A Consumers’ RepublicA Consumers’ Republic

SuburbanizationSuburbanization Development of shopping mallsDevelopment of shopping malls Effects on urban and town centersEffects on urban and town centers A “Consumers’ Republic” – what A “Consumers’ Republic” – what

does Cohen mean by this?does Cohen mean by this? Elaine Tyler Mar, Elaine Tyler Mar, Homeward Bound: Homeward Bound:

American Families in the Cold War American Families in the Cold War EraEra

Postwar America as a Postwar America as a time of “happy days”time of “happy days”

the elevation of the elevation of comfort over comfort over challenge, safety challenge, safety over risk, and over risk, and private private pleasures over pleasures over public affairspublic affairs

Postwar American DreamPostwar American Dream widespread postwar widespread postwar

affluenceaffluence

Democratization Democratization through shared through shared abundance (Cohen)abundance (Cohen)

   by 1953, average US by 1953, average US

family enjoyed twice family enjoyed twice as much real income as much real income as in the 1920sas in the 1920s

SuburbanizationSuburbanization baby boombaby boom consumerism set the tone of postwar consumerism set the tone of postwar

American lifeAmerican life

  

Levittown circa 1950

Dan Ryan Expressway, Chicao

Consequences of superhighway development for urban, ethnic neighborhoods

suburban sprawl – note dependence on cars

Persisting Poverty for Persisting Poverty for SomeSome

poverty remained fact of life for poverty remained fact of life for millions in the cities and on farmsmillions in the cities and on farms

African Americans, who had loyally African Americans, who had loyally supported the war and in many supported the war and in many cases served in the military, once cases served in the military, once again confronted grim reality of again confronted grim reality of racism at homeracism at home

FHA, Redlining, and FHA, Redlining, and CovenantsCovenants

Images that reflect postwar Images that reflect postwar consumerismconsumerism

Watch clip from In the Suburbs (1957 promotional film for Redbook magazine)

Civil Rights Movement Civil Rights Movement and Postwar Racial and Postwar Racial

ConflictConflict

Widespread Widespread Complacency?Complacency?

After WWII, most Americans turned After WWII, most Americans turned away from public issues away from public issues   preoccupied with careers and familypreoccupied with careers and family

  reform energies responsible for New reform energies responsible for New Deal subsided into complacencyDeal subsided into complacency

  spirit of times not reformist but spirit of times not reformist but conservative, complacentconservative, complacent

  BUT surface appearance of comfort BUT surface appearance of comfort and complacency hid feelings of and complacency hid feelings of anxiety anxiety

Anti-CommunismAnti-Communism

“ “Beware, commies, Beware, commies, spies, traitors, and spies, traitors, and foreign agents! foreign agents! Captain America, with Captain America, with all loyal, free men all loyal, free men behind him, is looking behind him, is looking for you, ready to fight for you, ready to fight until the last one of until the last one of you is exposed for the you is exposed for the yellow scum you are.”yellow scum you are.”

March 1947, Truman issued Exec March 1947, Truman issued Exec Order 9835 establishing Federal Order 9835 establishing Federal Loyalty programLoyalty program

order provided for loyalty check on all order provided for loyalty check on all govt employeesgovt employees

employees asked whether they employees asked whether they provided religious training for their provided religious training for their children and what they thought of children and what they thought of female chastityfemale chastity

By end of Truman’s terms in By end of Truman’s terms in 1952, 39 states had enacted 1952, 39 states had enacted antisubversion laws and antisubversion laws and loyalty programs loyalty programs 

1947 – series of HUAC 1947 – series of HUAC hearings to expose hearings to expose communist influence in communist influence in American life dominated the American life dominated the newsnews

probes blurred distinctions probes blurred distinctions between between dissent and dissent and disloyalty, radicalism and disloyalty, radicalism and subversionsubversion

Second Red Scare reflects shift Second Red Scare reflects shift in American cultural and in American cultural and

intellectual lifeintellectual life   dissent no longer safe or acceptable dissent no longer safe or acceptable

now to be a dissenter, as communistrs like now to be a dissenter, as communistrs like LeSueur were in the 1930s, opened one up LeSueur were in the 1930s, opened one up to allegations of subversion and disloyaltyto allegations of subversion and disloyalty

anticommunist hysteria was both a anticommunist hysteria was both a product of postwar anxiety and, for product of postwar anxiety and, for many, a contributor to itmany, a contributor to it   as Hollywood’s reaction shows, one had to as Hollywood’s reaction shows, one had to

be very careful to maintain proper be very careful to maintain proper appearances of loyalty and patriotismappearances of loyalty and patriotism

1959 Kitchen Debate1959 Kitchen Debate

Consumer CreditConsumer Credit

First credit card in 1950; AmEx follows in 1958

installment buying, home mortgages, and auto loans raised Americans’ total private indebtedness in the 1950s from $73 billion to $196 billion

Hillsdale Shopping Mall, San Mateo, California circa 1960

IN THE SUBURBS IN THE SUBURBS (1957)(1957)

Aerial view of Park Forest, Illinois, 1952

Consumerism meets the Cold War

"The Kitchen Debate": Consumerism is the American way

To us, diversity, the right to choose, . . . is the most important thing. We don't have one decision made at the top by one government official. . . . We have many different manufacturers and many different kinds of washing machines so that the housewives have a choice. . . . Would it not be better to compete in the relative merits of washing machines than in the strength of rockets?

-Vice President Richard Nixon at the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow, 1959

(quoted in Elaine Tyler May, Homeward Bound, 1988, 17)

Suburban growth and the home-centered American

dream

social and material consequences of suburbanization

William H. Whyte's The Organization Man (1956)

Domestic idealism: the family as a haven in an uncertain world

"This book is about the organization man. If the term is vague, it is because I can think of no other way to describe the people I am talking about. They are not the workers, nor are they the white-collar people in the usual, clerk sense of the word. These people only work for The Organization. The ones I am talking about belong to it as well. They are the ones of our middle class who have left home, spiritually as well as physically, to take the vows of organization life, and it is they who are the mind and soul of our great self-perpetuating institutions. Only a few are top managers or ever will be. In a system that makes such hazy terminology as "junior executive" psychologically necessary, they are of the staff as much as the line, and most are destined to live poised in a middle area that still awaits a satisfactory euphemism. But they are the dominant members of our society nonetheless. They have not joined together into a recognizable elite--our country does not stand still long enough for that--but it is from their ranks that are coming most of the first and second echelons of our leadership, and it is their values which will set the American temper."

--William Whyte, The Organization Man