1950s-+Prosperity

The prosperous economy of the 1950s was had few crises and controversies. One of the largest of these was the imbalance between foreign trade imports and exports. Another ‘crisis’ was the rising tax rates for Americans. Because the government was becoming more involved and pumping more money into different programs, the American people had to pay the bill.
 * Controversies/Crises**

  The policies of the Federal Reserve Board were also a source of conflict during this time. In an effort to prevent the economy from taking a tremendous dive such as that of the Depression, they intervened and raised rates. Many disapproved of the strong control the Board held. A large portion of American factories began producing supplies for the war in the 1950s. Likewise, a controversy due to this was the fact that our troops shouldn’t even be in Vietnam. - Drew Belnick 


 * __Art/Written Works__** (Mike Bahn)



During the 1950s, the economy was prospering, and because of this art was prospering. Many prominent artists began using the pop art style, and commercials, posters, and comic books really accented this phase. Architecture flourished as well with Frank Lloyd Wright being one of the most famous architects of the times, and the Bauhaus period in architecture was evidently prominent.

Literature was also at its peak. Authors such as Agatha Christie, C.S. Lewis, E.B. White, and Dr. Seuss wrote exciting stories for the times intriguing for all ages. During this time such stories as //Horton Hears a Who!//, //Charlotte’s Web// , and //Lord of the Flies// were written.

Dance and Music:

Music exploded in the early 1950s with the uprising Rock N’ Roll music. It quickly became the most popular music in this era. Carl Perkins was thought to be one of the “Pioneers” of Rock N’ Roll. Popular hits such as “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Birth of Rock N’ Roll” were prime examples of his rockability. Rockability is one of the earliest styles of Rock N’ Roll. Johnny Cash and Hank Williams defined the Country and Western style of music. Johnny Cash’s music was often based off of a central theme, such as love, hate, or sorrow. Hank Williams promoted the Honky Tonk style of music. The Beatles also started performing in the late 1950s. But, the most popular musician during the 1950s was Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley was thought to be the “King of rock N’ Roll”. Elvis tended to recreate songs from country, R&B, and even gospel styles and turn the into a Rock N’ Roll hit. He was, and still is one of the most popular artists in the world. Dance in the 1950s also changed with the rise of Rock N’ Roll. Faster dances such as The Bop became very popular. The Bop consisted of a lot of foot tapping, and dancing separate from your partner. The Stroll was also very popular, but it was usually done with just girls. Two lines of girls would face each other with a large gap in the middle, and the girls would advance their lines by stepping into the space to perform a solo. A common dance today was also invented in the 1950s, called The Swing. It was basically a more advanced version of The Jitterbug, and is still practiced today. Music and dance affected the economy in a huge way. With the thousands of ticket sales and albums being bought, the economy was on a steady rise in the 1950s.



__ Television and Movies: (Danielle Horan) __ Due to the post civil war economy the middle class people in the fifties were able to purchase televisions, not one for every room but they were able to have one for the household. When people in the fifties watched TV they didn’t do it alone like we do, television for them was a time for bonding, a family time. They would all sit together watch the same show and enjoy each other’s company. This extra money also allowed people to be able to the movies and do several other activities outside of the house.The average cost of a movie ticket in the fifties was .25 cents for children under 12 and .50 cents for kids over 12 and adults.

The biggest change in communications worldwide was the advancement in the area of television broadcasting. During the 1950s, television became the dominant mass media of the world, because televisions were starting to become more prevalent in households. In the early fifties, the number of hour’s young people watched TV steadily increased, a trend, which has not changed greatly since that time. The things that were portrayed on television became accepted as normal. Here is where things like the ideal families, schools, and neighborhoods were set into people’s minds. Before television these things were all seen in a way that was all based on reality and after television these ideas were based solely on fantasy.

__Sports/Leisure Activities (Paige Martin)__



During the 1950s, many sports increased greatly in popularity. Due to the 1950s being a prosperous time, many people had more leisure time to participate in sports and activities. Furthermore, there was an increase in the amount of spectators for sporting events. For example, from 1950-1959, the total attendance at Fenway Park was 11,311,966 people. The ticket prices were also about $1.60 for normal seating. There were more expensive seats for the more wealthy people as well. As television became more popular, the amount of fans grew tremendously.



Sports such as golf, tennis, basketball, baseball, and boxing were very popular during this time. Many famous players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jim Brown, and Jackie Robinson first became popular during this time period. Furthermore, college football and golf became more common. Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer, two famous golf players, created the idea that to succeed in business, men needed to play golf.



**1950s Fashions/Fads** During World War II, people wore practical and simple clothes. Nobody had the money to spend on clothing, and people were more focused on the war, than their appearance. As a result, when the war ended, women wanted to wear prettier clothes, which were now available for them. Some women opposed the “New Look” because they felt as though women were reverting back to a time when they were thought of as weaker. They thought that the new clothing forced them back to a decorative role when they had just fought so hard to prove their strength and abilities. However, other women didn’t care and embraced the new clothing that they had not been able to wear in years.

**MALE:** Leather jackets were very popular among teenage boys in the 1950's. It is said that teenage boys wore leather jackets in order to attract girls. The "good guy" looks consisted of a letter sweater and penny loafers. The "cool guys" turned the collars of their leather jackets and shirts up to be a "hep" **FEMALE:** Poodle (wide swing) and pencil skirts were very popular among young teenagers and women. Older women wore girdles under their dresses to show off their curvy bodies or "figure eight". Dresses with bolero sleeves were also popular. All of the preppy girls would wear saddle shoes. Ballet slippers with white sock were also popular. Ray-Ban Wayfarers were first made in the 1950s and are still being worn by hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Gloves and scarves were popular accessories; without gloves, women did not look appropriate at fancy restaurants, parties, and social gatherings. **HAIRSTYLES:** Most hairstyles were curly. Straight hair was not in style. Ladies often tied their hair into a ponytail with a scarf wrapped around it. Since they did not have blow dryers, they used hairspray. A popular hairstyle was called the "poodle cut" The "duck’s ass" or "DA" hairstyle was also popular among guys that were rebels.

__** Politics and Reform **__

The 1950s were a time of post-war economic boom and the people in politics took full advantage of it. Harry Truman began the decade as president and used his Fair Deal reform that was designed to help the workers of the country, though it didn’t achieve many successes. In the 1952 election, Rep. Dwight D. Eisenhower faced a situation where his running mate, Richard Nixon, was accused of receiving illegal gifts from politicians. But much like the way of the 50s where most any situation turned out for the good, the crisis eventually made the Republican ticket stronger and helped Eisenhower be elected as president. As the economy kept rising, he government began investing more money into the military and becoming involved in foreign disputes. Both the Korean War and foreign aid were involvements of the 1950s and much of that was because the government had money to spend. A lot of money was also invested into nuclear weapon development that was started by the Cold War, but also heightened the tensions of the battle.

--Dan Snare