The 1950's

The Fifties

During the 1950's, a sense of uniformity was obvious in American society. Conformity was common, as young and old people followed group norms rather then their own individuality. Though men and women had been forced into new employment patterns during World War II, once the war was over, traditional rules were reaffirmed. Men were expected to be the breadwinners, and women's proper place was at home. The United States experienced phenomenal economic growth. The growth had different sources. The automobile industry was partially responsible, as the number of cars produced annually quadrupled between 1946 and 1955. A housing boom, stimulated in part by easily affordable mortgages for returning servicemen, fueled the expansion.

One of the main political events of the fifties was the Korean War. About two million people were killed in the Korean War. The U.S suffered losses of about 54,000 dead and 103,000 injured. In June 1950, the war exploded and became hot because the Americans realized that the Soviets could find ways to threaten the Americans goal of peace. President Truman ordered American air and naval forces to go help defend South Korea against Communist China and the Soviet Union. By August, enough U.S American soldiers had arrived to reinforce the South Koreans. Soon after, the U.S Marines launched a bold attack around the positions held by the communists. In 1951, negotiators from both sides began talks about ending the war, but peace still did not come until July of 1953 when a peace agreement was finally signed. The Korean conflict became one of the first expressions of the Cold War between Russia and America. It was an attempt to balance the power, which had been thrown so badly out of position by World War II.

In 1952, the Americans watched the presidential nominations on TV. They had never seen any like it because of all the excitement and screaming. The Republican candidate was Dwight Eisenhower with Richard Nixon as Vice

President. The Republican campaign slogan was "I like Ike" and became very popular. The Democratic nominee was Adlai Stevenson. He didn't win because his solutions to problems were very complicated. Ike was elected because he was a man of peace with simple answers for changing America. Eisenhower was president all during the 1950's.

The fifties were a time of many medical advances. Modern medicine wiped out smallpox, yellow fever and polio. For the first time in the fifties, radioactive isotopes were used to diagnose disease and to treat cancer.

Automobile design of the fifties utilized flashy chrome and wrap around windshields inspired by fighter jets. Bigger cars flooded the highways and polluted the air. As the number of cars increased, so did the number of accidents because automobile manufacturers had little concern for safety features. In the early 1950's General Motors prestige car was the Cadillac. Two steps behind came the Buick. Buick's, Oldsmobile's and Pontiacs rolled off the assembly line in 1955. The fifties was a decade when European compact cars flooded the American market. Sports cars appealed to those who regarded driving as pleasure.

The end of World War II brought thousands of service men back to America to pick of their lives and start new families in new homes with new jobs. The war brought the return of prosperity. Americans began buying goods not available during the war, which created an expansion of business and jobs. By 1956, a majority of the people held white-collar jobs, working as corporate managers, teachers, salespersons and office employees.

Inexpensive assembly line housing popped up on the East coast and was soon imitated everywhere. In the first five years of the decade, suburbs grew seven times as fast as the central cities. Never before had the U.S enjoyed such great economic growth as it did in the fifties.

In 1952, the U.S unleashed the hydrogen bomb, a nuclear device hundreds of times more devastating than the atomic bomb. Guided missiles also became very important weapons in the late fifties, was a time of many technological advances.

Families did many things together in the fifties. They went to church, went on vacation, had family reunions, and watched TV together. An important form of movement led Americans out of inner cities into new suburbs, where they hoped to find affordable housing for the larger families, created by the postwar "baby boom". This "baby boom" formed a huge demographic category that influenced everything from the sale of diapers and cars to the popularity of rock and roll. Between 1946 and 1964, 30 million children were born, more then 4 million a year after the mid 1950's.

One third of all 19 years old females were