Consumerism Flashcards
consumer society
For many Americans during the 1950s, the American dream was a reality. The booming economy led to a sharp rise in consumerism (great interest in acquiring consumer goods) During the 1950s the American Economy experienced unprecedented growth. The GDP had been $355.3B in 1950 and rose to $487.76B in 1960. Wages were rising, inflation and unemployment were low. Per Capita income rose from $1720 in 1940 to $2699 in 1960. By 1960, families had 30% more purchasing power than in 1950. Overall, the economy grew by 37% during the 1950s. Inflation was kept low because of Ikes obsession with balancing the federal budget and decreasing the defence budget
reasons for economic growth
A number of factors helped encourage what has become known as the Eisenhower Boom
1. The US had emerged from WWII in far better economic shape than potential rivals
2. American industry and transportation benefitted from cheap oil
3. Increasing investment in research led to technological advances that increased productivity.
4. The population rose from 151.7M in 1950 to 180.7M in 1960 and this baby boom encouraged the purchase of homes and kids items
5. Businesses promoted consumer lifestyle to a larger audience through the media
6. GI Bill of rights - govt increased spending on it which led to a boost in house building
7. Increased availability of Credit
8. Owned the worlds oil supply as they had a monopoly in Iran meant that oil prices stayed low
construction
The housing shortage that existed during Truman’s presidency continued of 13M new houses constructed between 1948 and 1958, IIM were built in the suburbs. This construction boom provided employment and fulfilled the American dream for those who aspired for suburban life. Suburban growth owed much to the phenomenon of white flight, white americans sought to escape cities with high taxes, crowded accommodation and growing ghettos. A housing company called the Levict Brothers began building a set of houses called Levittown Long Island. It had 17,000 houses and 80,000 residents - very popular
cars
The automobile industry employed tens of thousands of Americans. Most of the cars on American roads in the 50s were manufactured in Detroit by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Their products reflected American self confidence and affluence. Automobile manufacturers and the desire to demonstrate one’s social status combined to convince consumers that they should buy a new car as often as possible. In 1955 alone, 7.9M new cars were manufactured. The landscape changed with Americans becoming mobile, and large areas of rural America became covered by roads and motels and other service industries
service industries
The growth of car use led to an increase in motels, fast food outlets and shopping malls. This contributed to increased numbers of service workers. However, not all of them could live the American Dream as many were poorly paid. By 1960, the service workers and white collar workers outnumbered the manual workers. Growing automation decreased the need for heavy manual labour in the 50s
growth of media and advertising
By 1960, 90% of US homes had at least one television. TV promoted conformity to women and portrayed MC white suburban families with mothers who stayed at home as ideal and consumerism non stop advertising for must-have products. The exposure to advertising across newspapers, radio and television had created a desire for glamour. Businesses started to invest in making consumer goods, this included new technology including television which increased advertising. The advertising industry spent more on advertisements than the state and federal governments spend on education. - $11.9B in 1960. Yale historian David Potter claimed that advertising was as socially influential as education and religion because it dominated the media, shaped popular culture and standards and exercised social control.
impact of consumerism
The US was a land of plenty for many in the 1950s. Many were pleased by the consumer society. By 1960, Americans owned nearly half of the cars and telephones in the world and 90% of families had a television. A more obvious indication of prosperity was the growth of suburbs for many Americans buying houses in suburbs was a key part of the American Dream. Access to the suburbs was made possible by the boom in the sale of cars. General Motors, Chrysler and Ford jumped from 5.1M vehicles per annum in 1949 to 7.9M in 1955. Ikes Interstate highways act of 1956 further stimulated demand and jobs. The $26B of the federal budget allocated to highway construction also reflected a departure in Republican priorities towards a period of more pronounced federal intervention. By 1956 the American Dream seemed to be a reality
limitations of the consumer boom
The prosperity of the Eisenhower years did not reach all Americans. A quarter still lived in poverty with an annual income of under $3000 for a family of four which was exposed by Micheal Harrington in his book the other America. This invisible poverty was easy to ignore and for Americans Ike seemed to have successfully piloted the country through the difficulties of the post-war years
ike and recessions
Ike saw two recessions. A minor one in 1954 and a more serious one in 1958 which saw 5M unemployed and production fell by 14%, this damaged the Republican reputation and was heavily exploited by Kennedy in this 1960 election campaign. On average, however, Ike’s administration saw low unemployment and inflation which averaged at 2%. Ike wanted to balance budgets and reduce federal spending therefore he scaled back aspects of the New Deal. He privatised power plants but did not stop government spending which rose by 11% because of the space race. Increased agriculture productivity created problems as the price of food dropped and subsidies had to be given to farmers - $5B/year in 1960
effects of the consumer boom
The effects of the consumer boom were not uniform across society with some groups benefitting disproportionately to others. Teenagers gained huge freedoms and opportunities with part-time work allowing them to have disposable income to spend on music and clothes. The MC benefitted from an increase in jobs and saw a comfortable life in the growing suburbs. The rich grew richer and upper-class families like the Rockefellers, and Gettys took advantage of investments to grow their empires. For others, the consumer boom merely highlighted the inaccessibility of the American Dream. Many women had lost their war jobs to accommodate returning men and were trapped in a suffocating suburban world. The elderly became isolated as families moved into Levittown nuclear family units. For EM, the situation was worse. Industrialisation made manual jobs redundant and many lost their jobs, many employment practices were often racist and EM workers would be the first to be fired.
