Facts about the 1950s FACTS about this decade.  Population: 151,684,000 Unemployed: 3,288,000 Life expectancy: women 71.1, men 65.6 Car Sales: 6,665,800 0  Average salary: $2,992 Labor force male/female: 5/2 Cost of a loaf of bread: $0.14 Bomb shelter plans, like the government pamphlet You Can Survive, become widely available

The Korean War 1950-1953 Korea was split North and South after WWII Communist North Korea invades Capitalist South UN and US send troops to South US forces push N Korea back over the border, then forward toward China China enters the war, pushes US back War stalemates, ends as a stalemate Never officially ends, result is Status Quo Ante-Bellum US troops still on border Example of Containment

Brown v. Board of Ed 1954 School system in Topeka, KS was segregated, Brown family sues to send child to “white” school Decision overturns Plessy v. Ferguson (Separate but Equal) Rules that school segregation is un-constitutional Paves the way to strike down all segregation laws Ike uses National Guard to enforce de-segregation

The Cold War in the 1950s Containment / Domino Theory still dominate Development of H-Bombs Kruschev replaces Stalin Peaceful Co-existence? US intervention in Guatemala\ Dien Bien Phu – Start of US involvement in Vietnam Massive Retaliation Doctrine Sputnik (1957) Castro in Cuba

1950s Culture TV Culture 90% saturation by 1960 Rock Music Fueled by record sales / youth culture Fashion Jeans as rebel look Poodle skirts Cars Big Fast Food

Eisenhower (1953-1961) General – WWII D-Day Start of Arms Race Interstate Highway system Guatemala Interventions Start of Vietnam Brown v. Board of Ed. Federal De-Segregation New Youth Culture Quote: “beware the rise of the military industrial complex”