The 1950s in America was a great decade, both socially and culturally. Its main legacy is its economic growth. As wealthy as the post-World War II United States had become, there were several reasons that the 1950s was also a decade that had serious problems, aside from the strength of its strong -- and growing -- middle-class.
I admire the 1950s because the family was the social focus of the overall culture. Family life was the hub of America's newly-found status after the Allies prevailed in World War II, in 1945. The 1950s was also a time of phenomenal economic growth ("The 1950s: Happy Days", internet). In the 1950s, affluence centered around the new middle class, and was characterized by its ability to buy "fancy" consumer goods, such as new cars and appliances.
However, there were a number of problems in the American 1950s. First, gender roles were highly-inflexible. Men were still the primary breadwinners, and women were relegated to a secondary role in the family, the culture, as well as overall society. Gender roles were very staid and inflexible -- a paradigm that would be challenged during the sexual revolution of the 1960s. Another problem in the 1950s was the so-called Cold War with Russia (Brinkley, internet). Both the US and Russia built up a large supply of nuclear weapons, and tried to out-compete each other in terms of armaments build-up. Also, the 1950s was the height of the "polio scare", when children were warned to stay out of swimming pools.
While the affluence of the 1950s is something to be admired, it was nonetheless a decade that had its own share of problems. It was a decade of phenomenal economic achievement, but just under the surface, a new social revolution was brewing.
Works Cited
Brinkley, Alan. "The Fifties." (n.d.). Retrieved on 27 Nov 2014 from http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/fifties/essays/fifties
The 1950s: Happy Days. (2014). Retrieved on 27 Nov 2014 from http://www.ushistory.org/us/53.asp
