1. THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE 1950S
THE POSTWAR BOOM
THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE 1950S
John Naisbitt

2. Learning Objectives: Section 2 - The American Dream in the Fifties
1. Explain how changes in business affected workers. 2. Describe the suburban lifestyle of the 1950s. 3. Identify causes and effects of the boom in the automobile industry. 4 . Explain the increase in consumerism in the 1950s.

3. SECTION 2: THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE FIFTIES
After WWII ended, Americans turned their attention to their families and jobs
New businesses and technology created opportunities for many
By the end of the 1950s, Americans were enjoying the highest standard of living in the world
Ozzie and Harriet reflected the perfect American family

4. The American Dream in the Fifties2
SECTION
The American Dream in the Fifties
The Organization and the Organization Man
Employment in the U.S.
By 1956, majority of Americans not in blue-collar (industrial) jobs
More in higher-paying, white-collar (office, professional) positions
Many in services, like sales, advertising, insurance, communications
Conglomerates
• Conglomerates—corporation that owns smaller, unrelated companies
• Diversify to protect from downturns in individual industries
Continued . . .
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5. THE ORGANIZATION AND THE ORGANIZATION MAN
During the 1950s, businesses expanded rapidly
More and more people held “white-collar” jobs - clerical, management, or professional jobs
The fields of sales, advertising, insurance and communications exploded
White Collar jobs expanded greatly in the 1950s

6. CONGLOMERATES EMERGE
Conglomerates, major corporations that include a number of smaller companies in unrelated fields, emerged in the 1950s
One conglomerate, International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT), bought rental car companies and hotel chains

7. McDonald’s is one of the leading franchises in the world
FRANCHISES EMERGE
Another strategy for business expansion was franchising
A franchise is a company that offers similar services in many locations
Fast food restaurants developed the first franchises in America
McDonald’s is one of the leading franchises in the world

8. Franchises Social Conformity 2
SECTION
continued The Organization and the Organization Man
Franchises
• Franchise—company offers similar products, services in many places
- also the right to use company name and system
• Fast-food restaurants among first, most successful franchises
Social Conformity
Many employees with well-paid, secure jobs lose individuality
Personality tests see if job candidates fit in company culture
Companies reward teamwork, loyalty, encourage conformity
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9. SOCIAL CONFORMITY
American workers found themselves becoming standardized
Called the “Organization Man,” the modern worker struggled with a loss of individualism
Businesses did not want creative thinkers, rebels or anyone that would “rock the boat”

10. Despite their success, some workers questioned whether pursuing the American dream exacted too high a price, as conformity replaced individuality

11. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
A – How were conglomerates and franchises alike and how were they different?
Both were successful business entities that grew rapidly.
The conglomerate grew by diversifying;
Franchises grew by opening identical stores in new locations.

12. THE SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE
Most Americans worked in cities, but fewer and fewer of them lived there
New highways and the affordability of cars and gasoline made commuting possible
Of the 13 million homes built in the 1950s, 85% were built in suburbs
For many, the suburbs were the American Dream
The American Dream complete with a white picket fence

13. B – What effect did the climate in many corporations have on some workers?
Some became dissatisfied with the emphasis on conformity and the impersonal corporate atmosphere.

14. The Suburban Lifestyle2
SECTION
The Suburban Lifestyle
The Baby Boom
1950s, 85% of new homes built in suburbs
1945–1965 baby boom—soaring birth rate after soldiers return
Advances in Medicine and Childcare
• New drugs fight, prevent childhood diseases
• Dr. Jonas Salk develops vaccine for poliomyelitis
• Pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock writes popular guide for parents
• Baby boom impacts economy, educational system
Continued . . .
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15. THE BABY BOOM
During the late 1940s and through the early 1960s the birthrate in the U.S. soared
At its height in 1957, a baby was born in America every 7 seconds (over 4.3 million babies in ’57 alone)
Baby boomers represent the largest generation in the nation’s history

16. WHY SO MANY BABIES? Why did the baby boom occur when it did?
Husbands returning from war
Decreasing marriage age
Desirability of large families
Confidence in economy
Advances in medicine

17. ADVANCES IN MEDICINE AND CHILDCARE
Advances in the treatment of childhood diseases included drugs to combat typhoid fever and polio (Jonas Salk)
Dr. Salk was instrumental in the eradication of polio

19. DR. SPOCK ADVISES PARENTS
Many parents raised their children according to the guidelines of pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock
He thought children should be allowed to express themselves and parents should never physically punish their kids
Dr. Spock’s book sold 10 million copies in the 1950s

