S2 AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE : A SHORT HISTORY Flashcards
(42 cards)
18th century
US became independent country
Exceptionalism
US built ont this idea, that it was one of a kind : embodiment of democracy and freedom
Joseph Nye
Admiration, attraction and seduction are very important elements to gauge the power of a country
American Way of Life (AWOL)
Popularized term in the 1930 to identify the set of beliefs that corresponded to the American national character, a century and a half after its independence.
Michael L. Krenn, 2017
Defining the American Way of Life and what its cultural tenets are means defining “the sometimes-torturous path the country has taken in trying to create a national identity at home.”
1780 changes
From rural to urban society.
Past : men self-employed, owned property, produced their food for own consumption. Earn living and save money.
20th century : men lived in cities, consumed new set of items produced thanks to the growth of industrialization. Made Americans live in debt.
The “Robber Barons” (19th century, Gilded Age)
Nicknames for Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan : dérogatory expression denouncing their shady and unfair practices. Most of them had become rich on their own, corresponding to the myth of the self-made man but made miney off the backs of their workers.
“Captains of industry” (also the Robber Barons)
That expression conveys the idea that without that kind of ambitious people, the United States would not have been able to move forward and become the world’s greatest industrial power. Lately, people such as Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates were nicknamed the new “Robber Barons” because they started a business that was useful and that made the American economy healthy, but it was made at the expense of their workers or users
1930s
Distrust about the Robber Barons of the industry BUT seems there was no way back (AWOL sustained by industrialization and big business, industrial country whose progress could not be slowed down).
1930s : decade during which Americans had already become hooked on consumerism, despite the problems that lay ahead.
Great Depression
Economic depression following the crash of 1929. During “Roaring 20s” : speculation in the stock market : borrow in order to invest (in stock market and real estate) but crash = people lost everything.
1933 : 15 millions unemployed (24,9%), half of banks had failed. Deflation (reduction in money supply).
New Deal
Implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelta : set of government programs (1933-39) that aimed to stop the Depression, alleviating the suffering of the unemployed Americans, and preventing future recessions.
Social Security Act 1935
Signed during the second phase of the New Deal, including unemployment insurance, aid to the disabled and poor families, and retirement benefits.
1936
US Supreme Court declared that a few laws were unconstitutional on the grounds that neither the industry, the economy or social matters could be regulated by the federal government, as mentioned in the Constitution (Roosevelt’s measures were deemed too socialist even if unemployment had dropped to 15%)
Roosevelt’s definition of liberty
“Greater security for the average man”, which justified government intervention (and thus, less freedom).
2 visions of America
- One favoring government intervention to address economic problems (Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal policies : active government measures were necessary to combat the economic problems caused by the Great Depression and to ensure a fairer society)
- The other advocating for a free enterprise system with minimal government involvement (Ogden L. Mills VS “governmentally planned economy”)
1938 Contest about “The American Way”
Editor of Harper’s Magazine : best essay winners (David Cushman Coyle, and three runners-up, Carl Dreher, Carl Landauer and Gerald W. Johnson)
The American Way contest winners 1938
- Dreher and Landauer : agreed on the fact that the American Way had been corrupted by Big Business practices
- Johnson insisted on the unequal access to liberty and democracy
- Coyle explained believed that individual freedom was the key element in defining what the American national character was.
Surprisingly, none of them dealt with consumerism when a few years after the Great Depression had abated, most Americans started consuming frantically again (in spite of the discordant voices telling them to be careful about “the spiral of consumption.”)
AWOL after WWII
First, US adopted isolationist policy to preserve the AWOL from Nazism. But WWII brought the US economy back on its feet after the Great Depression. With implementation of the huge military-industrial complex needed to defeat the Axis, the U.S. showed that it was a powerful nation.
WWII was over, hard times did not come back : the GNP (Gross National Product) soared 250% (1945-1960). Increasing consumer demand : economy kept growing, which led to a period of prosperity, the 1950s, that lasted up until the 1973 recession.
Interstate Highway Act (1956)
Eisenhower thought that it could a way to modernize the country & help people evacuate urban centers on case of a nuclear strike (from the communists). This new network of roads highly contributed to the economic growth of the country (supplies could be transported faster around the country). Also allowed Americans to move to other parts of the country. Western and Southwestern regions grew, more and more people were attracted to the Sun Belt. By 1963, California had more people than New York.
Social standards and rise of the suburbs
Nuclear family (husband, stay-at-home mother and kids) ideally living in a house in the suburbs.
The rise of suburbs reshaped the environment : malls started popping up so that the American families would not have to go to city centers in order to shop. Shopping became a true habit, advertising developed to convince Americans that they always needed more.
Post-industrial economy 1950s
Transition into a new economic area : job market changed. Automation : number of factory operators fell while number of clerical workers increased.
White-collar jobs outnumbered blue-collar workers : new managerial class (market dominated by a few gigantic businesses)
President Carter’s voice 1977
The ideology of “working hard” increased levels of stress and cardiac diseases, worsened by the consumption of fast-food. President Carter warned about the environmental issues that the future held.
Worries about the American Way
The American Way “had always been largely a white way of life, with most African-Americans not invited to participate in the bounty it offered” (Samuel)
Civil Rights Movement 1960s
Tensions, climax in the 1960s : many Americans had enough of the mold they had to fit in, VS a society that promoted conformity, individualism and blind consumerism. Entrenched racism in the South, rampant poverty and millions of dollars spent on the War in Vietnam are reasons why they “took to the streets”.
