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The 1950s

The 1950s. CHAPTER 8 SECTION 3. An economy of abundance. In the 1950s, the United States seemed to be experiencing a new type of economy —an “economy of abundance.” New technology allowed the U.S. to produce an endless variety of goods and services.

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The 1950s

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  1. The 1950s CHAPTER 8 SECTION 3

  2. An economy of abundance • In the 1950s, the United States seemed to be experiencing a new type of economy—an “economy of abundance.” • New technology allowed the U.S. to produce an endless variety of goods and services. • As a result, most Americans enjoyed a high standard of living never before thought possible. • Automation in manufacturing • Computers were invented and developed • Medical breakthroughs and vaccination of MOST of America wipe out polio, tuberculosis, and other diseases.

  3. Cities to Suburbs • Widespread use of automobiles allowed more people to live farther away from their work. • As a result, the 1950s saw the rapid growth of suburbs outside cities. • Businesses and factories also began to move to the suburbs where the workers lived. • Meanwhile, cities began to experience serious problems. • Those who were left behind to live in the cities often included poor people and members of minority groups. • City services like police, transportation, and schools declined as tax money decreased.

  4. Cities to Suburbs • For some, however, life in the suburbs was also far from ideal. • Critics noted that a strong pressure to conform characterized American suburban life. • This conformity led to discrimination or ostracism of those who seemed “different.” • The pressures to conform in business were especially great. • This meant obeying all the rules at work, as well as having the “right” type of family and belonging to all the “right” groups.

  5. Changes in Family Life • The nation’s birthrate increased so rapidly the period between 1945 and 1961 is known as the “baby boom.” • During this time, more than 65 million children were born in the United States. B. Parents in the prosperous 1950s wanted their children to have all the things they had been denied during the Depression. • They gave their children an increasing amount of material goods and emphasized the benefits of “the good life.”

  6. The Impact of Television • One of the symbols of prosperity, the television set, was in many US homes by the mid 1950s • Television impacted American society in many ways. • It played a role in political campaigns, ushered in the era of mass marketing, and brought people closer together through a shared form of entertainment AND CULTURE.

  7. War and Peace in Asia • After the Korean War ended in 1953, the United States was faced with a new problem in Southeast Asia. • In 1954, Vietminh independence forces led by Ho Chi Minh defeated French forces attempting to reclaim their former colony in Vietnam. • Eisenhower stopped short of military support of the French, and the nation was divided in two—Communist North Vietnam and anti-Communist South Vietnam.

  8. War and Peace in Asia South Vietnam’s government was so bad to its own people that Buddhist monks set themselves on fire to protest religious discrimination. • The South Vietnamese government was dictatorial, inefficient, and unpopular. • The United States still supplied aid to the South Vietnamese to help them fight the North Vietnamese and the Communist-supported fighters.

  9. Trouble in Latin America • While the United States worried about communism in Europe, Asia, and Africa, it largely ignored Latin America. • There, great poverty had created a breeding ground for political instability. • Events in Cuba further soured United States-Latin American relations. • In 1959, rebel forces overthrew Cuba’s corrupt regime. • The new rebel government, led by Fidel Castro, soon aligned with the Communists. • As a result, the United States broke off relations with the nation.

  10. Crises in Cuba During Eisenhower’s presidency from 1952-1960, there was a slight “thaw” in the cold war; however, this did not continue under Eisenhower’s successor, John F. Kennedy. President John Kennedy’s basic foreign policy goal was similar to that of Truman and Eisenhower—containment of communism.

  11. Crises in Cuba • After Castro’s revolution in Cuba in 1959, the US began training Cubans who had left the island to return and overthrow the rebels and their leader. • In April 1961, Cuban exiles invaded the island at the Bay of Pigs. • The mission failed and was a serious blow to American prestige. • In Oct. 1962, U.S. officials learned that the Soviet Union had placed nuclear weapons in Cuba. • Kennedy ordered the Soviet Union to remove the weapons. • After tense negotiations, the Cuban Missile Crisis ended when Soviet leaders agreed to remove the weapons

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