The 1950’s were a deeply nostalgic time period for many Americans. This was a time of new technologies, economic expansion, a better standard of living and a growing middle class. By 1960, an estimated sixty percent of Americans enjoyed what the government defined as a middle-class standard of living. An increasing amount of people had access to television, air conditioning, dishwashers and air travel. America was being cultivated into a suburban nation because of cookie-cutter housing developments like the Levittowns. The number of homes doubled during this decade. While the white working class saw their status and wages improve,not everyone was reaping the benefits of this uplifting time. Many people were excluded from the prosperity of the
If you have ever read the book 1984 by George Orwell, then an interesting topic may have crossed your mind. The way the classes of people break down can be quite similar, and very different at times. In the United States, we have classes like the lower class, the working class, and the middle class. In 1984, there were such classes as the Proles, the Outer Party, and the Inner Party. The way the classes are broken down in 1984 reminds me a little bit of my old history class. When I studied medieval times and the classes back then were broken down into the nobles, the bourgeois, and the serfs.
(It should be noted that the following discussion of these social developments is primarily of the general, dominant, white, middle-class American and does not address trends related to race or ethnicity.) Stephanie Coontz does just this in her book, The Way We Really Are: Coming to Terms with America’s Changing Families. She addresses the several trends that have been misguidedly converted into the popularized images we hold of the 1950s. Indeed, begins Coontz in her argument, the 1950s was a decade in which “greater optimism did exist…even among many individuals and groups who were in terrible circumstances” (Coontz, 1997: 35). The postwar economic boom was
(Goldberg, 2004) The 1950’s was a decade of fear, but it was fear that came with hope that peace and prosperity should never be taken from the people again. A shift from families crowding around their radio trying to hear the news, they began sitting down in front of their television watching their favorite shows that only aired once a week on either CBS, ABC, or NBC. Richard Powers said, "There have always been inter-family conflicts between parents and their adolescent children, but this cultural division was larger.” (Powers) he went on to say “A significant proportion of the adult generation disapproved of the values and lifestyle of the teens, and was doing something about it, including setting new rules, restrictions and prohibitions.” (Powers). This quote ties directly into the movie. This decade had many ups and many downs. It launched the
The 1950’s was a time in history when America began to flourish, through its advancements in music, technology, and its emphasis on the individual. The emergence of Rock and Roll contributed to the birth of the ‘rebel’ by giving teenagers an excuse to disobey their parents through the expression of music. Adults of the 1950’s insisted that Rock and Roll corrupted the minds of the youth. This revolution in music not only affected the decade from an entertainment standpoint, but also from a fashion perspective. Teenagers wore leather jackets, poodle skirts, slicked back hair, and beehive hairdos. Through sports and the civil rights act, blacks began to be more accepted into the 1950’s society. Although segregation was still alive, many blacks swore they could see freedom in the near future. Black athletes, like Jackie Robinson, proved that talent outweighed skin color. Existentialism became a popular philosophy during the 1950’s, which emphasized the individual. The true meaning of this movement was vague, but followers believed that society was trying to control their every action. Many authors and philosophers of this decade wrote on the subject of existentialism, including Flannery O’Connor. Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “Good Country People,” was published in 1955 and demonstrates the 1950’s view of existentialism through the use of symbolism and irony.
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?
From the outside, the 1950’s was a great time for America. Society revolved around the idea of America being a middle-class nation. Americans worshipped conformity, and materialism satisfied the need to conform. However, the prosperity of materialistic America hid the growing, numerous problems. Dissent in any way was not tolerated; all injustice was stifled by a fear of difference. In “Fifties Society,” Alan Brinkley discusses the truth of the era; that the fear of nonconformity was hidden by the seemingly prosperous middle-class nation. Brinkley argues the Beat movement and “feminine mystique” show that the people who did not fit in reveal the true colors of 1950’s society.
Due to a conglomerate of factors at work in the 1960s there was a growing sense among the American white working class that they would ultimately be completely left out of an ever-evolving, ever-changing America, come the end of the 1970s. Some of the aforementioned factors, namely, are the Civil Rights movements, the economic shifts brought on by political policy changes, and the ever-present controversy surrounding the ongoing Vietnam War. The issue of Civil Rights, and for example, integration, was incredible polarizing in that it caused a great divide and debate among many American demographics. Economically, America was reacting to the effects of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency with the growing impact of policies such as welfare, and
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.
While the materialism of the 20’s faded into the economic depression that followed, and the glow of the 1950’s was dimmed by the onset of communist fever, both decades proved to be successful and iconic in the way that they brought about massive prosperity, and because youth found new ways of expressing themselves and inviting progress. Unfortunately, not all outcomes were good, and both eras triggered an onslaught of racial tension that would continue well into the future.
Although the 1940’s was a period of improvement, it was really just a time of revitalization as the country was emerging from a terrible nationwide economic crisis. The 1950’s is where the nation really lifts its spirits. By now, the people that had lost their jobs in the Great Depression were back to full employment and many businesses and banks had reopened. The US was getting back into its groove, with more trade establishments and a thriving economy. And during this time, teenagers were living happily as well. “The construction of interstate highways and schools, the distribution of veterans’ benefits and most of all the increase in military spending–on goods like airplanes and new technologies like computers–all contributed to the decade’s economic growth. Rates of unemployment and inflation were low, and wages were high. Middle-class people had more money to spend than ever–and, because the variety and availability of consumer goods expanded along with the economy, they also had more things to buy.”(“The 1950s”). With the development of new products and resources, teenagers began discovering more in the entertainment industry. Music genres such as rock n’ roll became a huge trend, with widely popular Elvis Presley. Clothing trends were becoming more apparent, with new v-neck dresses with puffy sleeves and short jackets. Boys would often wear suits or sweaters with neat hair and
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.
America’s economic boom during the 1950s is popularly known as a time of new technology, population and wealth for Americans. Additionally, this new found prosperity was “unexpected” and born from the “general fear” of a relapse of the Depression.
The Fifties were a good time to be a white middle class American These years brought an UN-thought of prosperity and confidence to Americans who barely remembered the Great Depression. Popular music of the early fifties mirrored the life of mainstream America: bland predictable and reassuring. Which didn't seem bad after the depre...
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Social Trends of the 1950s.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 14 Dec. 2013.
The 1950s was also known, as ‘the age of affluence’, which was a period of time featuring high employment rates, wage increases, and rising consumer purchases. From 1951 to 1961 the average weekly income of men rose from 8.30 pounds per week to 15.35 pounds per week. With employment levels running high and production up, items once unobtainable by the lower classes soon became everyday household objects. For example, television sets were rare during the early 1950s but by the early 1960s seventy-five percent of households had one. Sillitoe alludes to this growth in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning when Arthur makes a statement about seeing antenna’s on almost every chimney on the street.