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Chapter19powerpt postwar boom
The postwar economic boom of the 1950s saw unprecedented economic growth and suburban expansion in the United States. Returning WWII veterans utilized the GI Bill to obtain low-cost mortgages, fueling a housing construction boom and the rise of sprawling suburbs. Easy credit, a growing interstate highway system, and affordable cars allowed most Americans to achieve the postwar dream of home ownership. This period also saw a massive baby boom as birth rates surged and families grew in size. New household appliances, a growing consumer culture, and the rise of television all contributed to unprecedented prosperity and economic optimism in 1950s America.
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Chapter19powerpt postwar boom
- 1. THE POSTWAR BOOM THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE 1950S
- 2. SECTION 1: POSTWAR AMERICA After WWII, returning vets faced a severe housing shortage In response to the crisis, developers used assembly-line methods to mass-produce houses Developer William Levitt bragged that his company could build a home in 16 minutes for $7,000 With the help of the GI Bill, Suburbs were born many veterans moved into suburbs
- 3. REDEFINING THE FAMILY A return to traditional roles after the war was the norm Men were expected to work, while women were expected to stay home and care for the children Conflict emerged as many women wanted to stay in the workforce Divorce rates surged
- 4. REMARKABLE ECONOMIC RECOVERY Experts who predicted a postwar depression were proved wrong as they failed to consider the $135 billion in savings Americans had accumulated from defense work, service pay, and investments in war bonds Americans were ready to buy consumer goods
- 5. DESPITE GROWTH, ISSUES PERSIST One persistent postwar issue involved labor strikes In 1946 alone, 4.5 million discontented workers, including Steelworkers, coal miners and railroad workers went on strike
- 6. TRUMAN TOUGH ON STRIKERS Truman refused to let strikes cripple the nation He threatened to draft the striking workers and then order them as soldiers to return to work The strategy worked as strikers returned to their jobs
- 7. SOCIAL UNREST PERSISTS African Americans felt they deserved equal rights, especially after hundreds of thousands served in WWII Truman took action in 1948 by desegregating the armed forces Additionally, Truman ordered an end to discrimination in the hiring of governmental employees
- 8. THE 1948 ELECTION Dewey The Democrats nominated President Truman in 1948 The Republicans nominated New York Governor Thomas Dewey Polls showed Dewey held a comfortable lead going into election day
- 9. TRUMAN WINS INA STUNNING UPSET Truman’s “Give ‘em hell, Harry” campaign worked Truman holds a now infamous Chicago Truman won a Tribune announcing (incorrectly) very close race Dewey’s victory against Dewey
- 10. To protest Truman’semphasis on Civil Rights, the South opted to run a third candidate, South Carolina Governor Strum Thurmond
- 11. REPUBLICANS PLAN FOR 1952 ELECTION By 1951 Truman’s approval rating sank to an all-time low of just 23% Why? Korean War, rising tide of McCarthyism, and a general impression of ineffectiveness The Republican (right) were chomping at the bit in the ’52 election
- 12. STEVENSON VS. IKE1952 ELECTION The Democrats nominated intellectual Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson Ike Stevenson while the Republicans nominated war hero Dwight David Eisenhower
- 13. “I LIKE IKE” Eisenhower used the slogan, “I Like Ike” for his presidential campaign Republicans used Ike’s strong military background to emphasize his ability to combat Communism worldwide
- 14. IKE’S VP SLIP-UP One potential disaster for Ike was his running mate’s alleged “slush fund” Richard Nixon responded by going on T.V. and delivering an emotional speech denying charges but admitting to accepting one gift for his children – a dog named Checkers Nixon and his dog The “Checkers speech” Checkers saved the ticket
- 15. IKE WINS 1952ELECTION
- 16. SECTION 2: THEAMERICAN DREAM IN THE FIFTIES After WWII ended, Americans turned their attention to their families and jobs New businesses and technology created opportunities for many By the end of the 1950s, Americans were enjoying the highest standard of living in the Ozzie and Harriet reflected world the perfect American family
- 17. THE ORGANIZATION ANDTHE ORGANIZATION MAN During the 1950s, businesses expanded rapidly More and more people held “white-collar” jobs - clerical, management, or professional jobs The fields of sales, advertising, insurance White Collar jobs expanded and communications greatly in the 1950s exploded
