The Golden Age: The 1950's
...lies in the country were now part of the middle class, a dramatic change from the class structure in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Higher real wages allowed people across social classes to finally buy consumer goods, and that consumer power, in contrast to the under-consumption of the 1920s and 1930s, help spurred the economy tremendously. Since, the postwar economy of the 1950s was booming, people now had plenty of time on their hands. The public was in a spending mood, and the businessmen found a medium in which they can get their products to the consumers. The television came into be the medium in communicating to the people. Unlike the radio before it, the television made it possible to view live events right in one’s living room. The earliest television sets started appearing households was in the mid-1940s. By 1949 the tides were turning and the television was overtaking the radio. By 1955 the television had taken over completely, and one can be found in almost every American household. It became a way for families to bond in the newly created suburbs. The television united the American society by showing the nation’s politics, promoting capitalistic consumerism in advertising, and portraying images of the ideal! American family. By the end of 1952, the television had permeated well into America with 19 million sets in American households. Lastly, the development of the suburbs would contribute to the stage of conformity, & helped many Americans receive a better lifestyle. Instead of living in the polluted & noisy city, citizens finally had the opportunity to own homes for the first time, with the help of developers such as William Levitt. Better homes were becoming more affordable at reasonable prices. No longer did Americans have to witness high crimes and experience over crowding, instead they had the chance of taking part in a more homogeneous community. Now, citizens in the suburbs had the chance to become better acquainted with their neighbors, which was an disadvantage if you lived in the city atmosphere. ...