The 1950s Life in Post War America

Chapter 20

Postwar Economy• WWII transformed the

American economy and made the U.S. the largest manufacturing country in the world.

• Between 1945 & 1960 the GNP (Gross National Product) more than doubled.– It rose from $212 billion

in 1945 to $504 billion in 1960.

Money Money

MoneyMONEY!!!

Postwar Economy for the Average Person• In 1945, the annual

income per person in the U.S. was $1,223 and in 1960 the income was $2,219.

• Per Capita Income – the average income a person makes in a year.

• People would buy…

So starts the American trait of over consumption.

American Business Restructures• Traditional U.S.

business reshape themselves in the 1950s.– Conglomerate– Franchise

This rock is called a conglomerate. But that is for Geo Science

Conglomerate• a corporation made

up of three or more unrelated businesses.

• Example: International Telephone and Telegraph – Purchased: • Avis Rent-a-Car,• Sheraton Hotels• Hartford Fire Insurance• Continental Baking.

Why do you think American businesses and corporations

would want to turn into conglomerates?

Today, investor Warren Buffet of Omaha, Nebraska is the head of a massive conglomerate that includes insurance, banking, jewelry, under ware, soft drinks, railroads, furniture, personal hygiene products and other investments.

Franchise• A business that contracts

with a large parent company to offer certain goods and services.

• Basically a way for small businesses to take less risk because they are running an already known business.

• Most Famous Example: McDonalds

• Nebraska Examples: Runza, Amigos, Valentinos

Ray Kroc did not start McDonalds. He saw a system that worked. He bought the rights. Then sold the name and products to anyone who wanted to try a small business.

Ode to Ronald McDonald

Christmas with Ronald

Consumer Items• Many new technologies

became available to the average American consumer during the 1950’s.– Gas lawn mowers– Dishwashers– Television– Tupperware

Tupperware parties became hugely popular during the 1950s. These parties led to 50 years of leftover food rotting in the back of the refrigerator.

Who needs a remote when you have three perfectly good children to change

the channel.

Television• Television technology

was actually developed in the 1920s and 1930s but The Great Depression and WW2 stalled production.

• In 1955, the average American family watched 4 to 5 hours of television a day.

• Television networks made billions by advertising through television.

Other Advances• Medicine– 1954: Jonas Salk develops polio

vaccine.– Antibiotics become more

advances.– Surgical techniques are refined

to fix specific defects.• Transistors– A tiny circuit device that

amplifies, controls, and generates electrical signals.• Because of transistors giant

machines that used to fill up whole rooms could now fit on a desk.

The Baby Boom• A dramatic increase in

the American birthrate in the years following World War Two.

• Brought on by…– Rise in the standard of

living.– New medical tech that

reduced infant mortality.

– Million of returning WW2 Vets coming home.

Suburbia• Families seeking more

room for their families to grow retreated to the suburbs.

• Suburbs – New housing developments that ring around urban areas.

• Developer William J. Levitt was able to mass produce houses by assembling a house out of precut materials.

How would you interpret this political cartoon from the 1950s?

Critics of Suburbia• People rich enough to

move into the suburbs were usually white.

• Minorities were left to occupy the decaying urban centers of cities.

• This migration of white people was called “White Flight.”

• Others complained that suburbs all looked alike and was devoid of originality.

Even though this is London, England the pattern of this map can be seen in many of America’s major cities.

The Car Culture & Interstate System• The automobile

became a status symbol during the 1950s.– Car companies started

to make new models every year.

– Cars started to become more dependable and were able to reach higher speeds.

• Because cars were becoming so popular and people in the suburbs needed a way to get to work roads had to be improved.

• In 1956 the Federal Aid-Highway Act was passed. – It gave $25 billion dollars for a

national road system that was 40,000 miles long.

– Developed from the German Autobahn.

• Can you think of any physical features that are directly related to the interstate in Nebraska?

Nebraska Interstate Lakes

Mr. Geiken says, “Thank you Interstate System. I would not have caught this crappie if it wasn’t for

your need for sand.”

Youth in the 1950s• The youth of the

1950s are often called the “silent generation” because they seemed to have little interest in the world around them.

• Rock-and-Roll – Music popular in the 1950s that came out of rhythm and blues.

Elvis in the 1950s.

Fat Elvis in the 1970s

• Contrary to the “Silent Generation” label many youths from the 1950s started the “Beat Generation” also called Beatniks.

• Beatnik – In the 1950s, a person who criticized American society as apathetic and conformist.

• Beatniks stressed individuality and spontaneity while preaching against conforming. Many were artists, writers, and musicians.

The Gathering Storm• The Civil Rights movement starts to build

momentum during the 1950s and the Vietnam War and the turbulent 1960s is on the horizon.