Highways, Houses & Hamburgers
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Transcript of Highways, Houses & Hamburgers
Highways, Houses & HamburgersPostwar Economics and Culture
The ‘50s
Technology: from war to life
The end of the Manhattan Project
Physicists as celebrities: Robert Oppenheimer
From scientists to suspects
Economic Strength
US: ½ wealth in world, ½ productivity, 2/3 of the machinery
Mass production: weapons and consumer goods
Worker became consumer
From coal to oil: demand increased but prices still low Oil consumption tripled from 1949-1972
Auto Industry: GM
First corporation to gross a million
2 threats: labor unrest, anti-trust enforcment
Cars got bigger because profit margin was bigger
Gov’t help Eisenhower’s Admin tolerant of big business Federal highways projects
1952 Corsair Coupe
Homeownership: The American Dream
Highways + cars = suburbia
First houses $5000 (average family wages for 2 years)
Following the war, auto-workers made $60/week= $3000/year
Hollywood pitched houses as the American Dream
GI Bill, passed in 1944 provided, among other things, low cost mortgages as well as assistance for returning soldiers to get education and training to become better employed
Bill Levitt’s Dream
Suburbia & Mass Production
• Bill & Alfred Levitt, PA & NY
• Experience in war as contractors for the US military/gov
• Mass production of homes
• 27 steps = 27 teams
• Pay for efficiency
• 1945 housing crisis
Innovation: Fast Food & Franchises
McDonald’s brothers 1940, San Bernardino
Target clients: family
Need for speed
narrow menu
mechanize production
specialize workers