2. THE POSTWAR BOOM THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE 1950S

3. The Post-War Economy: From Bad to Awesome!

4. The G.I. Bill: The Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1941 15 million vets returning from war Needed jobs-there weren’t enough Send ‘em to school instead on the govt.’s dime. Also provides cheap V.A. loans for houses and farms. Effect on the economy huge. Why?

5. REMARKABLE ECONOMIC RECOVERY Experts who predicted a postwar depression were proved wrong as they failed to consider the $135 billion in savings Americans had accumulated from defense work, service pay, and investments in war bonds Americans were ready to buy consumer goods

6. National Defense Budget: 1940– 2005 Sources: Congressional Budget Office, Historical Tables; Statistical Abstract of the United States, relevant years; http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/ budget/fy2007/budget.html.

7. The Post War Boom:1950-1970 Why? Pent up demand from WWII The GI Bill-highly educated workforce Baby Boom-lots o’ kids and they needed stuff Housing Boom-new families needed places to live The Cold War-increased defense spending creates a permanent war economy Cheap energy and increased power supplies fuel auto industry and utility growth

8. 1950s Culture

9. Throughout the decade of the 1950’s “Middle Class” Americans thought, acted, and lived the same… This would become a period of great CONFORMITY.

10. Why Conformity?

11. People found comfort in NORMALCY Cold War fear and anxiety = uncomfortable, so the rest of life shouldn’t be… Watch out for those who stick out they might be Spies or Commies! Other factors BABY BOOMGENDER ROLES HOUSINGADVERTISING TELEVISIONCREDIT CARDS

12. Conformity Cause #1: Suburbia! After WWII, returning vets faced a severe housing shortage In response to the crisis, developers used assembly- line methods to mass- produce houses Developer William Levitt bragged that his company could build a home in 16 minutes for $7,000 Suburbs were born With the help of the GI Bill, many veterans moved into suburbs

13. 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

18. Conformity Cause #2: The Workplace 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”

20. Conformity Cause #3: 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

21. 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

23. 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

24. What are the official years of the Baby Boom Generation? 1946 - 1964 saw a marked increase in the number of births in North America. How did the birthrate rise and fall during the baby boom years in the US? 19402,559,000 births per year 19463,311,000 births per year 19554,097,000 births per year 19574,300,000 births per year 19644,027,000 births per year 1974 3,160,000 births per year

25. Symbols of the Baby Boom in Suburbia 19501960 Hot Dog Production (millions of lbs)7501050 Potato Chip Production (millions of lbs)320532 Sales of lawn and porch furniture (millions of dollars) 53.6145.2 Sales of power mowers (millions of dollars)1.03.8 Sales of floor polishers (millions of dollars)0.241.0 Sales of Encyclopaedia (millions of dollars)72300 Number of Children age 5-1424.335.5 Number of baseball Little Leagues7765,700

26. 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

27. Cause #4: Gender Roles Women were expected to marry, have children, and keep house The role of homemaker and mother was glorified in popular magazines, movies and television

30. “After one look at his Mr. Leggs slacks, she was ready to have him walk all over her.”

39. 1950’s Working Women 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 Sexual harassment was common and not a crime.

40. Cause #5: The Rise of T.V. 1946  7,000 TV sets in the U.S. 1950  50,000,000 TV sets in the U.S. Mass Audience  TV celebrated traditional American values. Truth, Justice, and the American way!

41. The Typical TV Suburban Families The Donna Reed Show 1958-1966 Leave It to Beaver 1957-1963 Father Knows Best 1954-1958 The Ozzie & Harriet Show 1952-1966

42. The Rise Of Television Television provided a great forum for PRODUCTS. These products would become intertwined with popular shows that encouraged and re- enforced CONFORMITY! This led to… The Re-Birth of ADVERTISING/CONSUMERISM

43. Cause #6: Advertising/Consumerism The advertising industry capitalized on runaway consumerism by encouraging more spending Ads were everywhere Ad agencies increased their spending 50% during the 1950s

44. 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

45. Advertising/Consumerism The U.S. had a wealth of goods and products they needed to get rid of…

46. Consumerism/Credit Cards With the emergence of lots of new products and items to buy people didn’t always have $$$. So along comes the CREDIT CARD. BUY NOW AND PAY LATER!

47. Consumerism/Credit Cards 1950  Introduction of the Diner’s Card All babies were potential consumers who spearheaded a brand-new market for food, clothing, and shelter. -- Life Magazine (May, 1958)