- 18. SOCIAL CONFORMITY American workers found themselves becoming standardized Called the “Organization Man,” the modern worker struggled with a loss of individualism Businesses did not want creative thinkers, rebels or anyone that would “rock the boat”
- 19. Despite their success,some workers questioned whether pursuing the American dream exacted too high a price, as conformity replaced individuality
- 20. CONGLOMERATES EMERGE Conglomerates, major corporations that include a number of smaller companies in unrelated fields, emerged in the 1950s One conglomerate, International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT), bought rental car companies and hotel chains
- 21. FRANCHISES EMERGE Another strategy for business expansion was franchising A franchise is a company that offers similar services in many locations Fast food restaurants McDonald’s is one of developed the first the leading franchises in the world franchises in America
- 22. THE SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE Most Americans worked in cities, but fewer and fewer of them lived there New highways and the affordability of cars and gasoline made commuting possible Of the 13 million homes built in the 1950s, 85% were built in suburbs For many, the suburbs The American Dream complete with were the American a white picket fence Dream
- 23. THE BABY BOOM During the late 1940s and through the early 1960s the birthrate in the U.S. soared At its height in 1957, a baby was born in America every 7 seconds (over 4.3 million babies in ’57 alone) Baby boomers represent the largest generation in the nation’s history
- 24. What are theofficial years of the Baby Boom Generation? How did the birthrate rise and fall during the baby boom years in the US? 1946 - 1964 saw a marked increase in the number of births in North America. 1940 2,559,000 births per year 1946 3,311,000 births per year 1955 4,097,000 births per year 1957 4,300,000 births per year 1964 4,027,000 births per year 1974 3,160,000 births per year
- 25. WHY SO MANYBABIES? Why did the baby boom occur when it did? Husbands returning from war Decreasing marriage age Desirability of large families Confidence in economy Advances in medicine
- 26. WHAT IT WILLMEAN TO YOU Your generation will be supporting an increasingly aging American population
- 27. ADVANCES IN MEDICINE AND CHILDCARE Advances in the treatment of childhood diseases included drugs to combat typhoid fever and polio (Jonas Salk) Dr. Salk was instrumental in the eradication of polio
- 28. DR. SPOCK ADVISES PARENTS Many parents raised their children according to the guidelines of pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock He thought children should be allowed to express themselves and parents should never physically punish their Dr. Spock’s book sold 10 million copies in the 1950s kids
- 29. IMPACT OF BABYBOOM As a result of the baby boom 10 million students entered elementary schools in the 1950s California built a new school every 7 days in the late ’50s Toy sales reached an all-time high in 1958 when $1.25 billion in toys were sold
- 30. Symbols of theBaby Boom 1950 1960 in Suburbia Hot Dog Production (millions of lbs) 750 1050 Potato Chip Production (millions of lbs) 320 532 Sales of lawn and porch furniture (millions of dollars) 53.6 145.2 Sales of power mowers (millions of dollars) 1.0 3.8 Sales of floor polishers (millions of dollars) 0.24 1.0 Sales of Encyclopaedia (millions of dollars) 72 300 Number of Children age 5-14 24.3 35.5 Number of baseball Little Leagues 776 5,700
- 31. Fads of theBaby Boomers Hula Hoops Frozen Foods Poodle Skirts and Saddle Shoes What celebrity deaths have most affected the Baby Boomers? Panty Raids John F. Kennedy Barbie and GI Joe Dolls Bikinis Marilyn Monroe Frisbees Martin Luther King Yo-yos John Lennon Ouija Boards Dune Buggies
- 32. WOMEN’S ROLES INTHE 1950S During the 1950s, the role of homemaker and mother was glorified in popular magazines, movies and television
- 33. WOMEN AT WORK Those women who did work were finding job opportunities limited to fields such as nursing, teaching and office support Women earned far less than man for comparable jobs
- 34. LEISURE IN THE1950s Americans experienced shorter work weeks and more vacation time than ever before Leisure time activities became a multi-billion dollar industry Labor-saving Labor-saving devices devices added more provided spare time more leisure time for Americans
- 35. POPULAR LEISURE ACTIVITES In 1953 alone Americans spent $30 billion on leisure Popular activities included fishing, Bowling remains bowling, hunting and one of the top leisure activities golf in the U.S. Americans attended, or watched on T.V., football, baseball and basketball games
- 36. THE AUTOMOBILE CULTURE After the rationing of WWII, inexpensive and plentiful fuel and easy credit led many to buy cars By 1960, over 60 million Americans owned autos
