Essay On The 1950's

914 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Economic booms in the us in 20th century

The 1950s was one of the best eras in the U.S. history. After World War II the United States had one of the strongest militaries in the world. Also, during that era nobody worried about war, nobody worried about how they were going to feed their children and keep a roof over their heads because everyone had jobs and the economy was doing great. In the 1950s, American life changed and improved. The families started to move to the suburbs, they started to produce more cars and Televisions and focused on entertainment, also, it was the time of conformity. In the 1950s, the biggest change happened to the lifestyle of the people. After World War II, the GI Bill gave money to the soldiers who came back from the war for college, businesses, …show more content…

Because most of the people moved out from the cities to the suburbs, people needed cars to move between the suburbs and the cities. As a result of that, the car production improved and become one of the largest industry segments and until now the car production is one of the biggest industries all over the world. “The United States became the world's largest manufacturer of automobiles, and Henry Ford's goal of 40 years earlier that any man with a good job should be able to afford an automobile was achieved”( H. Eugene Weiss, Chrysler, Ford, Durant and Sloan: Founding Giants of the American Automotive Industry). In addition to the car culture, TV and entertainment played a big role too in the 1950s. The television helped to build consumerism and it helped to advertise all the products and furniture to make the housewife's buy them, the same thing is happening these days where the companies pay a lot of money just for few seconds advertisements. Also, there were few TV shows that symbolized the lifestyle of the people back then. Additionally, in 1950s rock and roll was born. During this era, black and white music blended into a robust new hybrid or combination. Some of the white performers like Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis rise to prominence by emulating the style of black musicians. It was mostly embraced by teens and young adults which formed a youth

Show More
Related

  • Stephanie Coontz's What We Really Miss about the 1950s

    560 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stephanie Coontz's essay `What we really miss about the 1950's' is an essay that talks about a poll taken in 1996 by the Knight-Ridder news agency that more Americans preferred 1950's as the best decade for children to grow up. Coontz doesn't believe that it is a decade for people to remember fondly about, except for financial reasons and better communication within families. Coontz doesn't believe in it as the best decade because of the votes, the 50's only won by nine percent, and especially not by African Americans. Examples from family and financial issues in the 50's that makes it better than other decades from 20's to 80's. She doesn't believe that the 50's should be taken `literally' because from 50's there were changes in values that caused racism, sexism discrimination against women. Even though the 50's were good, it didn't lead to a better 60, 70, and 80.

    Read More

  • Fifties Society Summary

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the outside, the 1950’s was a great time for America. Society revolved around the idea of America being a middle-class nation. Americans worshipped conformity, and materialism satisfied the need to conform. However, the prosperity of materialistic America hid the growing, numerous problems. Dissent in any way was not tolerated; all injustice was stifled by a fear of difference. In “Fifties Society,” Alan Brinkley discusses the truth of the era; that the fear of nonconformity was hidden by the seemingly prosperous middle-class nation. Brinkley argues the Beat movement and “feminine mystique” show that the people who did not fit in reveal the true colors of 1950’s society.

    Read More

  • Life During the 1950s in America

    1948 Words  | 4 Pages

    The 1950s seemed like a perfect decade. The rise of suburbs outside cities led to an expansion of the middle class, thus allowing more Americans to enjoy the luxuries of life. The rise of these suburbs also allowed the middle class to buy houses with land that used to only be owned by more wealthy inhabitants. Towns like Levittown-one of the first suburbs- were divided in such a way that every house looked the same (“Family Structures”). Any imperfections were looked upon as unfavorable to the community as a whole. Due to these values, people today think of the 1950s as a clean cut and model decade. This is a simplistic perception because underneath the surface, events that took place outside the United States actually had a direct effect on our own country’s history. The rise of Communism in Russia struck fear into the hearts of the American people because it seemed to challenge their supposedly superior way of life.

    Read More

  • The Similarities and Differences of the 1920’s and 1950’s

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    The bureaucratization of business in the 1920’s meant that more people could be employed in higher paying white-collar jobs than before, including, for the first time, housewives. This new income combined with the reduced prices for goods that resulted from mechanized production, assembly lines and a general decrease in the cost of technology created a thriving consumerist middle class that went on to fuel the economy in all sectors, especially the upper classes. Likewise, during World War II Americans saved up around 150 billion dollars, and this sum combined with the income of the GI Bill allowed normal people to buy expensive things, from houses to cars to electronics to education at a rapid rate, fueling the trademark prosperity of the 1950’s. The new automobile culture of the 50’s spawned new businesses that catered to mobile Americans, such as nicer and more standardized hotels like Holiday Inn, and drive-up restaurants like McDonalds. Just as the culture of the 1920’s was transformed by modernist ideas, the world of the 1950’s was reinvigorated by the introduction of the automobile to the middle class....

