“The Nifty Fifties”: American Society and Culture

FACTS about the 1950s… US population: 151,684,00 Life expectancy: W= 71.1 – M = 65.6 Average salary: $2,992 Labor force male/female: 5/2 Loaf of Bread: $0.14 Bomb shelter plans …. Government pamphlet You Can Survive

Post-War Prosperity Stark departure from Depression & War People want to enjoy the good life. Main-Stream Cultural Image of Good life: Owning a House w/ a lawn and a white picket fence. Married w/ 2.5-kids. Women are supposed to be homemakers (Retreat from “Rosie the Riveter” & return to the Cult of Domesticity).

GI BILL OF RIGHTS War vets given: Servicemen’s Readjustment Act. Money for returning vets. To get vocational training, go to college, buy homes, etc. Helps send more Americans to college than ever before. Helps more Americans own homes than ever before.

In 1957, a baby was born every 7 seconds Americans produced a “baby boom” in the 1950s, leading to the largest generation in U.S. history The return of soldiers from war led to an increase in marriages & a rise in the birthrate In 1957, a baby was born every 7 seconds

The end of WWII led to an era of wealth & spending in the 1950s: The war stimulated the economy & ended the Great Depression High wages, service pay for soldiers, & war bond investments gave Americans money to spend The economic boom allowed Americans to enjoy the highest standard of living in the world Most economists who had forecast a postwar depression were proved wrong because they had failed to consider consumers’ pent-up accumulation of needs and wants. People had gone without many goods for so long that by the late 1940s, with more than $135 billion in savings from defense work, service pay, and investments in war bonds, Americans suddenly had money to spend. They snatched up everything from automobiles to houses. After a brief period of postwar economic readjustment, the American economy boomed. The demand for goods and services outstripped the supply and increased production, which created new jobs. Judging from the graphs (shown left), many Americans prospered in the 1950s in what the economist John Kenneth Galbraith called “the affluent society.” The Cold War also contributed to economic growth. Concern over Soviet expansion kept American defense spending high and people employed. Foreign-aid programs, such as the Marshall Plan, provided another boost to the American economy. By helping nations in Western Europe recover from the war, the United States helped itself by creating strong foreign markets for its exports After World War II ended, Americans turned their attention to their families and jobs. The economy prospered. New technologies and business ideas created fresh opportunities for many, and by the end of the decade Americans were enjoying the highest standard of living in the world. The American dream of a happy and successful life seemed within the reach of many people.

A Time of Conformity Many historians tend to stress the amount of conformity that existed in the 1950s. Many people sought to be like the main stream cultural ideal. This leads to an emphasis on materialism “Keeping up with the Joneses” = If your neighbors own something, you need to have it too.

Moving to the Suburbs New prosperity means that more people can afford to own homes. Many whites begin moving out of the city to the suburbs—housing communities outside of cities. Levittowns (suburb communities of pre-made homes) are the epitome of this new suburban life.

Suburbs offered peace of mind, affordable homes, & good schools Suburbs boomed in the 1950s The majority of Americans worked in cities, but wanted the security of suburbs for their families Suburbs offered peace of mind, affordable homes, & good schools

Suburbs changed American life Suburbs increased America’s need for cars & highways Churches, schools, grocery stores, & shopping centers were built to service the suburbs But, the migration to the suburbs was mostly by white families; “White flight” to the suburbs left African Americans in urban areas Southdale Shopping Center (Minnesota) the 1st enclosed, air-conditioned mall

In the 1950s, Americans bought cars in record numbers The growth of suburbs, creative advertising, easy credit, & cheap gasoline led to a car boom Congress added 41,000 miles of expressway with the Interstate Highway Act in 1956 Automobile companies made big, powerful, flashy cars Ford 1955

“Automania” transformed America Americans were more mobile, took long-distance vacations, & lived further from their jobs

“Automania” transformed America Cars led to drive-thru restaurants & drive-in movies

Baby Boom Height of boom 1957  a baby was born every 7 sec. How will this impact the American economy?

1950  Introduction of the Diner’s Card Consumerism 1950  Introduction of the Diner’s Card All babies were potential consumers who spearheaded a brand-new market for food, clothing, and shelter. -- Life Magazine (May, 1958)

Consumer Culture Prosperity of the 1950s and 1960s is consumer driven (rather than investment driven). Increased prosperity (& more goods available) led new levels of middle-class mass consumption. TV helps to fuel this. Mickey Mouse Club—kids bought MMC merchandise. Modern kitchens and appliances.

1950s are when TV’s burst on to the scene. Households that own TVs 1950 = 3.9% 1960 = 86.7% Instrumental in spreading mainstream cultural ideals.

