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Recommended: Impact of cold war
The Cold War affected everyone in different ways. Adolescents beginning to find their voice during these times. These young men and women had their way of life changed dramatically because of the war. School was now a bigger priority, delinquency was on the rise, and the world of entertainment was starting anew. These new teenagers were a start of a new time. On October 4, 1957 the Soviets successfully launched the Sputnik 1, resulting in fear of the atomic bomb attacks. It also raised the need for smart students who could help win the “Space Race.” Students were introduced, from the start of the threat of bombs, to Bert the Turtle and the firecracker lighting monkey, both stars of a civil service video. These videos showed the youth what to do if there was an imminent threat looming. When a bright flash or the the sirens went off the students were expected to “duck and cover.” This means that they would duck under their desks and cover their heads. A teacher would often have “drop drills,” where the students would duck and cover, causing the whole class to do just that, as if the bomb threat was going off. “The Sputnik Moment” was also the start of aggressive schooling. Teenagers were expected to go to college and learn. There was a movement toward the scientific branches. The Cold War made many drastic changes to education and safety procedures. Students were not expected to join the military or become a wife, as they were before the Cold War, but they were expected to go to college. This caused more free time for teenagers to have more music choices. The adolescents also started to begin dating and not courting. As the start of rock and roll was during the 1950s, Teenagers began to dislike their parents music and, after ... ... middle of paper ... ...inning to show more interest in music and dating. They also began to start deviating from what parents wanted and rebelling against them. The changes in school also left adolescents wondering what had happened to the easy schooling they had had. The end result was a new time and a new kind of people. The teenager was a new beginning. Works Cited Cox, Erika. "Teenage Life in the 1950’s." - Fifties. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. Ganzel, Bill. "Society in The 1950s." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. Menante, Kate. "The 1950s: The Fearful, The Fabulous and The Forgotten." The 1950s: The Fearful, The Fabulous and The Forgotten. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. Powers, Richard. "1950s Teenagers." 1950s Teenagers. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. Solly, Meilan. "The Husky Headline." The Husky Headline. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
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.
The 1950s was the decade that saw the birth of the 'suburban dream'. It was an era dominated by
John Bodar, “Unruly Adults: Social Change and Mass Culture in the 1950s”, OAH Magazine of History 26 no. 4 (2012): 22.
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.
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.
The institutions, cultural forms, and economic powers were lifted as the term “teenager” itself was created to differentiate young men and women from adults (University of Toronto 145). The clothing trends, hairstyles, dances and even the language was different from that of adults (Armstrong et al, 134). Young men and women enjoyed dressing themselves with blue jeans, leather jackets,and pony tails for women, which stood as an identity for teenagers as it differentiated them from adults (Armstrong et al,135). This idea was amazing to acknowledge because a new type of people are emerging, and this added to Canadian multiculturalism and acceptance of the different types of people.The adults response to the wild nature of teenagers was that they were left shocked at first, yet later they acknowledged this act as just a phase during one’s life, they got used to this unique behaviour as time progressed (OC University 10). With the brutality of World War 2, the youth at the time were simply left neglected (OC University 10). Many believe that teens during the 1950’s were greatly influenced by being raised during a war generation (OC University 10). The youth distinguished themselves through shocking, yet enjoyable behaviour such as dance moves and their overall mindset on life. In addition, advertisers convinced teens to purchase certain products which
Coontz, Stephanie. “What We Missed About the 1950s.” Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. 9th ed. Eds. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. 27-43. Print.
"Societal Roles and Expectations through the 1940's-50's." : Role of Women during the 1940's. Web. 13 May 2014. http://americanhistory1940-50.blogspot.fi/p/role-of-women-during-1940s.html
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.
“Life Cycle of Common Man” is broken up into three major parts. The first is a recap of the typical 50’s man.
Before the World War II, teenagers were forced to take life seriously. According to Medovi in his article “Bad boys: Masculinity, oppositional discourse, and American youth culture in the 1950’s” males were either expected to serve the army or find a job in order ...
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...
Post World War II there was a new generation known as the “baby boom” generation. The arrival of this new generation called for new entertainment (Rock and Roll). Music of the 1960s was the new entertainment for the baby boom generation and impacted America by: starting new trends in genres of music, opening diversity of artists, counterculture movements, and music festivals.
Watson, Jerilyn. "American History: Life in the 1950s." VOA: Learning English. VOA, 28 June 2012. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. .
The nineteen fifties was a decade of prosperous times in America, but the average lifestyle of an American seemed extremely dull. The average American conformed to social norms, most Americans in the nineteen fifties dressed alike, talked the same way, and seemed to have the same types of personality. Music is what started to change the conformist lifestyle in America. Teenagers started to rebellion against their families by listening to Rock-n-Roll...