The 1950s

The Fifties

The 1950s have often been called a conformist decade, but underneath the surface changes were happening that would have a major impact on society in the future.

Prosperity For Many, But Not All

The postwar economic boom that had been created by the wartime economy of the 1940s continued in the ‘50’s. Millions of Americans-mostly white, but also from a growing black middle class-were lifted into prosperity that many had never known during the Depression and war years. New suburbs, such as Levittown, which began on Long Island, New York, were built to accommodate tens of thousands of veterans and their new families that had contributed to the Baby Boom of the postwar years. The Interstate Highway System that was ordered built by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 also contributed to a large migration from the cities to newly built suburbs, aided by automobiles, particularly station wagons, which became symbols of independence for young people and suburban mobility for their parents. New products, such as television, provided entertainment and news. Dozens of other new products and gadgets were introduced which made housewives’ jobs easier, while at the same time giving them a greater sense of freedom. Teenagers discovered rock and roll through Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc, horrifying many of their parents and moral watchdogs who campaigned heavily against the new music but couldn’t stop it.

The new sense of freedom wasn’t lost on the civil rights movement, which found inspiration in the Supreme Court’s historic Brown vs Board of education decision, which made racial segregation illegal in American schools, and in Rosa Parks, whose arrest for her refusal to give up her seat for a white passenger on a bus in Alabama prompted busing protests across the South.A young minister named Martin Luther King, Jr., also began gaining attention with his powerful oratory against racism and segregation.

The Cold War

In the aftermath of World War Two, the United States and the Soviet Union became the two leading superpowers. Both set up spheres of influence in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, as the divided Germany came to symbolize the divisions between East and West. The cold war became hot in Korea, after North Korea’s Communist government invaded the South, starting a war that would last for three years before a cease fire was reached in 1953. The United States also became more involved in Southeast Asia after the French withdrew from South Vietnam where they had been fighting Communist insurgents in that country’s ongoing civil war since the end of World War Two. On the positive side, Japan recovered rapidly from the devastation it had experienced during the war through the “Japanese Miracle” of the 1950s following the end of American occupation in 1956. Elsewhere, the sun finally began setting on the British Empire, which officially became a Commonwealth in 1957. The 1950s saw a period of decolonization in Africa, where countries like Kenya gained their independence following protracted guerrilla campaigns against the British. The 1950s also saw the Suez Crisis with Egypt, which threatened to escalated into a conflict between Britain and the Soviet Union before American diplomatic intervention; the crisis was another example of how the international order had changed for Britain as the Empire went into a decline.

The Space Race

The late 1950’s saw America shaken out of its complacency with the launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, in 1957, which was soon followed by the launches of dogs by the Soviet Union and a chimpanzee by the United States. The space race also started a race to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles, and the creation of cosmonaut and astronaut programs in both countries, although the United States lagged behind the Soviets for the next few years.

Entertainment

The 1950s saw the rapid growth in the popularity of television, which had been delayed during World War Two. By the early 1950s the first major network affiliates were founded in New York, Los Angeles, and other major cities. Early television was often based on radio programs, and shows were broadcast live, although video tape was introduced in 1954. Color TV was also introduced in the 1950’s, although the quality was poor for the next several years. Popular shows included “I Love Lucy,” “Howdy Doody Time,” “Gunsmoke,” “The Lone Ranger,” “Father Knows Best,” “Superman,” and “Leave it to Beaver.” High quality dramas were also broadcast on anthology shows like “Playhouse 90”.

While TV became popular, movies had to find new ways to adapt. An attempt was made with 3D films, which were often poor in quality, and the attempt was soon abandoned. Epics and musicals were popular, as were war movies, Westerns, and science fiction films. Drive-in theaters attracted many to outdoor film showings.

In music, the fifties began with the end of the big band era and the rise of singer songwriters like Johnny Ray,Eddie Cantor, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra. The Fifties were, of course, also the first decade of the rock and roll era. Elvis Presley exploded into international fame with hits like “Heartbreak Hotel” and his appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show; his public demeanor and respectful attitude allayed many adults’ fears that he would be a bad influence on their children. The 1950s also saw the rise of folk music, inspired by the civil rights movement, through groups like The Weavers and the Kingston Trio, and singers like Pete Seeger.

Literature in the 1950s became defined by several important works which challenged traditional and contemporary views on conformity and society. Books like Ralph Ellison’s “The Invisible Man,” “Catcher in the Rye,” “On The Road,” and “Fahrenheit 451,” dealt with themes of alienation, rebellion, and censorship. In England, “Look Back in Anger” represented a new generation of “angry young men” in British theater. Surrealism, in the form of plays such as “Rhinoceros,” also emerged in postwar Europe. In the US, “Beat” poetry, as written by Allan Ginsburg and Jack Kerouac, represented a new, abstract form of stream-of-consciousness poetry. Art, too, was influenced by post-modernism and impressionism, as seen in the works of artists like Jackson Pollack.