Television in the 1950s and 1960s Leave It to Beaver 1957-1963 Father Knows Best 1954-1958 The Ozzie & Harriet Show 1952-1966

CONSUMERISM UNBOUND Consumerism-buying material goods, came to be equated with success Brand goods become more popular Planned Obsolescence- manufacturers made goods that were obsolete; wear out or become outdated quickly Credit Cards became more popular-American Express Private debt grew at a fast rate Advertising became a powerful tool

Planned Obsolescence: new products introduced every couple of years to “replace” older versions to encourage consumerism

Buy now, pay later 1950 1st Credit Card: Diner’s Club 1958 Amex

1950s Ads

Franchise Company that offers similar products or services in many locations Rights were sold to an individual entrepreneur to open a business using the parent company’s name and the system the parent company developed.

LEISURE IN THE FIFTIES More leisure time than before 40-hour workweek w/ vacation Labor saving devices-washing machines, dishwashers, lawnmowers Participation in sports; fishing, bowling, hunting and golf increased More watched sports on television Americans became avid readers; Reader’s Digest and Sports Illustrated peaked

A Changing Workplace Automation: 1947-1957  factory workers decreased by 4.3%, eliminating 1.5 million blue-collar jobs. By 1956  more white-collar than blue-collar jobs in the U. S. Computers  Mark I (1944). First IBM mainframe computer (1951).

A Changing Workplace New Corporate Culture: “The Company Man” 1956  Sloan Wilson’s The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit Women lose factory jobs in the post war period, but gain service sector jobs “pink collar” sector – secretarial work Pop culture still glorifies the housewife and the cult of domesticity.

Well-Defined Gender Roles The ideal modern woman married, cooked and cared for her family, and kept herself busy by joining the local PTA and leading a troop of Campfire Girls. She entertained guests in her family’s suburban house and worked out on the trampoline to keep her size 12 figure. -- Life magazine, 1956 The ideal 1950s man was the provider, protector, and the boss of the house. -- Life magazine, 1955

The “ideal man” was provider & boss of the house TV, movies, & advertising in the 1950s promoted conformity & stereotypes The “ideal man” was provider & boss of the house Ideal man? Ideal woman? Family expectations? Social expectations? Keeping up with the Joneses? White America?

The “ideal woman” was a housewife & mother TV, movies, & advertising in the 1950s promoted conformity & stereotypes The “ideal woman” was a housewife & mother Ideal man? Ideal woman? Family expectations? Social expectations? Keeping up with the Joneses? White America?

Ideal man. Ideal woman. Family expectations. Social expectations Ideal man? Ideal woman? Family expectations? Social expectations? Keeping up with the Joneses? White America?

Dr. Benjamin Spock Wrote influential book on child care: Baby and Child Care. Said that a woman’s chief responsibility is to be a mother. Must put the child’s needs before her own. Lots of pressure on women.

Women While society held that women should be homemakers, the reality was that more women were entering the workforce than ever before. Mainly clerical and service jobs. Many people needed 2-income households to buy the material goods they felt that they should have.

The media promoted women as mothers & homemakers, but almost 40% of mothers had jobs

Many women who remained at home felt stifled by their roles. The sale of tranquilizers skyrocketed “Mother’s Little Helper.” Betty Freidan in the Feminine Mystique maintained that the lack of fulfillment experienced by many housewives was the genesis of the women’s movement in the 1960s.

Conformity v. Nonconformity

Businesses took advantage of TV to advertise goods to buyers

Teenagers were an important force in the 1950s Businesses targeted teenagers, selling billions of dollars of “cool” consumer goods Music & movies were made specifically for teens Suburban teens had leisure time & money to spend

Teenagers were an important force in the 1950s Businesses targeted teenagers, selling billions of dollars of “cool” consumer goods

Youth Culture Many youth sought to emulate the stereotypes of the main stream. They wore poodle skirts and sweaters. Hung out at the soda shop, etc.

Youth Rebellion Other youths, however, rebelled against the cultural norms of the time. The most popular images of youth rebellion were the leather jacketed greaser and the brooding young man.

The “beat movement” rejected conformity “Beatniks” were artists & writers who lived non-conformist lives They rejected the suburbs, consumerism, & “regular jobs” Led by Jack Kerouac, the beats inspired the “hippies” of the 1960s

Beatniks

Music With the introduction of TV, radio begins to rely more on music. Term “Disc Jockey” conceived. Rock-n-Roll is born. Is an amalgamation of styles—mainly blues and country. White performers like Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis rise to prominence by emulating the style of black musicians. Elvis is the biggest star, he is known as “The King of Rock–n-roll.”.

Rock-n-Roll scared parents who thought the fast beats were immoral This rock ‘n’ roll music is a SIN!

1950s: Good Times for Everybody? The economic boom applied mainly to middle-class whites. African Americans and Latinos generally did not share in the good times.