20. IMPACT OF BABY BOOM
As a result of the baby boom 10 million students entered elementary schools in the 1950s
California built a new school every 7 days in the late ’50s
Toy sales reached an all-time high in 1958 when $1.25 billion in toys were sold

21. Fads of the Baby Boomers
Hula Hoops
Frozen Foods
Poodle Skirts and Saddle Shoes
Panty Raids
Barbie and GI Joe Dolls
Bikinis
Frisbees
Yo-yos
Ouija Boards
Dune Buggies
What celebrity deaths have most affected the Baby Boomers?
John F. Kennedy
Marilyn Monroe
Martin Luther King
John Lennon

22. C – How did the baby boom affect American life in the 1950’s?
Creation of youth-centered culture;
Increased demand for consumer goods and jobs related to rearing and educating children.

23. Women’s Roles Leisure in the Fifties 2
SECTION
continued The Suburban Lifestyle
Women’s Roles
Magazines, TV, movies glorify role of homemaker, mother
Over 1/5 of suburban wives dissatisfied with their lives
1960, 40% mothers work; limited opportunities, less pay than men
Leisure in the Fifties
Shorter work week, paid vacation, labor-saving devices free up time
People have time for recreational activities, spectator sports
Book, magazine, comic book sales climb rapidly
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24. WOMEN’S ROLES IN THE 1950S
During the 1950s, the role of homemaker and mother was glorified in popular magazines, movies and television

25. WOMEN AT WORK
Those women who did work were finding job opportunities limited to fields such as nursing, teaching and office support
Women earned far less than man for comparable jobs

26. D – How did women’s roles and opportunities in the 1950’s differ from women’s roles today?
Most 1950’s women were homemakers and had fewer education and career opportunities than women have today.

27. LEISURE IN THE 1950s
Americans experienced shorter work weeks and more vacation time than ever before
Leisure time activities became a multi-billion dollar industry
Labor-saving devices added more spare time
Labor-saving devices provided more leisure time for Americans

28. POPULAR LEISURE ACTIVITES
In 1953 alone Americans spent $30 billion on leisure
Popular activities included fishing, bowling, hunting and golf
Americans attended, or watched on T.V., football, baseball and basketball games
Bowling remains one of the top leisure activities in the U.S.

29. THE AUTOMOBILE CULTURE
After the rationing of WWII, inexpensive and plentiful fuel and easy credit led many to buy cars
By 1960, over 60 million Americans owned autos

30. E – Why did auto sales surge in the 1950’s?
Cars were necessary for life in the suburbs,
Americans loved cars, and the positive economic factors allowed for Americans to buy cars.

31. The Automobile Culture2
SECTION
The Automobile Culture
Automania
Cheap, plentiful gas, easy credit, advertising increase car sales
No public transit in suburbs; cars necessary
The Interstate Highway System
Local, state roads link cities, suburbs to schools, shops, work
Interstate Highway Act—nationwide highway network unites country
Highways enable long-haul trucking, new towns, family vacations
Towns near highways prosper; those near older, smaller roads decline
Continued . . .
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32. INTERSTATE HIGHWAY ACT 1956
In 1956 Ike authorized a nationwide highway network – 41,000 miles of road linking America

33. THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM
“Automania” spurred the construction of roads linking major cities while connecting schools, shopping centers and workplaces to residential suburbs

34. Mobility Takes Its Toll2
SECTION
continued The Automobile Culture
Mobility Takes Its Toll
Auto boom stimulates new businesses— e.g. drive-in movies
Cars create social, environmental problems— e.g. accidents, pollution
Upper-, middle-class whites leave cities; jobs, businesses follow
Economic gulf widens between suburban and urban
- also widens gap between middle class and the poor
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35. Trucking is the #1 means of moving cargo in the United States today
IMPACT OF THE HIGHWAY
The Interstate Highway system resulted in:
More trucking
Less railroad
More suburbs, further away
Trucking is the #1 means of moving cargo in the United States today

36. HIGHWAYS “HOMOGENIZE” AMERICA
Another effect of the highway system was that the scenery of America began to look the same
Restaurants, motels, highway billboards, gas stations, etc. all began to look similar
The nation had become “homogenized”
Anytown, USA

37. John Keats, The Insolent Chariots 1958
“Our new roads, with their ancillaries, the motels, filling stations, and restaurants advertising eats, have made it possible for you to drive from Brooklyn to Los Angeles without a change of diet, scenery, or culture.”
John Keats, The Insolent Chariots