- 37. INTERSTATE HIGHWAY ACT 1956 In 1956 Ike authorized a nationwide highway network – 41,000 miles of road linking America
- 38. THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM “Automania” spurred the construction of roads linking major cities while connecting schools, shopping centers and workplaces to residential suburbs
- 39. IMPACT OF THE HIGHWAY The Interstate Highway system resulted in: More trucking Less railroad More suburbs, Trucking is the #1 means of further away moving cargo in the United States today
- 40. HIGHWAYS “HOMOGENIZE” AMERICA Another effect of the highway system was that the scenery of America began to look the same Restaurants, motels, highway billboards, Anytown, USA gas stations, etc. all began to look similar The nation had become “homogenized”
- 41. “Our new roads,with their ancillaries, the motels, filling stations, and restaurants advertising eats, have made it possible for you to drive from Brooklyn to Los Angeles without a change of diet, scenery, or culture.” John Keats, The Insolent Chariots 1958
- 42. DOWNSIDE TO MOBILITY While the car industry boom stimulated production, jobs, shopping centers, and the restaurant industry, it also had negative effects Noise Pollution Accidents Traffic Jams Stress Decline of public transportation
- 43. RISE OF CONSUMERISM By the mid-1950s, nearly 60% of Americans were members of the middle class Consumerism (buying material goods) came to be equated with success and status
- 44. NEW PRODUCTS One new product after another appeared in the marketplace Appliances, electronics, and other household goods were especially popular The first credit card (Diner’s Club) appeared in 1950 and American Express was introduced in 1958 Personal debt increased nearly 3x in the 1950s
- 45. THE ADVERTISING AGE The advertising industry capitalized on runaway consumerism by encouraging more spending Ads were everywhere Ad agencies increased their spending 50% Advertising is everywhere today in during the 1950s America
- 46. SECTION 3: POPULAR CULTURE A new era of mass media led by television emerged in the 1950s In 1948, only 9% of homes had T.V In 1950, 55% of homes had T.V. By 1960, 90% of American homes had T.V.
- 47. THE GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISION The 1950s was known as the “Golden Age of Television” Comedies were the main attraction as Milton Berle, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were very popular Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball starred in I Love Lucy
- 48. TELEVISION EXPERIMENTS WITHVARIOUS FORMATS Television innovations like on-the-scene- news reporting, interviews, westerns and sporting events offered the viewer a variety of shows Kids’ shows like The Howdy Doody Show and The Mickey Mouse Club were extremely popular
- 49. TV ADS, TVGUIDES AND TV DINNERS EXPAND TV advertising soared from $170 million in 1950 to nearly $2 billion in 1960 TV Guide magazine quickly became the best selling magazine Frozen TV dinners were introduced in 1954 – these complete ready-to-heat meals on disposable aluminum trays made it easy for people to eat without missing their favorite shows
- 50. A SUBCULTURE EMERGES Although mass media and television were wildly popular in the 1950s, dissenting voices emerged The “Beat Movement” in literature and rock n’ roll clashed with tidy suburban views of life
- 51. BEATNIKS FOLLOW OWNPATH Centered in San Francisco, L.A. and New York’s Greenwich Village, the Beat Movement expressed social nonconformity Followers, called “beatniks”, tended to shun work and sought understanding through Zen Beatniks often performed poetry Buddhism, music, and or music in coffeehouses or bars sometimes drugs
- 52. MUSIC IN THE1950s Musicians in the 1950s added electronic instruments to traditional blues music, creating rhythm and blues Cleveland DJ Alan Freed was the first to play this music in 1951– he called it FREED “rock and roll”
- 53. ROCK N’ ROLL In the early and mid-fifties, Richard Penniman, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and the Comets, and especially Elvis Presley brought rock and roll to the forefront The driving rhythm and lyrics featuring love, cars, and problems of being young --- captivated teenagers across the
- 54. THE KING OFROCK AND ROLL Presley’s rebellious style captured young audiences Girls screamed and fainted, and boys tried to imitate him
- 55. SECTION 4: THEOTHER AMERICA In 1962, nearly one out of every four Americans was living below the poverty level Most of these poor were the elderly, single women and their children, and/or minorities
- 56. WHITE FLIGHT In the 1950s, millions of middle-class white Americans left the cities for the suburbs At the same time millions of African American rural poor migrated to the cities The so-called “White Flight” drained cities of valuable resources, money and taxes