NIKI, BRAD, CHRISTINEPERIOD 5

8 MAY 2008

19.2 The American Dream in the Fifties

The Rise of Big Buisness

Organization and the Organization of Man-• During the 1950’s, businesses expanded rapidly. By the mid

1950’s, people who used to hold blue collar industrial jobs were now being drawn to white collar managerial jobs.

• During the 1950’s, The United States’ economy changed from a focus on agriculture and industry to a nation of business.

Conglomerates-• A conglomerate is a major corporation that includes a

number of smaller companies in unrelated industries.• Throughout the United States new businesses were being

created. Businesses that did well expanded their customers to nations outside the United States. These companies were conglomerates; superpower businesses that could profit over a million dollars a year.

The Suburban Life

The Baby Boom Baby boom- the largest generation in the nation’s history The Baby Boom was a population explosion as soldiers returned from WWII

and settled into family life In 1957 a total of 4,308,000 infants were born.

Advances in Medicine in Childcare Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for polio myelities-polio Many parents raised their kids according to Common Sense Book of Baby and

Childcare The sharp increase in elementary school enrollment caused overcrowding

and teacher shortages.

Women’s Roles During the 50s homemakers and mothers were glorified in the media However 1/5 of women felt isolated, board, and unfulfilled Number of women working outside the house rose:

-Career opportunities were limited to nursing, teaching, office support, and less official and low paying jobs

Leisure in the Fifties With little work hours and labor saving devices people had more time than

ever Fortune Magazine reported that in 1953, Americans spent more than 30

billion on leisure goods and activates Popular activates were; fishing, boating, golf and attending baseball and

football

The Automobile CultureAfter the war, however, an abundance of both imported and domestically produced petroleum-the raw material from which gasoline is made-led to inexpensive, plentiful fuel for consumers.

Auto mania Many suburban homes were not within walking distance of work or schools and required cars for transportation.

The Interstate Highway President Eisenhower authorized the building of a nationwide highway network in 1956 - 41,000 miles of expressways Gave Americans opportunities to travel the country and united the nation on

a mental level -Disneyland attracted 3 million visitors the next year

Mobility Takes Its Toll Automobile industry provided jobs -drive-in movies, restaurants, etc. Accidents occur, stress levels rise from traffic jams, noise and exhaust pollution Public transportation declined, and poor people in the inner cities were often left without jobs and vital services.

Consumerism Unbound

Consumerism- buying material goods

New Products Appliances- washing machines, dryers, blenders,

freezers became the common necessity People invested in recreational items- TV's, record players, etc.

Planned Obsolescence In order to encourage consumers to purchase more goods,

manufacturers purposely designed products to become

obsolete- that is, to wear out or become outdated in a short time Becoming a “throw-away” society

Buy Now, Pay Later The First credit card was made in 1950 and

consumers bought purchases on credit

- American Express was made in 1958 During the decade, the total private debt grew from $73 billion to $179 billion Americans overly confident in prosperity and spent more than

saving

Continued…

The Advertising Age Capitalist society encourages advertising

Ads for products could be found anywhere-billboards

Advertisers spent about $6 billion in 1950; by 1955 the figure was up to $9 billion

Ad executives targeted psychology to get people to buy things that they did not need

Television commercials were popular for advertising -first commercial in 1941 cost $9 - 2001, 30 second commercial cost $2.2 million

Television had become not only the medium for mass transmission of cultural values, but a symbol of popular culture itself

Questions

The largest generation in the nation’s history are the The millennials The baby boomersThe pre WWI generationThe late 19th century generation

What were some of the job opportunities avablible to women?Office support

NursingTeachingAll of the above

What development saved millions of life from a crippiling disease in the 50s?

The automobileThe game of golfThe polio vaccineKitchen appliances