38. DOWNSIDE TO MOBILITY
While the car industry boom stimulated production, jobs, shopping centers, and the restaurant industry, it also had negative effects
Noise
Pollution
Accidents
Traffic Jams
Stress
Decline of public
transportation

39. F – What positive and negative effects did the mass availability of the automobile have on American life in the 1950’s?
Positive – growth of suburbs,
increased mobility.
Negative – Pollution,
deterioration of public transportation

40. Consumerism Unbound New Products Planned Obsolescence 2
SECTION
Consumerism Unbound
New Products
• 60% of Americans in middle class; twice as many as before WW II
• Consumerism (buying material goods) equated with success
• Numerous new products appear on market in response to demand
Planned Obsolescence
• Planned obsolescence—making products that get outdated, wear out
- makes consumers buy or want to buy new ones
Continued . . .
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41. RISE OF CONSUMERISM
By the mid-1950s, nearly 60% of Americans were members of the middle class
Consumerism (buying material goods) came to be equated with success and status

42. GMC:
Greatest
Made
Chevy

43. CHEVROLET:
Can
Hear
Every
Valve
Rattle On
Long
Extended
Trips

44. CHRYSLER:
Company
Has
Recommended
You
Start
Learning
Engine
Repair

45. DODGE:
Drips – Oil, - Drops - Grease - Everywhere
Dad's - Old - Dead - Garage - Experiment

46. Fix- Or- Repair- Daily; Fast- Only- Rolling- Downhill;
FORD:
Fix- Or- Repair- Daily;
Fast- Only- Rolling- Downhill;
Found- On- Road- Dead
Funding- Our- Retirement- Daily
(from a mechanic's point of view);

47. G – How manufacturers influence Americans to become a throwaway society?
They designed products to break down, wear out, and go out of style.

48. Buy Now, Pay Later The Advertising Age 2
SECTION
continued Consumerism Unbound
Buy Now, Pay Later
Credit purchases, credit cards, installments extend payment period
Private debt grows; consumers confident of future prosperity
The Advertising Age
Most people have satisfied basic needs; ads encourage extra spending
Psychological appeals in ads lure consumers to particular products
Ads appear in all media; television emerges as powerful new tool
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49. NEW PRODUCTS One new product after another appeared in the marketplace
Appliances, electronics, and other household goods were especially popular
The first credit card (Diner’s Club) appeared in 1950 and American Express was introduced in 1958
Personal debt increased nearly 3x in the 1950s

50. Advertising is everywhere today in America
THE ADVERTISING AGE
The advertising industry capitalized on runaway consumerism by encouraging more spending
Ads were everywhere
Ad agencies increased their spending 50% during the 1950s
Advertising is everywhere today in America

51. GUIDED READI NG 1. Business: Standardized what people ate;
TRENDS
EFFECTS
1. Business:
Standardized what people ate;
offered economic advancement to people who would conform;
offered job security to more Americans;
contributed to the baby boom and suburbanization;
offered consumers more choices

52. GUIDED READI NG 2. Suburban:
TRENDS
EFFECTS
2. Suburban:
Offered people the chance to live the American dream;
caused many Americans, especially women, to feel dissatisfied with their lives;
contributed to the popularity of the automobile;
led to the decline of cities;
created racial and economic gulfs between suburban and city dwellers

53. GUIDED READI NG 3. Population:
TRENDS
EFFECTS
3. Population:
Created the largest generation in U.S. history;
contributed to suburbanization and business expansion;
led to widespread overcrowding in schools and a teacher shortage;
led to a boom in activities geared toward youth

54. GUIDED READI NG 4. Leisure:
TRENDS
EFFECTS
4. Leisure:
Contributed to business expansion in leisure fields;
gave people time to engage in a wide variety of recreational pursuits;
helped to increase sales of book and magazines

55. GUIDED READI NG TRENDS EFFECTS 5. Automobile:
Spurred the building of roads and interstate highways;
encouraged suburbanization and urban decline;
helped the trucking industry to take business from the railroads;
helped to unify and homogenize the nation;
offered Americans more possibilities for leisure activities; stimulated other industries;
created noise and air pollution;
led to more traffic jams and accidents

56. GUIDED READI NG TRENDS EFFECTS 6. Consumerism:
Helped to popularize the equating of material goods with success;
contributed to the expansion of business;
encouraged manufacturers to produce a wider variety of goods;
encouraged planned obsolescence and the "throwaway society";
caused an increase in private debt;
led to a boom in the advertising industry