Pop culture Post war australia
What do you know about Australia after WWII?
What is culture and what role does it play in a country
When does culture become popular?
Popular culture Popular Culture refers to the beliefs, attitudes and lifestyle shared by a group of people. These are reflected in their actions and in the products they choose to consume After WWII, improvements to communications through technology created a direct connection between the mass media (newspaper, television and radio) and their target audience, many of whom were teenagers.
Post war australia During the 30’s Australia suffered a depression, that at it’s peak saw 32% of people out of work Then WWII broke out When the war ended, Australia rejoiced, but Australians still faced years of hardship
Populate or perish The Australian government believed that the only way to protect itself from against foreign invasion was to dramatically increase the population. Australia had a population of only 7 million at the time While many realised this need, others feared that this would lead to a flood of undesirable immigrants. With an influx of migrants, projects such as the Snowy Mountain Hydro Scheme were built by the immigrants brought into country to improve the lives of regular Australians. Australia was on the move.
Prosperity at last As the 50’s began, unemployment was down and manufacturing was up and Australia was growing steadily. Australians at the time, loved to go to the movies, bonded over sport and attendeded community events such as dinner dances and church services. Australians learned about their current affairs from radio, newspaper and the Movietone news https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6RJ_986xqY (5 minutes)
Prosperity at last When this generation family ‘settled down’ it was in comfortable, purpose built suburbs, with quarter acre blocks with a driveway for a new car Women were not encouraged to work (Home Maker, Mum) But affordable whitegoods such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines, promised these homemakers that chores would become less tedious What did they do before these?
Activity to help you for your exam Using 2 pages in your book Create a popular culture concept map that you will maintain throughout the next couple of weeks Break down your map into 6 categories MUSIC FILM & TELEVISION FASHION FOOD SPORTS BELIEF AND CULTURE As we go through the unit – write down anything interesting or significant information that you learn.
How did changes in technology shape the lives,work and culture of Australians during the 1950s and 1960s? Life Video
Fads & fasions Start reading fads & fashions on page 162