Question

The 1950s have been labeled "The Good Old Days" and/or "Happy Days". This nostalgic view of the decade can be problematic. In your assessment, how would you characterize this decade? In your answer, consider how different groups fared during the period.

Answer 1

During the 1950s, America's economy was prospering, and the fruits of this prosperity–new cars, suburban houses and other consumer goods–were available to a larger population than ever before.

However, the 1950s were also a period of great conflict. For example, the nascent civil rights movement and the crusade against communism at home and abroad exposed the underlying divisions in American society.

During the 1950s, the gross national product in America more than doubled, growing from $200 billion to more than $500 billion. Much of this came from the increase in government spending, ie. taxes were being made of this time.