The 1950s served a new wave of conformity, meaning the new ideas presented to the nation at this time were altered versions of already established conformities in America. The Red Scare made its comeback after World War II ended, leading many to act in paranoia by enacting several laws and commissions to monitor the people, in search of potential threats to America’s democracy. Women’s role became more inclusive in the work industry while the war went on, but as the men returned from Europe and Asia, they were forced back to their chores at home as before. The culture began to modernize as the urban regions increased in size and popularity and the coming of age gave way to a new style of music and entertainment—all while maintaining the same …show more content…
Of course, after a couple of years, the paranoia faded away and the laws and legislations created during this time of panic were no longer regarded with such rigor. But after World War II, a new wave of the Red Scare hit the United States as many began to fear the continuing dictatorship in Germany as well as the now upcoming rise of communism in Italy and Japan. The spread of this non-capitalist and non-democratic ideology sparked new fear in American citizens which sparked a new set of acts and legislations to follow in the next decade. HUAC, the House of Un-American Activities Committee, played a specifically huge role in the Red Scare during this time, encouraging the suspicions of communist spies in the country. It became a norm to suspect your neighbour of espionage (McCarthyism) and even those who you do not know: the Hollywood Ten, ten film producers accused of communist affiliations and later on blacklisted for refusing to deny these accusations. The Red Scare had once again become the standard and the nation embraced it with political …show more content…
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) guaranteed help to many with home loans with the new suburbias being constructed away from the cities. So as the white middle class—specifically white because people of color were not allowed inside suburban neighborhoods—began to move into these homes, the role of women began to move into the household as well. During the second World War, the absence of men in the work industry caused women to take over in factories, offices, farming, et al. But as the war ended and the men began to return, the lack of openings in their old jobs begrudged them; the idea of women becoming the breadwinner of the house was an offense. Many women were either fired or coerced into quitting their jobs to find their way back into the life of housewives. The suburbs set the default of stay-at-home mothers, which had already been established before but is now being re-established as a newly improved role now that women living in suburban neighborhoods are obligated to follow this
Critical occurrences in1949 brought American communist fears to an extreme level. The Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Airlift, followed by Mao Zedong's triumph over Chiang Kai-Shek's Chinese Nationalist forces, and the successful atomic bomb tests of the USSR all contributed to the hysteria. America was gripped by paranoia, embodied by Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy Communist witch hunts.
Before the “Red Scare”, the United States was a huge world power and was thriving in every facet possible. Its people could do as they pleased for the most part, and did not have to fear persecution for their beliefs or associations. The entertainment was reaching its prime with celebrities creating the greatest films and writings the country had ever seen (Pearson). This all changed in 1947, when President Harry Truman upset the waters. Earlier in the year, Truman ordered background checks of all the civilians in service. The results that this investigation found was unnerving. Alger Hiss, a high-ranking State Department official, was revealed as a Soviet spy. He was then convicted on espionage charges and served three years in prison. ...
In the 1950’s, the U.S government black listed artists, playwright and other intellectuals as Communists and unfairly destroyed many careers.
The war was over. The last cry of help had been heard and peace was supposedly coming to the United States. But everyone was wrong. An ideological war which prompted mass paranoia known as the Red Scare had spread through the US. It began in 1919 and ended in 1921. Red Scare was the label given to the actions of legislation, the race riots, and the hatred and persecution of "subversives" and conscientious objectors during that period of time.
Some historians have argued that 1950s America marked a step back for the advancement that women made during WWII. What contributed to this “return to domesticity” and do you believe that the the decade was good or bad for women? The end of World War II was the main contributing factor to the “return to domesticity”. During the war, women played a vital role in the workforce because all of the men had to go fight overseas and leave their jobs. This forced women to work in factories and volunteer for wartime measures.
World War II was happening as the 1950’s were happening and it soon drew to a close. This brought more men home from the army and thus led to the “Baby boom.” The baby boom was started as part of a security aspect for if there was another war there would still be a child to carry on the name. However, many men from the army just missed their wives and decided to have a few kids. This was a big impact on the 1960’s because those youths involved in the baby boom were starting to become adolescents and young adults as the 1960’s counterculture ideas started. Another aspect of this baby boom was that they didn’t really recognize the hard work that their father had to endure to provide them with a good life. They saw everything getting better, but never understood that things would fall apart if you let it get that way.
