Download Chapter 26 Lecture

Chapter 26: Triumph of the Middle Class, 1945-1963
Big Idea: Why did
consumerism become a
focus of American culture and
how did it impact American
economics and society?
1. Postwar Prosperity and the
Affluent Society
A. Economy: From Recovery to
Dominance
B. A Nation of Consumers
C. Youth Culture
D. Religion and the Middle Class
2. The American Family in the Era
of Containment
A. The Baby Boom
B. Women, Work and Family
C. Challenging Middle Class Morality
3. A Suburban Nation
A. The Postwar Housing Boom
B. Rise of the Sunbelt
C. Two Nations: Urban and Suburban
Part 1: Postwar Prosperity and the Affluent Society
Section 1A: Economy: From Economy to Dominance
• The US economy grew steadily after WWII lowering inequality and
creating a robust middle class but minorities and cities struggled
• Bretton Woods system stabilized global economy benefiting the US
• Cold War military spending (10% of GDP), the space race, and
federal research dollars expanded the military-industrial complex
• Corporate consolidation, automation, and hiring of white collar
workers benefited the middle class but hurt the “Other America”
Part 1: Postwar Prosperity and the Affluent Society
Section 1B: A Nation of Consumers
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Soaring consumption fueled by post-war demand and factors below
GI Bill’s free tuition and guaranteed mortgages grew middle class
Collective bargaining led to (temp.) fringe benefits for middle class
Family emphasis focused consumption on cars, houses, children
TV advertising increased consumption and reinforced cultural norms
Part 1: Postwar Prosperity and the Affluent Society
Section 1C: Youth Culture
• Teen culture emerged as advertisers and movies targeted youth
• Rock ’n’ roll music fed the rebelliousness many teens felt
• The Beats expressed their alienation with the materialism and
conformity of the 1950s foreshadowing 1960s cultural upheavals
Part 1: Postwar Prosperity and the Affluent Society
Section 1D: Religion and the Middle Class
• Church membership jumped to a record 70% by 1960 due to atomic
fears, emphasis on nuclear family and rise of new style evangelists
• Evangelists condoned consumption and deftly used radio and TV
• God was added to Pledge of Allegiance and US currency in 1950s
New
Jersey
Phalanx
building
photograph
Pt 2: The American Family in the Era of Containment
Section 2A: The Baby Boom
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Renewed emphasis on domesticity clashed with longer term trends
Drop in marriage age and economic boom led to 76 million new births
Miracle drugs, vaccines, and educational spending benefitted kids
Boomers have a significant effect on America and continue to do so
Pt 2: The American Family in the Era of Containment
Section 2B: Women, Work and Family
• Women faced both the cultural ideal of domesticity vs. need to work,
especially the working class, as well as discrimination and low pay
• 400% increase in married working women in 1950s
• 80% of women
workers were in
stereotypical jobs
and averaged 60%
of men’s pay
Pt 2: The American Family in the Era of Containment
Section 2C: Challenging Middle Class Morality
• 1950s were a period of cultural conservatism: marriage, divorce, kids
• Kinsey’s sex studies, a growing homophile movement and Playboy
magazine demonstrated changing moral values under the surface
Part 3: A Suburban Nation
Section 3A: The Postwar Housing Boom
• Levitt’s mass production of houses and FHA/VA
insurance made housing affordable to middle
class but minorities were usually excluded
• Interstate highways killed many small towns but
gave rise to suburbanization, malls, fast food
• From 1945-1965, number of cars tripled
• By 1960, 1/3 of Americans lived in suburbs
1st McDonald’s, 1955
Part 3: A Suburban Nation
Section 3B: Rise of the Sunbelt
• Millions moved to the Sunbelt due to better weather, cheap suburbs,
low taxes and lots of jobs as resulting from heavy military spending
• Aerospace, defense, electronics industries based in the Sunbelt
Part 3: A Suburban Nation
Section 3C: Two Societies: Urban and Suburban
• Blacks and immigrants migrated to
cities as whites fled to suburbs
• An urban crisis created by white flight,
poor infrastructure, discrimination,
automation and urban renewal
• Exclusion of Asian immigration ended
• Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans
came in large numbers
Eleanor Roosevelt at the
Tuskegee Institute
Legal Immigration to the United States
Robert Taylor Homes, Chicago