1950s Affluent Society Study Notes

Introduction to the 1950s Affluent Society

  • Focus on the affluent society and the onset of the Civil Rights Movement.
  • Special attention to Rosa Parks with reading from Washington Post regarding misrepresentations in history of her contributions.

Rosa Parks Reading Assignment

  • Emphasis on an article about Rosa Parks discussing what history got wrong regarding her life and contributions.
  • Importance of reading the article for forthcoming quiz on Friday.
  • Introduced the historian who accessed private papers of Rosa Parks after her death, providing deeper insights into her impact.

Context of the 1950s America

  • Overview of the Cold War and its ideological battle between the US and the Soviet Union.
  • The influence of Cold War tensions on American society and politics through the 1950s until the early 1990s.

National Exhibitions of 1959

  • Exchange of exhibitions between the US and Soviet Union aimed at showcasing respective ways of life.
    • Soviet Exhibition in NYC: Displays factory machinery and scientific advances, emphasizing modernization through communism.
    • American Exhibition in Moscow: Showcases consumer goods, technological innovations, and symbols of capitalism (e.g., televisions, cars).
    • Underlying message is a coalition of consumption and freedom.

The Kitchen Debate

  • The unscripted discussion between Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in a model American kitchen during the Moscow exhibition.
    • Nixon advocates for American consumer choice as a representation of freedom.
    • Khrushchev skeptical but predicts Soviet achievement in consumer goods production.

The Golden Age of Capitalism

  • Definition: Post-World War II period characterized by economic affluence and expansion.
    • Established stable prices, low unemployment, and rising living standards.
    • Majority of Americans deemed middle class by the 1960s, with poverty rates dropping to 20%.

Innovations of the 1950s

  • Introduction of household technologies such as:
    • Television, Air Conditioning, Dishwashers
    • Increase in telecommunication abilities and air travel.
    • Former luxuries become common, enhancing quality of life.

Wages and Economic Inequality

  • Between 1950 and 1973, average real wages for manufacturing workers doubled, with lower-income workers experiencing faster wage growth.
  • Lowering economic inequality due to governmental support and a strong union movement.

Decline of Industrial Dominance Post-1973

  • Economic expansion stalls, leading to stagnant incomes post-1973 and rising economic inequality.
  • While the US retains global industrial dominance, it faces competition from recovering economies in Western Europe and Japan.

Changes in the American Labor Market

Labor Trends

  • Decline in the number of farms and agricultural laborers due to mechanization and improved technology.
  • Movement of 3 million agricultural laborers out of the South in search of better work opportunities.

Suburbanization and Housing Boom

  • Post-war baby boom drives demand for housing; majority of Americans now living in suburbs by the 1960s.
  • Levittown becomes a model for affordable and quickly constructed homes.
Impact of Suburban Development
  • Suburbs primarily accessible via car, promoting consumer culture.
  • Malls and businesses in suburbs reinforce car-centric living, contrasting with urban public transportation systems.

Symbol of Affluence

  • Ownership of single-family homes becomes a symbol of middle-class success, leading to a doubled rate of house construction in suburbs.
  • Focus on units resembling those in Levittown, which epitomize 1950s suburban life.