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Affluence in the 1950s

            
             American society after WWII experienced a major change. The growth of business and industry provided abundant wealth for the country. The middle class grew and grew; this social class was deemed "affluent". As the middle class grew the space between them and the poor also grew. The paradox between progress and poverty in a society which was capable of providing for everyone showed the countries inability to deal with social and civil issues.
             The economy was booming and the middle class soared. The standard of living in the middle class also rose. People were able to own all of the amenities of life. Economic prosperity lead to rising incomes which encouraged people to spend. People built new houses in the suburbs or moved into expensive apartments. The Average family owned two cars. These were the expressions of what John Kenneth Galbrith called "affluent society." The middle class looked great but it was becoming apparently obvious that prosperity had bypassed millions of Americans. The poor did not necessarily get poorer but the gap between the poor and the affluent was continuously widening. .
             The more obvious centers of poverty existed in the large black intercity slums. With minorities the question of race perpetuated the gaping divisions between rich and poor. In the ghetto poverty meant a severe substandard of living and unemployment or at best low-paid, unskilled jobs. Many black slum dwellers found most legitimate avenues to economic success blocked. The separation of white and black corresponded directly with rich and poor. Because the blacks were unable to break the racial barrier they were stuck with low end jobs. As a result of Urbanization blacks were entering cities as whites were moving to suburbs. The gap between rich and poor was huge.
             Neither local or federal programs seemed to do anything to solve the problem. As a result millions of Americans were living in poverty.


Essays Related to Affluence in the 1950s

1. Britain in the Aftermath of WWII

... the period can't be considered a period of social unrest. In 1951 the class systems was still very much in place, class was easily defined through the way people dressed or spoke. However in the 1950s and 1960s, Britain became a more affluent society, with a higher disposable income and a greater influence from America; 91% of the population owned a television in 1964, compared to 4% in 1951. The disposable income and rise in affluence was a key factor in the aggression ... between the ˜Mods and Rockers' during the Brighton riots. The ... ...

  • Word Count: 1075
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. The British Conservative Period: 1951 – 1964

... between 1951 and 1964, suggest ing whether that those years were 'thirteen wasted years'? During the 1950s, the country was riding off of the enjoying a post-war boom. Men's weekly wages rose from £8.30 in 1951 to £15.35 in 1961. Thise increase of wages helped civilians the population save more and buy more, including vehicles. Home ownership became more accessible as mortgages were ... of consumer goods – televisions, washing machines, refrigerators and new furniture. The new sign ofThis affluence gained through a rise in disposable income, prior to during the economic boom an...

  • Word Count: 1541
  • Approx Pages: 6
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3. Emptiness of Japanese Affluence

... " altogether. He also shows how the fall or rise in the Japanese economy is extremely important in order for Japan to deal with the problem of industrializing. To him, the foundation of the whole problem is how to institute social power over the "forces of production." The author illustrates with suitable historical detail as he traces the first time usage of the bulldozer into Japan in the 1950s to the damming of practically every river ... Japan's economic and political standpoint for those in search of an elaborate source on the international involvement of Japan in these areas. The E...

  • Word Count: 2199
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Cultural Impacts of the American Automobile: 1946-1974

... , than cheaper pricing enabled it. Immediately following World War II, "Americans did not hope for affluence-yet, but they clearly wanted something beyond adequate." At long last, the hallowed promise of "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage " was on the verge of actuality for much of the middle class. Because of the ability to now make monthly payments on a car, rather than pay for ... and muscle. Conclusion Throughout the course of the 1950s and 1960s, the automobile came to control American culture, from its massive rise in production, its creation of an American obsession...

  • Word Count: 7127
  • Approx Pages: 29
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5. The Wicked Problems of British Cities

... a post-industrial or knowledge-based economy (see Florida, 2000 and 2002). In addition since the 1950s there has been a concern with the impact of what might be termed `urban sprawl' and demographic change. This took two forms, on the one hand, and linked to the deindustrialisation thesis, industries that were not closing for good relocated to suburban and ... (see Mason (ed), 2003). Such areas have often been the spaces in which urban unrest has exploded in Britain's urban areas (Bradford, Oldham and Burnley in 2001 were the latest examples in a long line stretching back to the 1950s ...

  • Word Count: 9857
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6. Analysis of Clothing Today

Penny loafers make people think of the 1950s or the 1980s. When we hear the term "Nehru Jacket" we think of the 60s. The term "Bell Bottoms" conjures up memories of the 1970s. Izod, polo, leg warmers, Ug boots, parachute pants, and short shorts make us think of the 1980s. Flannel shirts, worn out loose fitting jeans induce memories of the 1990s. Low rise jeans, and layered camisoles have been ... popular over most of the first decade of the new millennium, but unlike decades gone by, for the first time in the history of modern fashion, all worlds have collided to create the hodgepodge that is...

  • Word Count: 394
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Lucky Strike for the Marlboro Man

... portrayed smoking as something that is intrinsically connected not only to femininity, but to hyper-masculinity as well, particularly in the form of the Marlboro Man, who was ruggedly handsome and many American men tried to emulate his cowboy-demeanor by smoking cigarettes ... to be a "man" by portraying its iconic admen as the pinnacle of masculinity. During the 1950s, a period of traditional gender norms and separate spheres, there was a rise in filter cigarettes because of the increasing number of health risks tied to smoking.1 As a result, cigarette ... in which a woman can maintain...

  • Word Count: 1053
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8. Liberal Consensus

... War period. Most liberal anticommunists realize that domestic racism is America's "Achilles heel- in the Cold War battles against Communism and for the hearts and minds of formerly colonized peoples around the world. At the same time the black civil rights movement of the 1950s takes up the language and rhetoric of American patriotism, affluence, normality and consensus and exposes it as potentially hollow and meaningless since it doesn't apply ... to all citizens. In other words, at least in the beginning, black leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., embraced the ideals of the liberal c...

  • Word Count: 3629
  • Approx Pages: 15
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Review

... green Jell-O mold all have in common? Karal Ann Marling asserts that Americans became obsessed with such colorful new objects during the 1950s, and that mass marketing and advertising convinced Americans to display such items as signs of their success and affluence. Aesthetics is the key word Marling uses to describe the consumer culture of the 1950s, with a growing emphasis on the new, bright, fresh and colorful ... . As Seen on TV centers not on the study of television, but on the transformation of visual culture coinciding with the emergence of commercial television. Contrary to the hi...

  • Word Count: 2184
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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