The Postwar Economy Key Question: How did advances in the post war economy contribute to the 1950’s value of conformity?

Conformity What does conformity mean? Knowing what you know so far about history, why were people so eager to conform?

Spending money Soldiers wanted to forget the war People saved money during the war Looking to buy things that they were denied during the war and depression Per capita income increased from $1,526 to $2,788 (1945 to 1960)

Different ways of doing business Conglomerates Large corporation that owned many small different companies Safety in diversification Franchises Gave individuals the chance to own a business with a small amount of money but with the support of a large parent company Contributed to chains replacing small, unique stores

Television Two-thirds of American families had TV’s by 1953 Three major networks controlled TV programming People were bombarded with advertising

New Technology Computers Nuclear power Medicine Transistors- smaller, more efficient machines Nuclear power Peaceful use of atomic power Medicine Polo vaccine Advancements in antibiotics and heart surgery

Work Force Machine replaced many factory workers White collar vs. blue collar Employers pressured employees to dress and act a certain way Service vs. manufacturing Employees lost the connection with their product

Babies and houses More money and stable jobs = baby boom Bigger families = need for bigger housing GI Bill - allowed veterans to get low interest loans Levittowns- houses began looking the same

Baby Boom The Baby Boom happened as a result of economic prosperity. How did it also contribute to the economic boom?

Cars Cars were a big part of people’s entertainment and culture Drive-in movies Drive-in and drive thru restaurants Roadside billboards Road trips

Credit Cards First designed as an easy way for people to pay for gas across the country People felt stable so were willing to accrue debt Added to the idea that the more stuff one had, the more successful they were