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The culture in 1950s and 1960s in America
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Anxiety and affluence are terms that are often applied to the post war decades in an attempt to define them. The newfound wealth that Americans enjoyed after World War II wrought changes on the American social landscape that many may not have been able to predict. The push for heavy consumerism that accompanied the sudden upswing of the U.S. economy gave way to concerns about the decay of moral character in the American home. Increasingly filled with anxieties over the ever-present threat of Communism, which most Americans were aware was an issue they themselves could do little about, the population instead turned towards new distractions, such as television, to attempt to reclaim some sense of dominance in a world they no longer quite recognized. The failure of the device to soothe the nerves of anxious Americans can easily serve as a symbol for any case in which American prosperity increased, rather than alleviated, post war fears. The years immediately following World War II were themselves an era of profound change for many Americans. Affluence was a relatively unknown condition in American society, and many struggled to understand what it would mean for them. A pamphlet distributed by the Advertising Council, Inc. entitled “The Miracle of America” was a method by which American advertisers sought to convince Americans of the value and importance of mass consumption. In it, Uncle Sam explains to a family that the reason why the American economic system is superior is due to its devotion to increasing the production of goods for the population to consume. In this description, the reason behind the increase in production of goods is stated as being so that “(Americans) can buy more…” Uncle Sam soon goes on to tell Jun... ... middle of paper ... ...ted by Robert Griffith and Paula Baker, 98-107. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Newsweek. “The Problem Grows Worse … What to Do When Kids Shoot Down Kids?” in Major Problems in American History Since 1945, edited by Robert Griffith and Paula Baker, 86. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Packard, Vance. “Vance Packard Warns Against the ‘Hidden Persuaders’.” In Major Problems in American History Since 1945, edited by Robert Griffith and Paula Baker, 94. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Shrum, Kelly. “Making the American Girl.” In Major Problems in American History Since 1945, edited by Robert Griffith and Paula Baker, 111. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. U.S. News and World Report. “What TV Is Doing to America.” In Major Problems in American History Since 1945, edited by Robert Griffith and Paula Baker, 90-92. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007.
Elaine Tyler May's Homeward Bound weaves two traditional narratives of the fifties -- suburban domesticity and rampant anticommunism -- into one compelling historical argument. Aiming to ascertain why, unlike both their parents and children, postwar Americans turned to marriage and parenthood with such enthusiasm and commitment, May discovers that cold war ideology and the domestic revival [were] two sides of the same coin: postwar Americans' intense need to feel liberated from the past and secure in the future. (May, p. 5-6, 10) According to May, "domestic containment" was an outgrowth of the fears and aspirations unleashed after the war -- Within the home, potentially dangerous social forces of the new age might be tamed, where they could contribute to the secure and fulfilling life to which postwar women and men aspired.(May, p. 14) Moreover, the therapeutic emphases of fifties psychologists and intellectuals offered private and personal solutions to social problems. The family was the arena in which that adaptation was expected to occur; the home was the environment in which people could feel good about themselves. In this way, domestic containment and its therapeutic corollary undermined the potential for political activism and reinforced the chilling effects of anticommunism and the cold war consensus.(May, p.14)
...ime period in American history. The country had bounced all the way to its feet and was going stronger than it had in two decades. Men were coming home from war, eager to start families and be good American consumers. One could go on with a peaceful conscience knowing that the automobile that he just purchased was bought in good faith: it would help support the economy, create jobs, and contribute to better opportunities for Americans. Or so one believed. Living in the suburbs suddenly became an attraction that appealed to returning veterans. Neighborhoods near schools and churches were ideal places to raise kids, and start a family. The middle-class family was evolving at a speedy pace that was taking families away from large cities at an even quicker pace. To own your own home, have your own car, and raise your family in the suburbs was the “all American” dream.
"Kennedy, John F." Television in American Society Reference Library. Ed. Laurie Collier Hillstrom and Allison McNeill. Vol. 3: Primary Sources. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 65-76. U.S. History in Context. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. Source.
The 1920’s and 1950’s both shared the optimism that the conclusion of a war brings, and consequently both began very prosperously. While the materialism of the 20’s faded into the economic depression that followed, and the glow of the 1950’s was dimmed by the onset of communist fever, both decades proved to be successful and iconic in the way that they brought about massive prosperity, and because youth found new ways of expressing themselves and inviting progress. Unfortunately not all outcomes were good, and both eras triggered an onslaught of racial tension that would continue well into the future.
"Kennedy, John F." Television in American Society Reference Library. Ed. Laurie Collier Hillstrom and Allison McNeill. Vol. 3: Primary Sources. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 65-76. U.S. History in Context. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. Source.
A large part of this problem is that many Americans buy into the ploys of capitalism, sacrificing happiness for material gain. “Americans have voluntarily created, and voluntarily maintained, a society which increasingly frustrates and aggravates” them (8). Society’s uncontrolled development results in an artificial sense of scarcity which ensures “a steady flow of output” (78).
In “Wires and Lights in a Box,” the author, Edward R. Murrow, is delivering a speech on October 15, 1958, to attendees of the Radio-Television News Directors Association. In his speech, Murrow addresses how it is his desire and duty to tell his audience what is happening to radio and television. Murrow talks about how television insulates people from the realities in the world, how the television industry is focused on profits rather than delivering the news to the public, and how television and radio can teach, illuminate, and inspire.
Paul S. Boyer. "Television." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Retrieved November 24, 2011 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-Television.html
After World War II, Americans viewed their nation as an example for the world of what society that was committed to mass consumption looked like. Mass consumption transformed American life leading Americans to buy a lot of material goods and while this was good for the American economy, it also led to troubles. Lizabeth Cohen in her book “A Consumers’ Republic the Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America”, argues that after World War II, there was a shift in Americas economic, political, and cultural system. Mass consumption was beginning to be a common action taken by many Americans during this time. Some of the shifts in the American system were good and some bad.
One of the largest “booms” that this country has witnessed is in the area of the ultimate “entertainment” source, the television. The growth in popularity of the use of the television is harming Americans in every aspect of their lives,
Hymowitz, Carol, and Michaele Weissman. A History of Women in America. New York: Bantam, 1978. Print.
During the years between 1920 and 1960, America saw change in many aspects of life. The United States was a part of two major wars and a crash of the banking system that crippled the economy greater than ever seen in this country’s history. Also the country had new insecurities to tackle such as immigration and poor treatment of workers. These events led to the change of America lives socially, economically, and politically. The people of America changed their ideas of what the country’s place in the world should be. The issues challenging America led the country to change from isolation to war, depression to prosperity, and social change. The threats to American way of life, foreign and domestic, were the changing forces to the country in the twenties to the sixties.
During the post WWII period in America, the face of the nation changed greatly under the presidency of Truman and Eisenhower. America underwent another era of good feelings as they thought themselves undefeatable and superior over the rest of the world. Communism was the American enemy and American sought to rid the world of it. Because of the extreme paranoia caused by Communism, conformity became an ideal way to distinguish American Culture from the rest. Conformity became a part of every American Life to a large extent. It became evident through the medium of culture, society and politics throughout the era of the 50s.
America is a popular image in literature and films. Dozens of writers sought to expose America’s vices and evaluate the consistency of its values, morality, and ethical norms. The pursuit for material wealth and the American dream were the topics most frequently discussed in American literature during the 1920s. The effects of World War I on individual beliefs and ideals, the ongoing decay of morality, the hollowness of dreams and convictions, and the failure to materialize one’s life goals together created a complicated situation, which often resembled a journey for nothing.
Encyclopedia of the New American Nation. Television – Tv news and the early cold war. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.