At the end of World War II, American culture experienced an overhaul that ushered in a period of complacency beneath which paranoia seethed. A generation that had lived through the privations of the Depression and the horrors of world war was now presented with large suburban homes, convenient and impressive appliances, and pre-packaged entertainment. Such wonders so soon after extended hard times were greeted enthusiastically and even treated with a sense of awe. They may have encouraged few distinctions among the middle class -- the houses in a suburb were generally as identical as hamburgers at McDonald's -- but they represented a wealth to which few had before enjoyed access. Life became automated, with dishwashers cleaning up after dinner and air conditioning easing mid-summer heat. The new conveniences left more time for families to absorb the new mass culture presented through television, records, and Spillane novels. Excitement over the new conveniences and entertainment led America to increasingly become an acquiring society. To my parents' generation, childhood in the 50s was a time when people were generally pleased with themselves and with the...
The 1950's represented the cold war era, symbolized by the red scare, anti-communism, potential nuclear war, and McCarthyism. Patriotic loyalty and conformity demonstrated an allegiance to our country. Citizens who spoke out against US government policies experienced surveillance, being black listed, and labeled communists. The sensationalized conviction and execution of the Rosenberg's for spying, jeopardized our countries' national security and reinforced anti-communism propaganda. Moreover, students practiced emergency ducking under their desk drills to prepare for a nuclear fallout and families purchased bomb shelter for protection. The hyper-vigilance, fear, paranoia, and post - traumatic stress that permeated our country's landscape of being under siege, intensified with the polio epidemic.
The attitude of the citizens of the United States was a tremendous influence on the development of McCarthyism. The people living in the post World War II United States felt fear and anger because communism was related with Germany, Italy, and Russia who had all at one point been enemies of the United States during the war. If the enemies were communists then, communists were enemies and any communists or even communist sympathizers were a threat to the American way of life. "From the Bolshevik Revolution on, radicals were seen as foreign agents or as those ...
Radicals and dissidents have often been feared as threats to American way of life. In the spring of 1919 however, with the Bolsheviks advocating worldwide revolution, many Americans feared that the Communists planned to take over the United States. Immediately after the war, there were perhaps 25,000 to 40,000 American Communists, but they were never a threat to the United States. The nation that had seemed to be so united during the Great War splintered into animosity along ethnic, religious, and racial lines. One result of the Red Scare and fear of foreign radicals was the conviction and sentencing of two Italian anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomea Vanzetti. Cases like Sacco-Vanzetti touched relatively few people, but the intolerance
As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post-war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people. While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the American way of life.
After the progressive era, World War I brought about domestic threats as a result of the foreign threat. When America entered World War I, many people were afraid of internal dangers threatening the safety of America. The congress passed the Espionage Act to s...
The United States was in a state of scare when they feared that communist agents would come and try to destroy our government system. An example of this scare was the Cold war. During the cold war the U.S. supported the anti-communist group while the Soviet Union favored the communist party. Many people who still supported the communist party still lived in the U.S. When the U.S. joined the Cold war, trying to rid the communist party from Europe and Asia, the U.S. were afraid that the people living in the United States that still supported communism were spies that would give intel back to the Soviet Union to try to destroy their government. If anybody was a suspected communist, if somebody just didn’t like somebody, or if they were even greedy they could accuse the person of communism and the person would be thrown in the penitentiary, thus, starting the second red scare.
During the post WWII period in America, the face of the nation changed greatly under the presidency of Truman and Eisenhower. America underwent another era of good feelings as they thought themselves undefeatable and superior over the rest of the world. Communism was the American enemy and American sought to rid the world of it. Because of the extreme paranoia caused by Communism, conformity became an ideal way to distinguish American Culture from the rest. Conformity became a part of every American Life to a large extent. It became evident through the medium of culture, society and politics throughout the era of the 50s.
During the Great War and the huge amount of men that were deployed created the need to employ women in hospitals, factories, and offices. When the war ended the women would return home or do more traditional jobs such as teaching or shop work. “Also in the 1920s the number of women working raised by fifty percent.” They usually didn’t work if they were married because they were still sticking to the role of being stay at home moms while the husband worked and took care of the family financially. But among the single women there was a huge increase in employment. “Women were still not getting payed near as equally as men and were expected to quit their jobs if they married or pregnant.” Although women were still not getting payed as equally it was still a huge change for the women's