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There were many events that occurred in the 1950's. New inventions were created such as the photocopier, and DNA was discovered.
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Cold War
- The Cold War started right after WWII ended. It was between the US and USSR. There were conflicts between the type their governments had. The US had a market economy, which promoted free trade. Investment, production, and distribution are based on supply and demand. The USSR was based on a command economy, where the state controls. In this economy, the government controls the investment, production, and distribution of goods and services. The Soviet Union preferred communism, was highly against capitalism and wanted other countries to also believe the same, while America liked capitalist democracy and thought that the USSR's government system was unjust. This resulted in wars like the Korean and Vietnam war. The Red Scare was also present in the 1950's in America. It was when people were scared of communists residing in the US. A senator named Joseph McCarthy used this fear to accuse people of being communists or communist-sympathizers, as a result many innocent people were unjustly thrown into jail. As a result, The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller in 1953, it was about the Salem Witch Trials, and he used it to criticize the current society and how the accusations were unfair. In the end, all of theaccusations were proven to be false. The "Space Race" between the USSR and US started in 1955, and ended in 1972, and it was the term called for the competition for supremacy in spaceflight capability.
Post WWII Economic Boom
- World War II brought a return of a period of prosperity to the United States, and became the world's richest country after the war. Gross national product leaped from $200,000 million in 1940, to $300,000 million in 1950, and to more than $500,000 million in the 1960's. The growth came from multiple sources. The numbers of automobiles produced quadrupled from 1946 to 1955. The economy was also expanded because of affordable mortgages for returning soldiers. The defense spending also played a part during the Cold War. Major corporations expanded even larger after 1945, among them was International Telephone and Telegraph, who bought Continental Baking, Hartford Fire Insurance, and Avis Rent-a-Car. There were also smaller corporations like McDonald's fast food chains. Less workers produced goods, while more provided services. The majority had white collar jobs in 1956, such as teachers, corporate managers, salespersons, and office employees. Some were granted benefits such as guaranteed annual wage, and long-term employment contracts. The changes caused some class distinctions to fade. Some Americans moved too; after the war the West and the South West continued to expand until the end of the century. As suburbs grew, businesses also expanded to new areas. Large shopping centers changed consumer patterns, and the amount of these centers went from 8 in the end of WWII, to 3,840 by 1960. There were also the Highway Act of 1956 was established, which gave $26,000 million to build more than 64,000 kilometers of federal roads to connect all parts of the countries.
Age of Affluence
- The Baby Boom Era happened between 1946 to 1964. It was caused by income increasing, because couples could afford to have children. This was because there was low demand for material objects and there were many jobs with high pay. The children that were born during this era are called "baby boomers". They consisted of all races, ethnic groups, and religions. The GFR (General Fertility Rate) increased and funneled a huge amount of money into the American economy. This helped in making the era the "Age of Affluence". At this time, consumerism, which is the idea that regular consumption of goods and services will contribute in creating a strong economy, was increased after the mass production from WWII. This helped pull America out of the Great Depression in the 1930's. New modern appliances were made, such as the refrigerator and toasters, and they were in high demand fr their usefulness. In order to help the returning soldiers and their families after WWII, a man named William Levitt had the idea to create Levittown, which are 4 suburban areas with houses similar to apartments. They were first sold in 1947, and over 1,400 were purchased within three hours. They were built in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico. The rise of Levittowns started the development of suburban living. Because soldiers were coming home, there was more demand for houses but they were scarce. As a result, suburbs were built. They were made up of different kinds of houses, like trailers and town homes. There was a large amount of people that lived in these places during the 1940's and 1950's, and they were usually veterans and their families.