1. The 1950s Affluence and Anxiety

2. American Society After War… Problems of Reconversion – Defense spending drops in ’46, but consumer spending rises – $6 bill. Tax cut helps, inflation rises Inflation causes labor unrest Women and minorities pushed out of jobs Serviceman Readjustment Act (G.I. Bill) – Provided $ and education to veterans

3. Truman’s Fair Deal Goal to continue New Deal – More Social security, raise in min. wage, increased gov. spending, scientific research, public works, national health insurance 1946 Rep. gain control of Congress – conservatives win and Fair Deal fails… – Economy deregulated and inflation soars! Taft-Hartley Act – Counters Wagner Act of ’35 – hurts small unions and minorities the most

4. Election of ‘48 Dixiecrats leave Democrats because of Civil Rights Bill – form State’s Rights party Dewey = Republican candidate – expected to win Fair Deal Revived -Raises min. wage, expands social securities and National Housing Act -No progress on education, healthcare, or civil rights

5. NUCLEAR AGE Age torn b/t bright future with cheap nuclear power and great fear…

6. Fear of the Bomb…

11. The Red Scare HUAC and the Hollywood Ten

12. Spies! Alger Hiss accused of spying for Soviets, not enough evidence, Hiss convicted of perjury and sent to jail The Rosenbergs convicted of passing nuclear secrets to Soviets, despite pleas for clemency, they were executed in 1953

13. McCarthyism Sen. Joseph McCarthy

14. McCarthy’s Downfall “I speak as a Republican. I speak as a woman. I speak as a United States Senator. I speak as an American…. I am not proud of the way in which the Senate has been made a publicity platform for irresponsible sensationalism. I am not proud of the reckless abandon in which unproved charges have been hurled from this side of the aisle.” - Margaret Chase Smith

15. Conformity

16. Films mimic and critique the fears of the nation…

18. Rock and Roll!

19. Beatniks – non-conformists Poet Jack Kerouac

20. Affluence and Family Life Keynesian Economics: “demand side economics” vary fiscal policy and managing supply of currency = gov. stimulating economy Lots of corporate consolidation “postwar contract” Workers get good pay and stop raising hell – give up some rights to keep peace AFL and CIO merge – but still lots of anti-union sentiment

21. Growth of the Suburbs Federal Highway Act ’56 Levittown = mass- produced housing

23. New Technology!

24. Antibiotics! Immunization! – Polio vaccine created by Jonas Salk Pesticides! UNIVAC – first computer able to handle numbers and letters – IBM begins selling computers to businesses

25. Space Program! Sputnik – Soviets earth-orbiting satellite launched in ’57 – U.S. launches own in ’58 NASA formed in ’58 – Mercury – orbit Earth (Alan Shepard = first guy in space, Cosmonaut first to orbit earth…_ – Gemini – 2 men at once! – Apollo – moon! (1969 moon landing)

26. TV