The Postwar Economy Booms

Indicators of Affluence in Society

• Housing• Babies• Big Business• Scientific Advancement• Leisurely Activities

What are some of the economic indicators of growth during the post WWII years.• Car owners– 2 million in 1946– 8 million in 1955

• TVs– 1 million in 1948– 7.5 million in 1950

• GNP– $100,000,000,000 in 1940 – $300,000,000,000 in 1950

• US made up 6% of world population and produced half the world’s goods!

How were wages affected during the 1950s?

• Factory Workers– $3,300 in 1950 – $5,300 in 1960

• Real Income =– Income adjusted for

inflation (rise in prices)– rose 20%!

• Americans had more discretionary income– Money to buy creature

comforts (not just necessities)

The Baby Boom

Dr. Spock

Medical Miracles

• CPR• TB• Radiation Treatment• Polio

How did advertising change in the 1950s?

• Created new needs and desires through hidden messages– Facial cream= beauty– Freezer= plenty – car= status symbol– mouthwash= popularity

• Used the television to shape Americans minds and make them status conscious

Describe Corporate America in the 1950s.• Encouraged conformity• White collar-workers

(office) were told:– How to dress– Which country club to

belong to– Points of view (political)

• Important positions filled with white males

• Women filled secretarial positions

• Minorities shut out

How did one’s occupation change in the 1950s.• America started to

become a Post-Industrial Service centered economy

• Started to go from factory to white collar (office) jobs

How did the automobile affect American society in the 1950s?

• National Highway Act 1956 – 40,000 miles of federal highways

• 58 million cars sold in the 1950s!• Drive-in economy, food,

entertainment• People commuted greater

distances to work. • Suburbs grew– Farmland sold for

development– Urban flight

• Gas consumption increased

Social Critics

• “Little Boxes”• The Beat Generation