FYS The Fifties

The 1950’s was a great era. Although we have only been in class for about two weeks I have already learned so much. I can honestly say that I was surprised to hear about some of the topics we were discussing. I have always thought of the 1950’s as an amazing time to be living in America. Thinking of the 1950’s I would think of Marilyn Monroe, cute furniture and similar home décor, and of course dancing in poodle skirts and sharing milkshakes with friends. I knew in general about most of the subjects we have talked about such as the atomic bomb, the wars, and scares of communism but I didn’t really know much about the details or how it had affected the people and us today. To be honest I never really placed any of those serious issues with the 1950’s. I know all this happened around that time but I guess I just never put two and two together. I saw the 1950’s as a happy thriving time and so I put all the political/government issues and frightening parts of the 1950’s in a different thought. I separated the good from the bad, but know I can put it all together and I see the truth of the 1950’s.

I am going to try to stick to one topic for this blog. Please bear with me and cut me a little slack because this is my first blog entry and I am not entirely sure what to write. Let’s discuss civilization during the postwar period. Things seemed to be looking up; life appeared to be pretty good after the war. There was a rise in employment, technology was advancing, housework was becoming less labor intensive, veterans were receiving benefits, and even civil rights were being worked on.

As new technology was brought about and the need for the manufacturing of consumer products rose, so did employment. There weren’t many people unemployed at that time and for this reason many people were now able to afford a low cost home. Lucky for them the suburbs had just came about. These were groups of small homes, all very similar in layout and décor. The fact they were so small and easy to build made them cheap and they were able to fit many in a small area. As for veterans, they had it even better. When veterans returned home from war they were given great benefits thanks to the GI Bill. This bill allowed the government to pay for a veterans college or vocational training, give them low interest business starting loans, and low-to-no interest housing loans. Veterans had an affordable way to start a life after the war.

Now going back to the subject of the suburbs, everything began to become very similar. Because the houses all had the same layout, most of them had the same or very similar furnishings. Not only did everything begin to look alike in that respect but also in cooking. American’s were now trying to make everything simpler, including household work. Cooking became as easy as pouring some milk into a bowl with some pre-packed powdered ingredients, mixing it up, and tossing it in the oven. Of course that made life for a woman so much simpler but it also made everything very generic. What happened to the cakes made from scratch and the secret recipes?

Times were changing and I’m not sure if it was for the better or for the worse. With the advances in technology not only was it labor saving but it also increased American security. That sounds like a really good thing but it also caused some fear. With the creation of the atomic bomb the military strength grew. This power was nice when we could hold it against other countries but once Soviet Union began creating their own atomic bomb it created great uneasiness for Americans. The threat of a nuclear war was looming over their heads and there was nothing they could do about it. There was a lot going on behind the scenes of what we now think of the 1950’s and we have only yet peeked behind the curtain.

-Page M.