The 50s-consumerism, Entertainemnt And Prosperity

Question 1

Give some basic examples of how life had changed post war (after 1945)?

Answer 1

• assembly lines were more developed with machines to do the work and more efficient methods of mass production.
• women were used for advertising
• shopping centres
• car park
• skyscrapers, urbanised cities, ferries, ships transporting goods/trading ports
• soldiers from war going back to school to get educated.
• loans offered to veterans for their hard work during the war.
• better system of new deal called Truman’s ‘fair deal’

Question 2

How prosperous was America in the 1950s?

Answer 2

-after WW2 America moved to a period of economic prosperity. The average standard of living was that 3x of a British person.

Question 3

What happened to Roosevelt and who replaced him?

Answer 3

President Roosevelt dies of Polio in 1945 and his Vice President Harry S Truman took over.

Truman tried to make America fair. He was a democrat. Some Americans didn’t like this.

In 1952 Truman didn’t run again and Dwight ‘Ike’ Fusenhower became the new president. He was a republican and kept the economy booming.

Question 4

How are were Veterans affected during the 50s in America?

Answer 4

• the bill established hospitals, made cheap home loans available and offered grants to pay for ex-soldiers to attend college or trade schools, paying for both their tuition and providing a living wage.
• there was a also an unemployment compensation programme of up to one year for these soldiers.
• 1944-1949 nearly 9 million veterans received close to $4 billion from the unemployment programme.
• Towards the end of the war the GI Bill was passed to help veterans of WW2. (GI is a nickname for WW2 soldiers because the uniform was ‘general issue’)

Question 5

How was consumerism affected in the 50s?

Answer 5

• by the end of the 50s 9 out of every 10 US household had a TV, 8 had a car and a telephone and 7 had a washing machine.
• a huge advertising industry and ‘buy now, pay later’ scheme persuade people to spend money manufactured goods. Shopping malls and car parks were created.

Question 6

How was the economy affected after WW2?

Answer 6

After the war America experienced a ‘baby boom’ that saw a 40% increase in the population which increased demand for goods and services.
Also once WW2 ended peace time goods were produced in the same way that war time goods were. (Luxury goods were produced at prices millions could afford and the public were keen to buy these goods as they were rare during the war.

Question 7

What was Truman’s fair deal?

Answer 7

Truman wanted to help those Americans most in need and bring about a fairer society. He called his plan the ‘fair deal’ the 2 main issues he hoped to tackle were poverty and the rights of African Americans.

Question 8

How did he present the fair deal to the congress?

Answer 8

Truman had originally announced his proposals in 1945 but found little support for them. After winning the post war elections in 1948 Truman re-presented his proposals to congress, who would only agree to legislate for a few of his recommendations.

Question 9

How did the ‘fair deal’ change aspects of American life?

Answer 9

The minimum hourly wage was from 40-74 cents and supported the clearing of large areas of slums to make way for affordable housing. Congress also extended age benefits to an additional 10,000,000 people. However, a national health scheme proposal was blocked a an attempt to improve the rights of African Americans.

Question 10

How did the export market affect prosperity during the 50s?

Answer 10

An additional aspect helping the economy at this time was the American export market. Despite having only 6% of the worlds population, by 1952 America was supplying the world with 65% of its manufactured goods. This was in additional help to the Marshall Plan to help aid economic recovery.

Question 11

How did the Korean affect prosperity during the 50s?

Answer 11

America through its membership of the UN and an aspect of its Cold War rivalry with the USSR became involved in the Korean War in 1950. As a result American industries kept producing new weapons - which meant big orders of steel, chemical and electronic industries.

Question 12

What was the American dream?

Answer 12

The American dream was the ideology that the government should protect each persons opportunity to pursue their own idea of happiness. For example many people moved their with nothing and became successful which inspired more people to move to America for opportunities.

Question 13

Was the American dream real?

Answer 13

In my opinion was that in the 50s it was a myth because southern states including the west coast were much poorer than northern states. African Americans still lived I poverty due due to discrimination meaning they got the lowest paid jobs and lived in poorer housing. Pensioners also struggled as they were too old to work and needed a lot of health care which they couldn’t always afford.

Question 14

Differences for young people between 1930/40s - 1950s were…

Answer 14

1) in the 30/40 due to war young people worked in factories where as in the 50s they would go to school and graduate with an education.
2) pocket money changed from $1 -$10 a week.
3) young people had more money to buy cars and other thing like that.
4) portable radios and young people could choose what music to listen too. Lots of different Sykes and rock ‘n’ roll music meant different types of dancing.

Question 15

How did the American dream affect women?

Answer 15

A widespread view in the 50s that ‘a women’s place was in the home’ and that she was living the American dream. If she has all the latest gadgets to help her.

