Shocking Pop Culture Trends from the 1950s

Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM4hiMCyAEMxibzIYrOKD5Q/join Shocking Pop Culture Trends from the 1950s The 1950s were a decade marked by the post-World War II boom, the dawn of the Cold War and the Civil Rights movement in the United States. "America at this moment," said the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1945, "stands at the summit of the world." During the 1950s, it was easy to see what Churchill meant. The United States was the world's strongest military power. Its economy was booming, and the fruits of this prosperity–new cars, suburban houses and other consumer goods–were available to more people than ever before. However, the 1950s were also an era of great conflict. The Postwar Booms Historians use the word "boom" to describe many things about the 1950s: the booming economy, the prosperous suburbs and most of all, the so-called "baby boom." This boom began in 1946 when a record number of babies–3.4 million–were born in the United States. About 4 million babies were born each year during the 1950s. In all, by the time the boom finally tapered off in 1964, there were almost 77 million "baby boomers." After World War II ended, many Americans were eager to have children because they were confident that the future held nothing but peace and prosperity. In many ways, they were right. Between 1945 and 1960, the gross national product more than doubled, growing from $200 billion to more than $500 billion, kicking off "the Golden Age of American Capitalism." Much of this increase came from government spending: The construction of interstate highways and schools, the distribution of veterans' benefits and most of all, the increase in military spending–on goods like airplanes and new technologies like computers–all contributed to the decade's economic growth. Rates of unemployment and inflation were low, and wages were high. Middle-class people had more money to spend than ever–and, because the variety and availability of consumer goods expanded along with the economy, they also had more things to buy. 1950s Pop Culture In the 1950s, televisions became something the average family could afford, and by 1950 4.4 million U.S. families had one in their home. Family-friendly shows marked the Golden Age of Television like I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Twilight Zone, and Leave It To Beaver. In movie theatres, actors like John Wayne, James Stuart, Charlton Heston, Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe dominated the box office. The Abstract Expressionism of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning signalled a new age in art, paving the way for the Pop Art of artists like Andy Warhol in the 1960s. 1950s Music Elvis Presley. Sam Cooke. Chuck Berry. Fats Domino. Buddy Holly. The 1950s saw the emergence of Rock' n' Roll, and the new sound swept the nation. It helped inspire rockabilly music from Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. People swayed to The Platters and The Drifters. Music marketing changed, too: For the first time, Music began to target youth. Head over to www.laurajaneatelier.com to read the rest of the article