the postwar economy booms. indicators of affluence in society housing babies big business scientific...
TRANSCRIPT
The Postwar Economy Booms
Indicators of Affluence in Society
• Housing• Babies• Big Business• Scientific Advancement• Leisurely Activities
What are some of the economic indicators of growth during the post WWII years.• Car owners– 2 million in 1946– 8 million in 1955
• TVs– 1 million in 1948– 7.5 million in 1950
• GNP– $100,000,000,000 in 1940 – $300,000,000,000 in 1950
• US made up 6% of world population and produced half the world’s goods!
How were wages affected during the 1950s?
• Factory Workers– $3,300 in 1950 – $5,300 in 1960
• Real Income =– Income adjusted for
inflation (rise in prices)– rose 20%!
• Americans had more discretionary income– Money to buy creature
comforts (not just necessities)
The Baby Boom
Dr. Spock
Medical Miracles
• CPR• TB• Radiation Treatment• Polio
How did advertising change in the 1950s?
• Created new needs and desires through hidden messages– Facial cream= beauty– Freezer= plenty – car= status symbol– mouthwash= popularity
• Used the television to shape Americans minds and make them status conscious
Describe Corporate America in the 1950s.• Encouraged conformity• White collar-workers
(office) were told:– How to dress– Which country club to
belong to– Points of view (political)
• Important positions filled with white males
• Women filled secretarial positions
• Minorities shut out
How did one’s occupation change in the 1950s.• America started to
become a Post-Industrial Service centered economy
• Started to go from factory to white collar (office) jobs
How did the automobile affect American society in the 1950s?
• National Highway Act 1956 – 40,000 miles of federal highways
• 58 million cars sold in the 1950s!• Drive-in economy, food,
entertainment• People commuted greater
distances to work. • Suburbs grew– Farmland sold for
development– Urban flight
• Gas consumption increased
Social Critics
• “Little Boxes”• The Beat Generation