Section 1: The Postwar Years at Home (1945 – 1960)

 Objectives:  Understand that following WWII, rapid economic growth encouraged businesses to reorganize  Describe how technological advances transformed life in the United States  Explain how changes in the working lives of Americans influenced the growth of suburbs, highways, and consumer credit  Main Idea:  The American Dream, characterized by a home in the suburbs and a car in the garage, came true for many people in the postwar years

 This time period was one of the most profitable in history  Per capita income increased from $1,526 to $2,788  GNP more than doubled  Huge firms dominated the economic landscape  General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, General Electric, and Westinghouse

 Conglomerates became common, diversifying investments for businesses  For example International Telephone and Telegraph purchased Avis, Sheraton Hotels, Hartford Fire Insurance and Continental Banking  Franchises became extremely profitable and popular  Individuals could begin a business with support of multimillion-dollar parent companies

 Television  Americans love T.V., by /3 of the populace owns a T.V.  Watching T.V. an average of 4 to 5 hours  Howdy Doody, The Mickey Mouse Club, American Bandstand, I Love Lucy and Father Knows Best were all extremely popular

 Software that runs computers was developed in 1950’s  “Debugging” was coined by literally removing a bug from a computer  Transistors were developed, could do the work of a vacuum tube but much smaller  Census Bureau purchased first computers for 1950 census

 New industry of power generation from Nuclear energy was created  First nuclear power plant was built in Shippingport, Pennsylvania

 Advances in Medicine were groundbreaking after the war  Dr. Salk and Dr. Francis created a vaccine for poliomyelitis  Penicillin became widely available  Due to the war there were many advances in surgical technology  Heart surgery is a great example

 Shift from blue-collar to white-collar jobs  White-collar professions provide a service for money  Many found encouragement with the new working conditions  Drawbacks were impersonal work and pressure to dress, think, and act alike socially  Those that continued to work in blue-collar occupations saw improvement in working conditions and many unionized.

 Baby boom forced changes in society  Growing families needed more room and sought housing in suburbs  GI Bill provided low-interest loans for mortgages  Mass production techniques were developed and used in home building, drastically reducing home building time

 Cars and Highways  With the shift of population, stores and shopping centers moved  People began depending more on vehicles  Car manufactures met the demand  More cars caused need for better highways and roads  Interstate Highway Act provided $26 Billion for interstate system  Also provided better evacuation routes in case of nuclear attack

 Gasoline companies were the first to offer credit cards to customers  Became popular and convenient  Americans were willing to go into debt to acquire things they wanted  Advertisers persuaded consumers that material possessions could be used to show status and success