The Postwar Economy Booms
Photo depicts happy white
middle class family at
home in front of TV
Chapter 15.1
Suburban dad grilling by
swimming pool in backyard
with mother and son nearby
Using the
pictures &
the following
clips, write
five (5)
words to
describe the
American
Dream in the
1950s.
Capture from clip of Pleasantville
More of Peggy Sue and Toby Maguire in Pleasantville
How was the American society of the 1950s
different from the 1930s?
Photo of the extreme baby boom:
ten kids, all siblings
Capture from start of clip on post-Korea relief and optimism
What was the GI Bill of Rights and
how did it help returning veterans?
• Law which allowed servicemen to attend college
with government assistance ($)
– Over 8 million did
• Whole families boarded in “Veteran Villages” offcampus
• Subsidized rents for GI’s too young for houses
• Gave vets and families a sense of community
• Dance halls, big band shows, bowling
• Provided America with a highly trained &
educated workforce
What are some of the economic indicators
of growth during the post WWII years?
• Car owners
– 2 million sold in 1946
– 8 million sold 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)
Photos of
1950s era
TV and
washing
machine
Consumer Society
Capture from clip on the consumer
society
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
Above: woman poses with ad for TVs; below:
kid’s folks bought him a Superman t-shirt
Capture from clip on our ‘love affair with TV’
TV
Another capture from a clip on
television
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
DVD cover: “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit”
Capture from clip on the new white-collar careers for men
clip
How did one’s occupation change in the 1950s?
• America started to
become a PostIndustrial Service
centered economy
• Started to go from
factory to white
collar (office) jobs
Chart shows decline in farm population as people did other
things for a living
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
Above: interstate
clover leaf; middle:
• Gas
drive-in movie; below:
consumption increased suburbia
Cars
Capture from another clip on cars