After the Second World War ended, the United States was a different country than it was before 1945. Before the war, almost one-third of Americans were poor. Nearly a half of farm dwellings were without electricity. One-third of the American homes did not have running water and three-fifths did not have central heating. Most African-Americans lived in the South of the country and suffered from racial prejudice (“Overview of the Post-War Era”). But though after 1945 changes for the black and other minorities did not come quickly, they eventually came.
After the WWII ended, the United States experienced a significant economic boom. Among important themes of the post-war period were the growth of the suburbs, struggle for equality among women, and the shift in power from the Northeast and Midwest cities to the West and South(“Overview of the Post-War Era”).
During the post-war period, the U.S.A. consolidated the position of the world's richest country that it is till today. Gross national product lifted from 1940’s $200 thousand million to 1960’s $500 thousand-million (“The Postwar Economy: 1945-1960”). This economic growth had various roots. The quantity of automobiles released annually quadrupled during 10 years since the end of the war. Large companies became larger while rich people became richer. Fewer people produced goods, more offered services. By 1956, the majority of Americans were occupied on white-collar jobs (“The Postwar Economy: 1945-1960”). Due to such positive changes, class distinctions started fading. On the other hand, family farms experienced hard times and more and more people left farming.
Though television was developed before the WW2, it was not as widely marketed as after the war. In 1949, consumers bought 250,000 sets per month, thus, three-quarters of families had a set by 1960 (“The Postwar Economy: 1945-1960”). Americans became exposed to seductive ads for products told what was necessary for better life.
The youth culture emerged in the new form of music – rock ‘n' roll.
The Cold War had a great impact on everyday life of the Americans. Hollywood was encouraged to create anticommunist movies. This led to a great number of films that sparked patriotism and raised suspicion of possible communist activity in the U.S.A. (“Cold War Influence on American Culture, Politics and Economics”)
The Americans had an ideological war with the Soviets during the Cold War, so we should have proved that free market capitalism was better than communism. So, the Americans thought that their patriotic duty was to purchase consumer goods in order to make the economy grow (“Cold War Influence on American Culture, Politics and Economics”). Thanks to the higher quality of life, American families were spawned by the baby boom (“The Postwar Economy: 1945-1960”).
Works cited
“Cold War Influence on American Culture, Politics and Economics”. tradshad.wordpress.com. Web. Accessed 06 April 2016 at https://tradshad.wordpress.com/writings/cold-war-influences-on-american-culture-politics-and-economics/
“Overview of the Post-War Era”. digitalhistory.uh.edu. Web. Accessed 06 April 2016 at http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=16
“The Postwar Economy: 1945-1960”. countrystudies.us. Web. Accessed 06 April 2016 at http://countrystudies.us/united-states/history-114.htm
