Urbanisation and Affluence

Cities:

What was population movement like at this time?

What were restricted covenants?

What was housing availability/conditions like at this point?

• Population rise (+35 million since mid 1950s)

• Rural to urban movement

• Federal Housing Administration supported restricted covenants (conditions attached to house sales preventing black/Jewish purchase)

• Lack of public housing;

  • Truman’s public housing act did not meet targets; conditions also cramped and densely populated.

Why was the movement into cities increased? (2)

• Black Americans escaped rural poverty/discrimination

• Increased availability of consumer goods

Why did movement into cities increase racial tension/segregation?

How did racial tensions spread?

How did living conditions within cities change?

• Non-whites occupied “projects” in the city centre, whilst white people occupied “suburbia”

• “Ghettoisation” of black areas (Bronx, Harlem)

• Racial tensions no longer confined to the old south

• Lower living conditions as cities became increasingly overcrowded

Consumerism and domestic technology:

What changes had there been to new products/the consumer market?

What currency was preferred now?

• New products (TVs, cars, radios etc…)

• Increase in credit culture

  • First credit card in 1950

• 1945: 8 shopping centres out of town, 1960: 4,000

What reasons were there for the increase in consumerism and domestic technology? (3)

1. Space Race

   • Tech advancements in consumer products were made at a fast pace (computers, non-stick pans etc…)

2. Consumer demand:

   • Availability of credit established a “buy now, pay later” culture

3. Advertising facilitated the spread of new products.

What were the positives of the increase in domestic technology? (2)

• Rise of the teenager:

  • Music, consumer goods and products created identity

    • Facilitated by increase of teenage wages/spending money

• Greater leisure time due to domestic labour-saving products

  • More time to spend money…

What negative effect did the increase in consumer and domestic technology have?

• Decline in inner-cities

  • People now prefer out-of-town malls.

White collar jobs:

How did jobs change?

How did their demographic change? (hint: gender)

• 1956: # of white collar jobs outnumbered blue-collar jobs

• Many of these jobs taken by women- female employment growing 5x as fast as male employment

What were the reasons for changes in jobs? (3)

1. Cold War:

   • Spending on defence created jobs in 1950s

   • Boeing

2. Eisenhower explained link between govt, defence spending + job creation in 1961 speech

   • “Military-industrial complex

3. WW2 created job opportunities for women in the first place

In what ways was the increase in white collar jobs positive? (3)

1. Created a growth cycle:

   • People spent wages on consumer luxuries which boosted economic production

2. Encouraged growth of new industries

   • E.g. tourism; Disneyland

3. Increased place in working world for women

How was the growth in white-collar jobs negative?

• Heightened gap between suburban rich and inner-city poor

Cars/Highways:

What was the car/highway industry like at this time?

• $25bn invested into roads under Eisenhower

• 1945-60: 133% increase in cars

• 1960: 75% of US own at least one car

What were the reasons behind the increase in cars/highways? (3)

1. No longer restricted by war commitments

2. Growth of suburbs

   • Transport becomes necessary for commuters

3. Cold war

   • Roads needed to move troops quickly.

What were the positive effects of increased car ownership? (3)

• Overall change in culture

  • Independence for women to travel, cars becoming status symbols, car parks/motels, teenage culture, cinemas, throwaway culture

• Increase in tourism: more visit national parks

• OVERALL SUPERIORITY OF US INDUSTRY- ‘GAS GUZZLERS’

Expansion of the suburbs:

How were suburbs developing at this point?

What were Levittowns?

Where did people move to?

• City centres declines, suburbs expanded

• Development of Levittowns (affordable private housing for white people only)

  • NY ‘white flight’ to suburbs

• Home ownership became the norm

• Deserted north-east for sun belt of Cali, Florida and Texas

What were the reasons behind the increase of suburbs/movement? (3)

1. Cheap home loans

   • Fed. housing Adinistration/ Veterans Administrations funded 30% of all new homes

2. Better lfie in the sunbelt

3. Racial segregation

What were the positive effects of the increase of suburbs?

• Expansion of suburbs/ ‘suburbia’

What were the negative effects of the expansion of suburbs? (2)

• Decline in conditions in inner-cities

• Increasingly divisive race relations and social condition- polarisation