babies between 1945 and 1960 (1940 pop. -

132,164,569)‘Burbs

LevittownDr. Spock

Baby and Child Care

Social Critics

David Riesman - Sociologist “inner directed” individuals vs. “other-directed”

conformistsJohn Kenneth Galbraith - Economist

Wealthy Americans fail to address need for social spending for the common good

J.D. Salinger The Catcher in the Rye

Joseph Heller Catch-22

Beatniks