Question 16

Were shopping malls popular in the 50s?

Answer 16

Shopping became an important recreational activity so that during the 1950s the gross national product (GNP), the total value of all goods and services produced in one year doubled. The USA was producing half the worlds goods and only a few people didn’t have a job. Americans enjoyed the highest standard of living in the world.

Question 17

Why was the American dream a myth?

Answer 17

The USA lagged far behind European countries in providing good pensions and welfare services. Despite a booming economy and evidence medical care was was costly and inadequate, congress defeated Truman’s attempt to set up a national health service.

Question 18

Why does the American dream prove that many Americans were poor and still lived in poor housing accommodations?

Answer 18

The areas of America where the majority of people were desperately poor with sub standard, unsafe housing and schools. 25% of the population were considered to be living in poverty. Black Americans were particularly affected.

Question 19

How were north and southern states different and which were more prosperous?

Answer 19

People in the southern states were less well off than those in the North or on the West of the coast. Some of the poorest were in the Mississippi clay hills where in 1960 more than 60% of families tired to live on less than $2000 a year. (Average factory earnings were over $4000 a year.)

Question 20

What could suggest women were not living the American dream?

Answer 20

The average age at which women got married was fell to 20 in the 50s (lowest since 1890) women who did work were employed in female jobs such as nursing, teaching and secretarial work. Women who attempted to pursue high flying businesses or management careers were often faced with discrimination.

After the war millions of women went back to more traditional roles. Women wages in factories that had risen to 2/3 that of a man went back down to 53%.

Question 21

How did the American dream not prove to help the elderly and pensioners?

Answer 21

In 1960, 67.8% of people over 65 had incomes less than $1000 and 94.3% under $3000. They had fewer demands on their mo eye than younger people and their families. But older people did have higher medical bills and cost of medical care rose rapidly.

Question 22

What was influencing young people in 50s and how was this different to before the war?

Answer 22

• In the 30s, pre war, young people had to take life seriously due to the depression.
• after WW2 things started to change, with a booming economy parents that had been through the depression were keen for their children to make the most of opportunities.
• teenagers now had more leisure time and spending power.

Question 23

How did the new freedom of young people lead to problems?

Answer 23

This led to problems with how some teenagers behaved leading to generation gaps between them and their parents.

Question 24

How did music influence young people during the 50s?

Answer 24

• new styles of music such as ‘rock n blended country and western music and blues music. It had a strong rhythm and was easy to dance to, which appealed to teenagers. Song lyrics often had sexual references and doing things their parents wouldn’t approve of. (Hanging in gangs and drinking)

Question 25

Why did older generations not like ‘rock n roll’ music?

Answer 25

It was different to music before the war and its unpopularity with older generations made teenagers love it more. Before long it was associated and seen as dangerous and linked to teenage crime and gang violence.

Question 26

Name some famous singers and why they were famous?

Answer 26

Elvis’ sexy persona shocked many parents and wowed fans. He had over 170 hot singles and over 80 top selling albums.

Eddie Cochran’s 1958 hit ‘c’mon everybody’ was about being rebellious and throwing a hose party when his parents were gone.

Question 27

How did advertising influence young people during the 50s?

Answer 27

Promoting things like cigarettes for young people and gum, often with young people advertising it. Women were in all advertising to encourage boys.

By promoting things like tooth paste they are using young people’s relationships. For example how you should have good breath for your girlfriend or how it might increase your chances of a relationship.

Question 28

How did television and films influence young people in the 50s?

Answer 28

TV ownership developed rapidly than any other household technology. In 1948 0.4% owned a TV but by 1954 increased to 55.7% which increased to 83.2% by 1958.

With so many children around after the war producers took the opportunity to develop specific programmes for this specific audience.
In 1956 TV programme performance performed by Elvis Presley was watched by 82% of the population.

Question 29

How did actors influence young people through films in the 1950s?

Answer 29

Figures like Marlon Brando and James Dean became icons of the teenage rebellion. In 1953 the film ‘the wild one’ influenced more teenagers to rebel.
James Dean started in a 1955 movie ‘rebel without a cause’ about a young man getting drunk and getting into trouble about race drink driving. -Dean soon died age 24 in a car crash.

Question 30

What were the negatives of these influences during the 50s?

Answer 30

The average teenager in 1957 has between $10-$15 a week. They spent their money on cars, music, fashion and alcohol. Some teenagers boys became ‘thrill seekers’ who raced cars, drank heavily and formed gangs.

Question 31

What created a generation gap between young people and their parents?

Answer 31

Young people were now called teenagers, a term associated with rebellion of youth were seen to a t against their parents and society by setting their own alternative standards. The way they dressed and spoke to their parents created a generation gap between teenagers of the 1950s and their parents.