Why are the 1950s so idealized?

[Arachnid]

The big reason was the it really was comparatively good compared to the decades on either side.

1930's Great Depression, nuff said.
1940's World War 2, nuff said.
1950's Booming economy, optimism, social stability.
1960's Vietnam, Civil Rights, Culture War.

The '50's had problems, Korea, Little Rock etc. but comparatively comes off very well.

 

[jlckansas]

And people who were effected by the negatives in the 50's were really smaller in numbers than in the 30', 40's and 60's. Most people were getting their piece of the american dream and getting higher up on the socio economic ladder.

 

[admkenshin]

As many before has said, I think it can be summed up as: Things WERE getting better. In the 50's, there was genuine hope for the future. Just look at science fiction from that era and compare it to now: It is generally utopic, or at least has a positive look on the future, while modern sci-fi is very dystopic.

 

[Laqueesha]

A similar point is the lack of the Cold War in the 1990s, leaving it somewhat idealized compared to the 1980s.

 

[Uriel]

Jerry Springer: And where are you calling from sir, 1952?
Al Bundy: I wish. That was a great year for America. Ike was in the White House, women were in the kitchen, and guys like you were in the closet.
Jerry Springer: And, you forgot to mention where you were. I suspect in a zoo someplace throwing your feces at a passing tourist.
Al Bundy: Once again, I wish.

 

[Riain]

I read that in the 50s the American middle class was proprtionally the largest is had ever been before or since. As such the richest 10% (or whatever) only controlled something like 50% (again whatever) of the wealth, unlike today where after almost 30 years of being well looked after the richest 10% (or so) control 80% (or so) and the middle class has shrunk both in absolute size, absolute wealth share and relative wealth compared to the rich.

So it's little wonder that people fondly remember the 50s, your average joe with a bit more than usual talent or drive could become middle class and live very well in the 50s. These days he's probably screwed under with tax, regulation and other disincentives.

 

[SPQR]

Ike, post-war optimism, economic boom, new technology for the avg. Joe, The Cold War, minorities knew their place, women were allowed to stay at home.
my 0.05 USD.

 

[Silver Shamrock]

I read that in the 50s the American middle class was proprtionally the largest is had ever been before or since. As such the richest 10% (or whatever) only controlled something like 50% (again whatever) of the wealth, unlike today where after almost 30 years of being well looked after the richest 10% (or so) control 80% (or so) and the middle class has shrunk both in absolute size, absolute wealth share and relative wealth compared to the rich.

I would love to know where this came from. Do you have a source for the info?

 

[Cuāuhtemōc]

The big reason was the it really was comparatively good compared to the decades on either side.

1930's Great Depression, nuff said.
1940's World War 2, nuff said.
1950's Booming economy, optimism, social stability.
1960's Vietnam, Civil Rights, Culture War.

The '50's had problems, Korea, Little Rock etc. but comparatively comes off very well.

The 1960s I heard is only demonized for Vietnam, the civil rights movement (which got particularly ugly around 1986, and the beginning of the cultural war). The prosperity I heard lasted until 1972-1973 when shit hit the fan.

That and I heard that a high school graduate could immediately get a decent job in the factories.

Guys, the reason I'm asking this is mainly for a persuasive essay.

 

[Bernard Woolley]

I don't think that the '50s are quite as idealized in the UK because of post-war austerity. But I think there was a great deal of optimism around after the end of the war.

 

[Julius Vogel]

In New Zealand's case, pretty similar to the rest

1. The Korean War and the rebuilding of Europe and parts of Asia demanded exactly what NZ was wanting to sell and at a great price. So standards of living were very high, compared to the rest of the West.

2. WW2 rationing had ended - later than it should have, but we were initially low on foreign currency and had to keep supply British demands for some time.

3. Post war construction was not focused on rebuilding but instead extending the 1930s State Housing projects (in NZ the central government is often referred to as "the State" and it historically provided most government housing, not local council government) - the "quarter acre + villa" dream. So for a lot of families, whether native born European NZers, rural Maori migrating to the city, or post war British immigrants, this would have been their first purpose built modern house and it would have been with plumbing, electricity, lots of garden space and provided by the State. That must have been amazing to people who have been at war or having lived through the Depression.

4. Guaranteed jobs - NZ kept full employment right until the late 1970s/early 1980s, despite the cost. This system only really began after the War and I can imagine that this must have been a huge deal to people who have been to war and suffered the Depression

5. Despite the decline of the British Empire and the impact this had on NZ's place in the world (very pro British and pro Empire), the rise of the US meant that it was a very benign security environment.

