Cold War Pop Culture Lecture 4 Essential Question: How did popular culture and family change during the 1950s? Lecture 4
Conformity in the 1950s Nuclear Families Baby Boom Dr. Benjamin Spock Traditional Baby Boom (1946 – 1964) 30 million babies born Dr. Benjamin Spock The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, 1945
Fast Cars and Freedom Automobile car became status symbol drive-thru restaurants/movies garage
Pop Culture Project Cold War culture movies, TV, and literature reflected the Cold War Invasion of the Body Snatchers Dr. Strangelove Fail-Safe “The Crucible” Rebel without a Cause combination of patriotism, fear, hope, and prosperity
Rock On Rock and Roll rock and roll “borrowed” from Black America race music parents worried the music would incite immorality
The First Emo Beat Movement Youth Rebellion embraced non-conformity and non-materialism poets, authors, and musicians criticized of being un-patriotic precursors to counter-culture of 1960s Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsburg Youth Rebellion James Dean represented teen angst and rebellion Rebel without a Cause Elvis Presley became the first rock and roll superstar Marilyn Monroe sexual icon of the 1950s