1950s History

After WWII ended in 1945, Americans began a trend of what is known as consumerism as a response toward the dearth of the war time years since many people were deprived of many consumer goods and people also wanted to invest their money in something solid and stable after the uncertain war-time period. This conservation of goods during the war was due to the zealous campaign to support American and European Allied troops with US goods. Once the soldiers returned to their homes, the items that people most desired, such as televisions, cars, washing machines, refrigerators, toasters, and vacuum cleaners, were made more readily available. This was the start of Americans trying to enhance their social status through material possessions and brand names; the more stuff you owned, the happier you were and the greater social status you acquired.


Consumerism In The 1950s & It’s Effects
After WWII ended in 1945, Americans began a trend of what is known as consumerism as a response toward the dearth of the war time years since many people were deprived of many consumer goods and people also wanted to invest their money in something solid and stable after the uncertain war-time period. This conservation of goods during the war was due to the zealous campaign to support American and European Allied troops with US goods. Once the soldiers returned to their homes, the items that people most desired, such as televisions, cars, washing machines, refrigerators, toasters, and vacuum cleaners, were made more readily available. This was the start of Americans trying to enhance their social status through material possessions and brand names; the more stuff you owned, the happier you were and the greater social status you acquired.	The above media file is .m4a (Enhanced Podcast) and requires QuickTime to play. For best viewing, download onto your iPod!.
Not only were employment and higher wages opportunities higher during this time, but white people were also moving away from the crowded and crime infested cities during the 1950s in a movement called the “white fleet.” With the invention of the automobile and the boom in the construction industry, a new living community called the Suburbs arose as a medium between rural and urban settings. One out of every four homes standing in American in 1960 had been built during the 1950s and 83% of those new homes were located in suburbia. Furthermore, the first suburb area was created on a tract of land on Long Island, New York by Abraham Levitt and was appropriately called Levittown. All of the houses in these suburbs were basically exactly the same since the Levitts had to erect the houses quickly due to the large demand and the short amount of time. As a result, many new critics began to sneer at the “cookie-cutter” appearances of families in the 1950s and claimed that people had turned to a trend of conformity. Women also experienced a change due to consumerism in the 1950s. Because of the invention of the automobile, women were capable to explore the world outside of their homes in the prosperity of the time. Cars were important since they were the means for women in the suburbs to both drive their children to their separate functions as well as to drive into the cities were most of the employment opportunities for women were maintained. Also, this greater mobility of women in the suburbs led to the creation of the first supermarkets and shopping centers, which increased from a total of 8 in 1945 to about 3,840 by 1960. Supermarkets also accounted for 35% of American food sales, and women did between 67-92% of the family shopping and spent a considerable amount of time at these stores. Teens were also enjoying this time period of growth since they could now hand out at their nearest McDonalds or Howard Johnson in the suburbs. Teenagers also frequented the local drive-in restaurants or the drive-in movie theaters. The television also began to take on a new aspect as advertisers tried to reach inside American homes and teenagers through this new medium so that they could create desires for other innovative products. and flashy clothes. Anti-Consumerism The 1950s was also a time of great criticism over the mindless spending of Americans and the rising tide of greed and selfishness. Some of these social critics include Paul Goodman’s Growing Up Absurd, David Riesman’s The Lonely Child, and Herbert Marcuse’s One Dimensional Man. Various social problems resulted from this one trend of consumerism and juvenile delinquents arose from this era due to their disapproval of the blandness and conformity of the 1950s. The television, radio, and other forms of media also contributed to the brain washing of the American population. Moreover, mass media turned into amass culture where false needs, negative values, and escapist fantasies were fostered. Overall, many people became attached to their materialistic possessions and lost sight of their traditional family morals.
by Alexandra Jerez-Fernandez, Ross Wright, and Esther Son

Consumerism In The 1950s & It’s Effects

by Alexandra Jerez-Fernandez, Ross Wright, and Esther Son