The 1950's
The Fifties
During the 1950’s, a sense of uniformity was obvious in American society. Conformity was common, as young and old people followed group norms rather then their own individuality. Though men and women had been forced into new employment patterns during World War II, once the war was over, traditional rules were reaffirmed. Men were expected to be the breadwinners, and women’s proper place was at home. The United States experienced phenomenal economic growth. The growth had different sources. The automobile industry was partially responsible, as the number of cars produced annually quadrupled between 1946 and 1955. A housing boom, stimulated in part by easily affordable mortgages for returning servicemen, fueled the expansion.
One of the main political events of the fifties was the Korean War. About two million people were killed in the Korean War. The U.S suffered losses of about 54,000 dead and 103,000 injured. In June 1950, the war exploded and became hot because the Americans realized that the Soviets could find ways to threaten the Americans goal of peace. President Truman ordered American air and naval forces to go help defend South Korea against Communist China and the Soviet Union. By August, enough U.S American soldiers had arrived to reinforce the South Koreans. Soon after, the U.S Marines launched a bold attack around the positions held by the communists. In 1951, negotiators from both sides began talks about ending the war, but peace still did not come until July of 1953 when a peace agreement was finally signed. The Korean conflict became one of the first expressions of the Cold War between Russia and America. It was an attempt to balance the power, which had been thrown so badly out of position by World War II.
In 1952, the Americans watched the presidential nominations on TV. They had never seen any like it because of all the excitement and screaming. The Republican candidate was Dwight Eisenhower with Richard Nixon as Vice
President. The Republican campaign slogan was “I like Ike” and became very popular. The Democratic nominee was Adlai Stevenson. He didn’t win because his solutions to problems were very complicated. Ike was elected because he was a man of peace with simple answers for changing America. Eisenhower was president all during the 1950’s.
The fifties were a time of many medical advances. Modern medicine wiped out smallpox, yellow fever and polio. For the first time in...