1950s

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1950s Overview
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Economic Legacy of WWII

• rations and diminished production during war
  saved money
• government funded research and development of
  industry created new products and improved
  efficiency
• rapid production of goods in factories manned by
  women and African Americans
• Americans eager to acquire all the Depression
  and War had denied

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• machines replacing worker
• growth of white-collar workers (managers, sales,
  professional, and clerical duties)
• 1940 44.8 white collar workers
• 1960 56.2 white collar workers
• growth of service industry
• Primary industry- farming, mining, fishing, etc.
• Secondary industry- manufacturing
• Tertiary industry service helping people use
  the products of primary and secondary industry
  and providing services to people (salespeople,
  transportation, plumbers, restaurant workers,
  entertainment
• African American and female workers displaced by
  returning soldiers

Workers
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Soldiers returning were eager to pursue the
American Dream they had fought for marriages,
birth rates, and home sales soared
The American Dream...
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Suburbia
Expanding families search for the American Dream

• Baby Boom (1945 1957)
• 3 - 4 million births a year
• Previously only 2 3 million births a year
• GI Bill of Rights
• Low-interest mortgages to buy houses

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3. Levittowns - mass produced communities in the
suburbs developed by William J. Levitt -
average Americans could afford homes
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• 4. The Automobile
• dependence on a car to get to jobs
• led to new industries (federal/interstate
  highways, gas stations, repair shops, parts
  stores, drive-in movies and restaurants).

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• 4. Teen Consumers
• Teens became a significant part of population
  due to baby boom word teenager enters American
  vocabulary
• Teens took part in fueling the growing economy
• Companies used advertising to appeal
  specifically to teens

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Prosperity for all?

• While new suburbs grew, new housing in cities
  rapidly declined, with existing structures
  deteriorating (primarily home to most minority
  groups)
• Dependence on car for wealthy led to the decline
  of mass transit (primarily poor minorities
  affected because they can not afford cars)

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Politics
Truman Eisenhower

• President Harry Truman (Democrat)
• attempted to continue FDRs economic policies in
  post-war years with the Fair Deal
• Republicans feared Democratic control(and
  rejected most of his ideas)
• Ex repeat of FDRs four terms, and 22nd
  Amendment passed limiting Presidential terms
• Successes
• banned discrimination in hiring of federal
  employees
• ended segregation in armed forces

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• President Eisenhower (Republican)
• former Commander of Allied Forces (led D-Day
  invasion)
• introduced modern Republicanism
• slow growth of Federal government
• limit power of President, increase power of
  Congress Courts
• cut spending, reduce taxes

• Domestic Policies
• created NASA
• National Defense Education Act
• money to increase science and math education to
  compete with the USSR in Arms and Space Races
  (after Sputnik Moment

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• Cold War

Political, Economic, and Military competition
between the U.S. and U.S.S.R

• As WWII was ending tension arose between the two
  strongest Allies (U.S. U.S.S.R)
• Began a new era, The Cold War
• lasted for over 50 years
• affected both domestic and foreign policies
• led to the Second Red Scare

DEMOCRACY vs COMMUNISM