22.2 the affluent society

white-collar

-jobs in sales and management

blue-collar

-people who perform physical labor in industry

multinational corporation

-large, white-collar corporations that expanded overseas through competition

franchise

-a person owns and runs one or several stores of a chain operation

baby boom

-the American birthrate exploded after World War II

-From 1945 to 1961, more than 65 million children were born in the United States

John Kenneth Galbraith

-published The Affluent Society, in which he claimed that the nation’s postwar prosperity was a new phenomenon

David Riesman

-published The Lonely Crowd, in which he argued that this conformity was changing people

-people were becoming “other-directed,” concerning themselves with winning the approval of the corporation or community

Levittown

-one of the earliest of the new suburbs

-the driving force behind this planned residential community was Bill Levitt, who mass-produced hundreds of simple and similar looking homes in a potato field 10 miles east of New York City

Jonas Salk

-developed an injectable vaccine that prevented polio

how and why did the suburbs become popular places to live?

-housing shortage

-government programs (like the G.I. Bill) making homeownership affordable

-mass-produced affordable housing (Levittowns)

-the rising American Dream of a single-family home with a yard

-increased car ownership

-the desire for space and safety away from crowded cities

• all fueled by the Baby Boom and economic prosperity

how was the affluent society of the US in the 1950s different from previous decades?

-the time period was characterized by a rapid increase in the production and availability of consumer goods, an increase in average family income, and a decrease in poverty

what caused the advertising industry boom in the 1950s?

-the rise of television as a mass medium

-a post-war economic boom leading to increased consumer spending and desire for new products

-the growth of suburbs

-sophisticated psychological techniques like motivational research

• all converging to create a fertile ground for ads promoting aspirational lifestyles and new household goods

causes and effects of the economic boom of the 1950s (2)

causes:

-After wartime rationing, Americans had savings and a huge desire for goods like cars, appliances (fridges, washers), and new homes, fueling manufacturing

-The G.I. Bill helped veterans get education and home loans, while massive spending on the Cold War and infrastructure (Interstate Highway System) stimulated industry and jobs

effects:

-Mass-produced suburbs like Levittown provided affordable homes, making the "American Dream" of homeownership and family life a reality for many, boosting related industries

-Advertising, new technology (TVs), and easy credit (first credit cards) encouraged buying, making possessions symbols of status, though this prosperity wasn't universal, leaving some urban and rural areas in poverty

What were three factors that contributed to the baby boom?

-economic prosperity (making families affordable)

-the return of millions of soldiers eager to settle down

-a strong cultural emphasis on domesticity and large families

What medical and technological advances met specific needs in the late 1940s and 1950s?

-medical advances allowed for stronger and more efficient ways to fight off disease as well as new technology to complete better surgery or operations