1950s

People have savings, service pay, war bonds; buy goods long missed

Cold War keeps defense spending up; foreign aid creates markets

GI Bill of Rights eases veterans’ return to civilian lifePays partial tuition, unemployment

benefits; provides loans

Booming Economy

Economic GainsDefense industries boom,

unemployment falls to 1.2%Average pay risesFarmers prosper from rising crop

prices, increase in productionPercentage of women in work force

rises to 35%Population ShiftsWar triggers mass migrations to

towns with defense industries

Post WWII Economic Results

Families adjust to fathers in military; mothers rear children alone

Families must get to know each other again after fathers return

Many couples rush to marry before husband goes overseas

1944 GI Bill of Rights or Servicemen’s Readjustment Act:pays education; loan guarantees for

homes, new businesses

Social Adjustments

1945 - 1965 baby boom - soaring birth rate after soldiers return

Baby boom impacts economy, educational system

Baby Boom

Higher prices, lower wages lead to strikes

Congress passes Taft-Hartley Act, overturns many union rights

The American Federation of Labor merges with the Congress of Industrial Organizations to become the AFL-CIO

Truman Faces Strikes

Truman Supports Civil RightsAfrican Americans, especially

veterans, demand rights as citizensCongress rejects civil rights laws;

Truman issues executive orders:Integrates armed forces; ends

discrimination in government hiring

Social Unrest Persists

Page 1 of Executive order 9981 commanding Integration of the US Military July 26, 1948

1. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin…

Southern Democrats – Dixiecrats - protest civil rights, form own party

Truman defeats Thomas E. Dewey in close political upset

Democrats regain control of Congress, lose some Southern states

The 1948 Election

Truman’s Fair Deal is ambitious economic program, includes:higher minimum wage, flood

control projects, low-income housing

Congress passes parts of Fair Deal

The Fair Deal

Truman’s approval rating drops over Korean War, McCarthyismdecides not to run for reelection

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower runs against Adlai Stevenson

Newspapers accuse VP candidate Richard M. Nixon of corruptiondefends self in televised “Checkers

speech”Eisenhower wins; Republicans

narrowly take Congress

Republicans Take the Middle Road

Favors big businessCut gov’t spendingReduce taxesAttempt to balance

the budget

EisenhowerModern Republicanism

Dwight D Eisenhower34th President of the

US

During the 1950s, the economy booms, and many Americans enjoy material comfort.

Majority of Americans not in blue-collar (industrial) jobs

More in higher-paying, white-collar (office, professional) positions

Many in services, like sales, advertising, insurance, communications

The American Dream in the Fifties

Conglomerates—corporation that owns smaller, unrelated companies

Diversify to protect from downturns in individual industries

Franchise—company offers similar products, services in many placesAlso the right to use company name and

system Fast-food restaurants among first, most

successful franchises

Businesses Reorganize

Many employees with well-paid, secure jobs lose individuality

Offers comfort and security

Youth are labeled the “silent generation”

Media promotes clean-cut teen image

Interest in religion renewed – Rev. Billy Graham

Social Conformity

Reverend Billy Graham

Men go to school; support familiesWomen work at home; look after

childrenMagazines, TV, movies glorify role of

homemaker, motherSome suburban teenagers work part

time; many have more leisure time.

Roles in Society

Women who keep their jobs after WWII

Married women working outside the home (limited opportunities, less pay than men)

Rock-and-roll musicBeatniks

Challenges to Conformity

Rock ‘n’ roll—mix of rhythm and blues, country, pop

Has heavy rhythm, simple melodies, lyrics about teenage concerns

Music appeals to newly affluent teens who can buy records

Many adults concerned music will lead to delinquency, immorality

Elvis Presley – king of rock ‘n’ roll

Rock ‘n’ Roll

Elvis Presley

Writers, artists express social, literary nonconformity

Poets, writers use free, open form; read works aloud in coffeehouses

Beatnik attitudes, way of life attract media attention

The Beat Movement

Mass media—means of communication that reach large audiences

TV in almost 90% of homes in 1960Federal Communications Commission

(FCC) regulates communications (censorship)

Programs: comedies, news, dramas, variety shows, children’s shows

Three networks dominateCommercial advertisements pay for

programming

Popular Culture

Television cuts into radio, movie markets

Radio turns to local news, weather, music, community affairs

Movies capitalize on size, color, sound advantages; try gimmicks

Popular Culture (cont.)

The Computer Industry:Wartime research advances industrySoftware advances are madeTransistor invented

Nuclear Power – Clean, limitless, affordable

Advances in Medicine and Childcare:Dr. Jonas Salk develops vaccine for polioPediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock writes popular

guide for parentsAdvances in antibiotics and surgery

Technology

Dr. Jonas Salk Developer of Polio Vaccine

Dr. Benjamin Spock

1950s Transistor Radios

Shorter work week, paid vacation, labor-saving devices free up time

People have time for recreational activities, spectator sports

Book, magazine, comic book sales climb rapidly

Leisure in the Fifties

Cheap, plentiful gas, easy credit, advertising increase car sales

No public transit in suburbs; cars necessary

The Automobile Culture

Interstate Highway Act—nationwide highway network unites country

Highways enable long-haul trucking, new towns, family vacations

Towns near highways prosper; those near older, smaller roads decline

The Interstate Highway System

Returning veterans face housing shortage

William J. Levitt (Levittowns) -- Developers use assembly-line methods to mass-produce houses

Build suburbs - small residential communities around cities

GI Bill of Rights -- pays partial tuition, unemployment benefits; provides low-interest loans for houses and businesses

The Move to Suburbs

William J Levitt

Auto boom stimulates new businessese.g. drive-in movies

Cars create social, environmental problems e.g. accidents, pollution

Upper-, middle-class whites leave cities; jobs, businesses follow

Economic gulf widens between suburban and urban

Also widens gap between middle class and the poor

Mobility Takes Its Toll

Amidst the prosperity of the 1950s, millions of Americans live in poverty (25%).

Post WW II–1960, 5 million blacks go from rural South to urban North

White flight results in loss of businesses, tax payers in cities

Cities can no longer afford to maintain or improve:schools, public transportation, police and

fire departments

The Other America

Poverty grows rapidly in decaying inner cities

Poor economic conditions lead to illness and terrible conditions

Urban renewal—replace rundown buildings with new low-income housing

Housing and Urban Development Dept. created to improve conditions

Not enough housing built for displaced people

The Urban Poor

Minority groups were still fighting for equal rights

During WWII, Mexican braceros, hired hands, allowed into U.S. to work

After war, many remain illegally; many others enter to look for work

Struggling for Equality

Mexican Braceros being processed

60% of Americans in middle class; twice as many as before WW II

Consumerism (buying material goods) equated with success

Numerous new products appear on market in response to demand

Planned obsolescence—making products that get outdated, wear outmakes consumers buy or want to buy

new ones

Consumerism

Buy Now, Pay LaterCredit purchases, credit cards,

installments extend payment periodPrivate debt grows; consumers

confident of future prosperityMost people have satisfied basic

needs; ads encourage extra spendingAds appear in all media; television

emerges as powerful new tool

Consumerism (cont.)