Life In The 1950's

The changes and challenges of the 1950s made for a monumental impact on decades to come. The 1950’s were an era of prosperity, growth, and chaos in the United States; men were returning from World War 2 and many new babies were born. Consumer goods played an important role in middle-class life during the postwar era. The economy of the 1950’s saw major changes, which in turn transformed the lives of the American people. Significant movements, inventions, and discoveries changed American lives for the better. The social, economic, and cultural impact of these years helped to create a widespread sense of stability, contentment and consensus in the United States.
The tension between the United States and the Soviet Union was a defining element
Soldiers came back wanting to start a family, have a nice peaceful life, and forget about war. 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,” making up almost 40 percent of the nation’s population. The baby boom and the suburban boom went hand in hand. By 1960, suburban baby boomers and their parents comprised one-third of the population of the United States. Almost as soon as World War II ended, developers such as William Levitt began to buy land on the outskirts of cities and use mass-production techniques to build modest, inexpensive tract houses there. The G.I. Bill subsidized low-cost mortgages for returning soldiers, which meant that it was often cheaper to buy one of these suburban houses than it was to rent an apartment in the city. Many people in the postwar era looked forward to having children because they were confident that the future would be one of comfort 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. Corporations grew larger and more profitable, labor unions promised generous wages and benefits to their members, and consumer goods were more plentiful and affordable than ever before. As rates of unemployment and inflation were low and wages high, middle-class people had more money to spend than ever. Because of the variety and availability of consumer goods expanded along with the economy, they also had more things to buy. As a result, many Americans felt certain that