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Essay On The 1960's

    401 Words  | 1 Pages

    Many events took place in the 1960’s, but is this time period better than today’s society. The 60’s consist of love, peace, and war. The sixties include the Space Race and colorful clothing. People may say that it is safer or easier to live in the sixties, but it isn’t really , living in a society where that the time a male becomes an adult would be drafted to the Vietnam War or women not having basic rights such as having equality in the workspace . In the sixties President Kennedy and civic activist Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. These are only the few of the negative things that happened throughout the 1960’s. Today’s society is much better.

    Read More

  • History of Rock and Roll

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Fifties were a good time to be a white middle class American These years brought an UN-thought of prosperity and confidence to Americans who barely remembered the Great Depression. Popular music of the early fifties mirrored the life of mainstream America: bland predictable and reassuring. Which didn't seem bad after the depre...

    Read More

  • How Rock and Roll Changed America

    1919 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rock and Roll was the start of a new revolution in America. It introduced the world to many of the famous artists that continue to be a part of our lives today. "Artists who became popular in the 1950s such as Elvis, began to pave the way for others such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly" (The History of Rock 'n' Roll until 1960). With the introduction of rock 'n' roll, there came many new changes to the lives of many Americans. Rock and Roll was a major contributor for the change in teens' behavior in the 1950s because it encouraged new freedoms for teenagers, encouraged new fads among teenagers, and caused a generation gap.

    Read More

  • Women In The 1950s Essay

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 1950s was a time when conformity held supreme in the culture at large. Issues such as women 's rights were thrown to the back as people tried to remain in the popular form of a family. These issues being put off only caused the prolonging of the tumultuous 1960s that would soon

    Read More

  • The American Culture of the 1950s

    1884 Words  | 4 Pages

    As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post-war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people. While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the American way of life.

    Read More

  • Essay On The 1970s

    1687 Words  | 4 Pages

    The decade of the 1970s impacted the United States and left the economy in ruins. The stock market was a mess and people didn’t really want to have anything to do with stocks. The stock market lost about forty percent over a period of 18 months, that is a large sum considering how much money goes into them. Furthermore, in the Energy Crisis & Economic Collapse, the United States had to pay twelve dollars for a barrel of oil instead of the usual of eight. On the other hand, the impact happened through famous people, even through music and fashion. The 1970s hold people like John Travolta and three of the United States presidents: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and James Carter. The 1970s was also the decade where punk rock and disco was made. Some of the fashion was even affected by the music styles. Everything that happened in the 1970s still holds an effect on us today, especially the economy.

    Read More

  • The World In The 1950s

    1415 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Yalta Conference was attended by the three leaders, Premier Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States of America. As decided by the three leaders, Germany was to be split into four parts, with the last occupation zone being put under French control. In addition, Germany had to pay reparations to the Soviet Union “to compensate for 20 million Russian deaths” (Yalta, World). The conference concluded that Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, and parts of Czechoslovakia would be independent and hold free elections. Stalin, however, insisted on future cooperation from these nations. As a preemptive move to dissuade any one nation from gaining excessive power, the United States suggested the establishment of a united force of nations. Other provision that were spoken about were how to stop Japan. The Soviet Union affirmed its intention to join the war against Japan.

    Read More

  • Drugs In The 1940s Essay

    1545 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, America was at a glorious age. Global superiority, winning the Space Race, and with the economy doing well gave an America a sense of assurance and confidence. In the 1920s, many thought of it as an era of change. With new radios, cars, and many more goods. At the time of the 1930s, America experienced deep troubles with the Stock Market crash on October 29th, 1929 which left many Americans with an impression of loss and anxiety. The 1940s were known for WW2 which left millions dead and was caused by Germany electing Hitler as the Chancellor. But soon in the 50s, the rise of suburbs outside cities led to an expansion of the middle class, thus allowing more Americans to enjoy the luxuries of life. Not only was

    Read More

  • Conformity In The 50's

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    Historians portray the 50’s as a prosperous time for Americas, also a time of conformity and consensus while the 1960’s are often depicted as a decade of vociferation, turbulence, and disillusionment. These stereotypes are largely accurate about both of these decades but there is always exceptions to everything. The historian’s portrayal are accurate while there are obviously some groups that were clearly exceptions to the rules.

    Read More

  • The Ideal Woman Analysis

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    The period of 1950s was the golden age of America. Economy expanded after end of World War II. With lower unemployment rate. Income of everyone rose substantially. Americans in 1950s era were living better life than their parents.

    Read More

  • Life During the 1960’s

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 1960s was crammed full of many impacting events and important figures. From Hitchcock releasing one of the greatest thrillers of all time, Psycho, to Marilyn Monroe’s untimely death, to the infamous Woodstock festival. This era changed history completely and made the United States think twice about its youth. Events of the 1960s are still impacting our country as we know it today. The sudden pull from the conservative ‘50s changed America’s views on all aspects of life, including fashion, entertainment, and lifestyles.

    Read More

More about Essay On The 1950's

Open Document