Pop Culture In The 1950s

American society today has been shaped by years past. After the Second World War, U.S. inhabitants dedicated their lives and time to shape and improve America’s culture to the way it is today. Through the decades of the 1950s and today, the society has changed through scientific and technological advances. On the other hand, aspects of the culture have not changed because its citizens have yet to advance in those areas.

As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post-war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people. While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the

The 1950s and the 1960s had many similarities, though they had many differences as well. Their similarities and differences include: the politics, the economy, the society, and the culture of both decades. In the 1950s, North Korea moved into South Korea and began a civil war between the two parallel countries. The reason for this dispute was the border lines as well as guerrilla fighting in the South, which created a greater tension on the issue. The reason why the U.S entered the Korean War was so that the Soviet Union would not gain another nation and, in turn, more power. Like the 50s, our country was also at war with another country in the 60s. This time, the U.S was at war with Vietnam. The U.S entered the war because the

World War II had just ended. Women that were working because their husbands were out fighting in the war came back home when the war ended. The 1940’s ended and it was time for a new decade. The 1950’s were looked as a state of mind or a way of living instead of another time in American history. The 1950’s were the most influential decade in American history because the civil rights act began, fashion was completely new and trendy there were more much advancement in entertainment and medicine, and suburban life was much more functional than any other decade in America.

And with these new things brought new jobs, more money being made, the economy was growing, and that’s only a small portion of what some things affected. Some of the things that changed the 50’s were hit movies such as: Superman and The Lone Ranger.(4) Aside from that a huge hit was Walt Disney’s creation of Disneyland which was opened up in 1955.(4) Teen culture was sparked by the new sound of “Rock ‘N Roll”, and a huge icon in that genre was the hip swinging Elvis Presley.(Silverman 5)

During the years between 1920 and 1960, America saw change in many aspects of life. The United States was a part of two major wars and a crash of the banking system that crippled the economy greater than ever seen in this country’s history. Also the country had new insecurities to tackle such as immigration and poor treatment of workers. These events led to the change of America lives socially, economically, and politically. The people of America changed their ideas of what the country’s place in the world should be. The issues challenging America led the country to change from isolation to war, depression to prosperity, and social change. The threats to American way of life, foreign and domestic, were the changing forces to the

“The 1960s began with a number of movies that were set in World War Ⅱ, in which the United States and its armed forces were portrayed as heroes” (Benjamin 23) Since Hollywood could not always predict which films would do well and which ones wouldn’t, what worked in the past would not always work in the present (Dirks) Maybe no other type of movie demonstrates the changing times of the 60s more than movies built around the talent of rockstars. For example, by 1960, Elvis Presley had already been cast as leads in four different movies, all with predictable plots where Elvis played a variety of upper class admirable characters (Benjamin 24). Another type of movie that was very popular in movies are movie-musicals. “Three of the biggest hits of the decade were musicals: My Fair Lady (1964), Mary Poppins (1964), and The Sound of Music (1965). Funny Girl (1968) and Hello, Dolly! (1969) were also successful movie musicals” (Benjamin 33). There were many other movies made in the 1960s that are still popular today, and tv movies started to become very popular in the 60s.

The 1950s is considered to be the model decade of America. Families were close, children respected their elders, workers worked hard to provide for their families who grew up in nice neighborhoods, and the economy was booming. The forced conformity, neglect of the poor, and segregation are often overlooked when talking about the decade as they were during the time period. The 1950s were a prodigious time period for family life but not for the individual or societal ethics.

The 1960s was crammed full of many impacting events and important figures. From Hitchcock releasing one of the greatest thrillers of all time, Psycho, to Marilyn Monroe’s untimely death, to the infamous Woodstock festival. This era changed history completely and made the United States think twice about its youth. Events of the 1960s are still impacting our country as we know it today. The sudden pull from the conservative ‘50s changed America’s views on all aspects of life, including fashion, entertainment, and lifestyles.

Australian popular culture in the 1960s had multiple features, many of which were influenced by the social changes and counter culture at the time. The primary aspects of Australian popular culture in the 1960s were; music, fashion, film, sport and television.

Chicago 1950 to present had many major events in society and pop culture take place during this time period to make it the city it is today.

For conclusion, the article, “What We Really Miss About the 1950s” by Stephanie Coontz shows that 1950s is the decade that have a lot of vote when it comes to the decade that good to live in. Even though, the rates are high, but the reason people choose it is because it have a more friendly economic. This decade do not suitable for people that be consider as the “others” during this time. So, this decade will only good for live in for the white people, or more narrowly will be for the white men. Because there’s a lot of sexism and racism during this decade.

The United States of America has seen great change throughout its history. While a considerable amount of time has matured the nation, the core spirit of the American people remains unaffected. In spite of all the wars fought and problems that arose, the

The 1950’s and the 1960’s was a time of change and evolution. It brought on the Civil Rights Movement. This was a very influential time period were these new ideas were incorporated into everyday life and they

The 1960’s was a decade that forever changed the culture and society of America. The