America: Pathways to the Present | Chapter 20: The Postwar Years at Home (1945–1960)
This chapter explores the period of economic and social prosperity in the United States after World War II. The chapter is divided into three sections: the Postwar Economy, the Mood of the 1950s, and Domestic Politics and Policy.
Section 1: The Postwar Economy
Main Idea
- The country enjoyed an era of prosperity, and the “American Dream” became a reality for a large portion of the population.
Summary and Analysis
As businesses returned to making consumer goods, Americans flocked to buy them. Americans had a higher per capita income than ever before, and the Gross National Product more than doubled between 1945 and 1960. A few large firms came to dominate industry in the 1950s; corporations diversified their investments into different industries to lessen the risk of loss if one industry failed. Such conglomerates, companies made up of three or more businesses, are better able to handle the ups and downs of the economy. Another type of business that flourished in the 1950s was the franchise, a business that contracts with a larger company to provide products and services. From a single hamburger stand in California owned by the McDonald brothers, McDonalds became a national franchise and a household name.
Technology was also changing the way Americans lived. The television brought the world into the living rooms of more than 75% of American families by 1960. Television helped to further reduce regional differences between states and regions of the country. Automobiles and highways enabled more people to move to the suburbs. The application of assembly-line strategies to home building made it so more houses could be put up in less time and for less cost. Advances in the emerging computer industry, medicine, and the peacetime nuclear-power industry also began to change the way Americans lived. Automobiles brought about new businesses as restaurants, shopping centers, and gas stations were needed to accommodate more drivers. More Americans than ever before worked in white-collar jobs that were better paying and less tiring. Blue-collar workers also worked in better conditions than ever before as labor unions became increasingly powerful. Finally, consumer spending was enhanced with the development of credit cards, which allowed more people to buy now and pay later.
Section 2: The Mood of the 1950s
Main Ideas
- The 1950s were a time when conformity was encouraged and rewarded.
- Although many Americans found comfort in conformity during the 1950s, others found it restrictive and became “Rebels Without a Cause.”
Summary and Analysis
After two decades of economic insecurity and war, Americans were glad to feel prosperous again. They wanted to be comfortable and secure. The youth culture of the time has been called the “silent generation.” They were more concerned with having fun than world events. More young people finished high school than ever before, and many married at a young age. In fact, half of all girls who married were only teens. Americans also became increasingly religious during the 1950s as preachers such as Billy Graham became popular. The words “under God” were added to the Pledge of Allegiance, and the phrase “In God We Trust” was printed on currency. Men and women also had very defined roles in postwar society. Women were supposed to stay home and take care of the children while men went into the world to earn a living.
There were, however, many who chafed under the expected conformity of the times. More married woman than ever before entered the work force, although most worked in traditionally female careers such as teaching and nursing. Young people also challenged the status quo as they felt alienated from their parents and rejected their values. The film Rebel Without a Cause gave voice to this alienation and propelled teen star James Dean into an idol. Rock and roll music also challenged the adult values of the 1950s. Performers like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley titillated teens and shocked adults. Rebellion also expressed itself in the literature of the period as writers like Jack Kerouac wrote of escaping from the values of money and property. These beatniks, members of the "Beat Generation", gathered in coffee houses, shared poetry and music, and challenged traditional values with open sexuality and the use of illegal drugs.
Section 3: Domestic Politics and Policy
Main Idea
- Presidents Truman and Eisenhower had very different approaches to handling the problems of postwar America.
Summary and Analysis
In 1948, after only three years in the presidency, Truman seemed to be on the way out. A policy of reconversion to a peacetime society had been his first priority at the end of the war. He had most of the overseas troops home by 1946, an amazing feat. Truman also did battle with the labor unions, and Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act, allowing the president to declare an 80-day cooling off period in strikes that affected the national interest. He ran into more trouble, however, with his Fair Deal initiatives that would have extended FDR’s New Deal policies. He asked for national health insurance and other initiatives that were resisted by both Republicans and more conservative members of his own party. Truman also began to support the civil rights movement of African Americans to gain equal rights under the law. In 1948, everyone thought Truman would lose the upcoming election. But he took his message directly to the American people, traveling the country by train, and won the election in an astounding upset. Truman, however, was not much more popular during his second term, and despite the new Constitutional Amendment limiting presidential terms, he could have run again but chose not to.
Tired of Democrats, the country elected the popular World War II general Dwight D. Eisenhower to the presidency in 1952. He had a much more laid-back style than Truman’s. His critics called it a lack of leadership, but the American people approved of him. As a Republican, Eisenhower wanted to limit the growth of the federal government and warned about the dangers of the growing power of the military-industrial complex. He challenged Americans to continue improving technology, and in 1958 he presided over the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Overall Eisenhower’s calm, genial manner helped Americans maintain a mood of stability despite the spreading Cold War.
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