In what ways did American society change between 1929 and 1990? The Affluent Society

Affluent - Rich April 1945, Harry Truman became President He put forward a plan to continue the New Deal called the Fair Deal 21 points to develop Unemployment remained low after war but rising inflation meant trade unions demanded higher wages. Truman had to deal firmly with strikers. He raised the minimum wage (nearly doubled it) and built 1 million low cost houses. Between 1945 and 1960, a post war ‘baby boom’ increased the population by about 40 million

The 1950s 1952 – Dwight Eisenhower became President Carried on the work of the New Deal and the Fair Deal Encouraged economic expansion, encouraged people to spend money. The USA enjoyed prosperity like it had never seen before By the end of the 1950s it was producing half of the world’s manufactured goods.

Life in Suburbia o More and more people owned cars o Better roads o Long term, low interest mortgages o 19millions Americans moved out to the suburbs

1960s By 1960, 25% of Americans lived in suburbia. Television sets, record players, swimming pools and cars became status symbols. Gadgets previously thought of as luxuries were now necessities. More and more consumer goods bought on credit Model T had long been over taken by ‘gas guzzling’ Cadillacs and Pontiacs By % of homes had TV sets, which changed the pattern of daily life and was blamed for many social ills, inculding increasing juvenile crime.

Teenagers Teenagers had more money to spend on themselves than their parents had ever had during the years of Depression and war and were certainly better off than people in other countries. For the first time teenage fashions and fads were profitable with products such as magazines, rock ‘n’ roll records and Elvis movies. The country was now well and truly out of Depression The ‘baby boomers’ who grew up in the 1950s would later look back on it as a time of ‘peace and prosperity’.

Key Words In pairs, make a list of key words associated with this topic Affluent Baby-boomers Fair Deal Prosperity Economic expansion Harry Truman Eisenhower Suburbia Credit Teenagers Cadillacs Juvenile Crime Consumer Goods

Affluence for all? Not everyone benefited from this free-for-all which allowed large corporations to make massive profits and many individuals to do well whilst neglecting important aspects of community life – 22% of the population lived below the poverty line Black people overall earned much less than white people, many living below the poverty line People in the South much poorer than those in the North Many elderly people failed to benefit from the Depression.,Many had higher medical bills and the cost of medical care rose rapidly. No national health service

On one hand: Great prosperity and a wealthy society On the other hand: poverty and lack of social provision

‘Best dressed poverty’ “America has the best dressed poverty the world has ever known…it is much easier in the United States to be decently dressed that it is to be decently housed, fed or doctored. At precisely the moment in History where for the first time a people have the material ability to end poverty, they lack the will to do so.” Michael Harrington, and American academic and political activist. 1. Explain, in your own words, what Harrington is saying. 2. To what extent is this statement true?

Typical exam questions 3. What is meant by ‘the Affluent Society’? (3 marks) 4. What were the main features of American society in the 1950s? (5 marks) 5. To what extent was American society affluent after the Second World War? (10 marks) Remember: The number of marks after a questions tells you how much you would be expected to write For qu5: This type of question expects you to look at BOTH SIDES. Write about the ways in which it WAS affluent and the ways in which it WASN’T Questions like this can be phrased in different ways “How far was America an affluent society?” “To what extent was American society prosperous in the 1950s?” “The Affluent Society: Do you agree that this name applies to the USA in the 1950s?”