1950s lifestyle Flashcards
reconversion
preparing america to shift from a war footing to a peacetime setting
both in industry and with the peeeples
fears at the beginning of the decade (3)
- not enough jobs for veterans, lots of soldiers were unemploted
- another great depressopm
- expect earnings to fall
what was the gi bill
helped the servicemen readjust to society
what were 3 benefits of the gi bill
education payments
loans
readjustment wages
what were the benefits of education
higher incomes and a higher standard of living
roughly how many people reaped the benefits of the gi bill
1/3 of the population
what’s the unemployment benefit of the gi bill
1 year of benefits for veterans who couldn’t find a job
how were americans spending money
consumer goods
how was the federal government spending money
defense budget
- weapons
- foreign aid
what was the job market looking like
growth of new service sector jobs
what was the economy like
high employment and wages plus low inflation
what was important about consumer culture
it defined a disctinctive lifestyle
how were there class changes
expansion of the middle class
what did the diners club introduce in 1949
plastic credit card
important change in food industry
first fast food mcdonalds opened in 1948
what marked the emerging culture of consumption (4)
- easy credit
- high volume fast food
- new forms of leisure
- DA TELEVISION
how was the housing market changed (4)
1.
low cost mortgages
2. a lot of new homes being built
3. especially in suburbia
4. people moved from urban to suburban
how were people migrating within the country
urban to suburban
that and cheap homes caused the rise of suburbia
levittown
cookie cutter houses in suburbia all by this guy william
where did government encourage movement out of
cities
was it more economically attractive to rent or buy a home
buy
byt 1960 ____ americans lived in suburbia
25%
federal housing administration
The goals of this organization are: to improve housing standards and conditions; to provide an adequate home financing system through insurance of mortgage loans; and to stabilize the mortgage market.
What was the impact of the Federal Housing Administration?
The agency also extended the repayment period of home mortgages from 5–10 years to 20–30 years. The resulting reductions in monthly mortgage payments helped to prevent foreclosures, often made buying a home cheaper than renting, and allowed families with stable but modest incomes to qualify for a home mortgage
highways
In June 1956, Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law. Under the act, the federal government would pay for 90 percent of the cost of construction of Interstate Highways
cookie cutter homes
identical houses
what was a direct result of suburbanization
segregation
who did zoning laws exclude
black buyers