 

[Cuāuhtemōc]

I don't think that the '50s are quite as idealized in the UK because of post-war austerity. But I think there was a great deal of optimism around after the end of the war.

From what I heard, unemployment was in one of its lowest levels.

 

[SavoyTruffle]

There's also the fact that it occurred right after WWII, where every great power except the ol US of A (because the fighting just had to happen in Europe, and Little Boy and Fat Man paid a visit to Japan) is badly damaged by it. This not only left the USA in the best position overall, it also resulted in an economic boom and a feeling that America, did in fact, save the world.

 

[Typo]

I would love to know where this came from. Do you have a source for the info?

My post in this thread had the link from slate

 

[mrmandias]

Sorry for contributing so little but I want to know from people who either grew up during the post-war economic boom (1945-1973) or know about the era in US history. Please?

Are they? I don't think I've ever had a conversation where I mentioned something positive that happened inthe 1950s without instantly getting the racism, segregation, soulless corporate jobs, oppressed housewives litany.

 

[Geon]

the 50's and early 60's

I can speak most clearly of my own experiences. It was really for me very much like "Leave it to Beaver" and "Ozzie and Harriet". It was a time of innocence. It was also a time of personal freedom if you can believe that. There was no conception of a "nanny state" that told you what was and wasn't good for you. It was a hopeful time, a time when it really seemed anything was possible. From my own study of history I would say that the only time that truly would have matched it in U.S. history was the 1920's.

Now, let's be clear, it was not a fantasy world for everyone. If you were a minority, most notably African-American it's likely you would not be in on this dream and indeed had to deal with a great deal of persecution and struggle. Likewise for many other minorities it was a difficult time.

There was fear. The idea of a nuclear war was a very real fear among the population. The Civil Defense public announcements on TV and radio would sound quaint and laughable, that is until September 11, 2001. But, at the same time, the idea of having one's fallout shelter was not a thing of fear but of fun. We didn't have one in my family, nor do I know of anyone that did. But it gave a certain mystique.

Today, we look back on the 50's with nostalgia. In some cases we look back with scorn. I can only offer my own experiences and say to me it was wondrous and I only wish it had delivered on the promises it seemed to make.

Geon

 

[Blackfox5]

You only need to compare with America in the 1930s and 1940s which had the Depression and the sacrifice associated with war. In comparison, the 1950s was heaven. The US was undoubtedly on top of the world with the highest standard of living along with the self-confidence of having been victorious in WWII.

It's quite simple really.

 

[modelcitizen]

I think an amount of 50s-idealizing is stylistic, iconic imagery, Elvis, jet age, bold flashy cars, etc.



As some have noted, some folks really like the 50s because they hate hippies and the "turmoil" of the 1960s, the decadence of the 1970s, freedom rock and disco, etc.

 

[Francisco Cojuanco]

Why? Simple - America was spared the worst of the war. Add to that the, ahem, exuberance of men returning home and the equal exuberance of their girlfriends to get married and to ahem, procreate (people had way more sex than is usually portrayed in the era), and you get this sense that the worst was somewhat over (at least until MAD) and things could only keep on getting better. So perceptions of prosperity and opportunity (which was starting to seep in to other minorities, too - this is the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, and war industry had improved living standards somewhat), added to a modern sense of decline (reasonable, given we have just come out of an economic downturn), and you get an idealization when things were "simpler" - and indeed it was, but it was just as sustainable as the post-Cold-War exuberance - that is, not sustainable at all. And that's not to say about the fact that people who were kids at the time may not have known about the social problems affecting their elders (teen pregnancy, IIRC, was at its highest rate before the 80's).

 

[grdja83]

Title should really be modified to include "in the USA", because only there it holds any truth.

Nuclear families, rise of suburbia, post war economies, patriarchal family still holding true and strong, non whites barely considered people. It was "golden time" only for rich and middle class while males.

Anyone in any country in Europe that was in WWII will tell you nothing good about '50es. Everyone was poor and struggling to rebuild.
I remember reading here recently that on a visit in '57 Khrushchev couldn't possibly believe what he was seeing in USA was true and that USA middle class could possibly be that rich. Middle class in France or UK would be able to believe it, but still would greatly envy the Americans. Germany, Poland any hard hit country was still in deep troubles.