Urbanisation and Affluence Flashcards
(25 cards)
Why was the period 1953-1963 one of prosperity for Americans (mostly white)
It was a contrast from the Great Depression and war and nobody expected it.
There were larger homes, more devices, higher spirits. Americans felt like they lived in a land of opportunity.
This fluency led to growth of suburbia and more consumer goods.
However, what were the common concerns of the general public from 1955-1963?
The Nuclear threat of the Soviet Union (Cold War)
Conformity: critics said American culture was very homogenised (same/uniform).
Consumerism (those who purchase more are ‘better off’) lots of adverts
American youth (older Americans thought the younger generation was less well behaved)
Race relations/racism (especially for blacks in south)
ECONMIC inequality around USA was huge and 1/3 Americans in poverty (present in minorities)
Who was Dwight. D Eisenhower ( Republican president from 1953 -1961), and what were his idealogies?
Eisenhower was elected in 1952, and then again in 195. He was a previous career soldier and played a huge part in the Normandy landings during WW2- so Americans respected his help in the war.
. He was however more “hands off” and focused on foreign policy. He didn’t dismantle Roosevelt’s democratic NEW DEAL however he hated the federal government involvement.
. He was huge on national budgeting though and didn’t want too much money to spend on Cold War defence.
What were Eisenhowers greatest achievments (especially roads– how did this lead to more car ownership)?
He was huge on national budgeting though and didn’t want too much money to spend on Cold War defence. When the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, Eisenhower responded following year with NASA (1958) and national defence education act which promoted study of science in USA.
. He also initiated a GREAT highway construction program. After WW2 he returned to USA and though American roads were in shocking condition compared to Germany,
. Unprecedented prosperity meant that car ownership rocketed from 39.3 million in 1950 to 73.8 million in 1960. Eisenhower needed a highway system to handle traffic. He said more cars meant greater confidence better life etc…
. Congress authorised 41,000 miles
What was happening with post war America and cars (like General Motors, Chrysler and Ford)
Post war American affluence included lots of new cars. Purchase of cars had slowed down the depression and World War Two.
Cars were NOT CHEAP in 1955 and many middle class Americans opted towards Chevrolets and fords starting at 1300 dollars (2/5 average family income).
People had more money to spend after war due to post economic boom.
In 1955 7.9 million cars were fractured alone. New stylish cars with radios, ac, heaters, colors were made by big three GENERAL MOTORS, FORD AND Chrysler.
Eisenhower also loved cars.
How did autombile affect US society?
utomobiles shaped US society from 1955 to 1963. Gave young people greater freedom, gave status and contributed to suburban growth and urban decline.
What kind of cars did wealthy white men prefer?
expensive models like Cadillacs and Lincoln’s (social status)
What kind of cars did working class buy?
bought Chevrolets and fords.
What kind of cars did Hispanic/Blacks drive, and what did they desire?
Hispanic American drivers bought cheap second hand Chevys and Cadillac was a desired car and status symbol for black middle class in 1960’s.
Why were cars attractive/desired for young people?
It encouraged young people to gain independence and escape parental control. And it became an important part of dating as well due to the 1953 Kinsey survey (young ppl had sex 2x more in cars than at home)
Young men used cars to express individuality.
Why were cars attractive/desired for women?
Cars also helped free women, such as when they could visit shopping malls. However, some cars sold for women reflected stereotypes like the 1955 dodge la femme came with a matching bag and lipstick. And sometimes men also tried to take the driving seat more so reflects dominance.
How did on-the road culture affect the growth of non automobile industries/jobs?
Cars made life easier to travel and Americans could get places easier. They became very mobile and their new on road culture meant fast food and cheap accommodation.
Motel chain was born in 1952 with the first holiday inn opening and there were 228 mcdonalds by 1960.
These created lots of jobs in service industries and lots of new roads, motels, stores etc.
When did McDonald’s first open, and how was it emblematic of the USA?
McDonald’s reflected the new on road culture and reflected the rise of service industries as it catered to speed and efficiency.
McDonald’s story began in 1940 when businessmen dick and Maurice McDonald opened a drive in restaurant in California. They focused on created speedy hamburgs and used plastic dishes etc. their whole concept was based on speed, lower prices and volume.
In 1954, Ray Kroc was appointed as mcdonalds franchise manager and he opened his first McDonald’s franchise in 1955, making 100000 per annum. 10,000 of 30,000 mcdonalds today are in the USA.
How did the autombobile/on the road industry impact american economy?
lots of americans employed in service industries by 1960 7.6 million service workers
How did the expansion of automobiles lead to decline of urban centers?
After the mid 40’s the growth of suburbs accelerated greatly, (11 million out of 13 million homes built between 1948-1958 were in the suburbs).
More automobiles meant that more people could travel around and live in bigger houses further away, that aren’t in urban centres.
This meant cities were filled with people who could not afford to move out and they lost their tax base (as less ppl) and further deteriorated.
What are the reasons for the growth of suburbia?
Firstly, there was little house building during the 1930’s/second world war. This led to the post war housing shortage, leading to 250 streetcars being sold as homes in Chicago. The shortage of housing encouraged builders to construct more homes.
The Federal Housing Administration and Veteran Administration offered house buyers mortgages of up to 90% of the value of a home and up to 30 years to pay them off at a low interest rate.
Also The VA allowed nearly 2.4 million World War Two veterans to purchase homes between 1944-1952. By 1966 the FHA and VH provided 41% of all new mortgages, which contributed to the rising percentage of owner occupied homes.
Also, land and new homes were cheaper in suburban areas than in cities.
More car ownership and highway construction made it easer for people to work. The white flight was white people moving to suburbs. They were also followed by retail services.
What were Levittowns, and why were they so attractive to white American families?
First Levittown built on Long Island hempstead in 1947.
It was built for young veterans and had 17000 homes 80000 residents shopping centered, village greens, nine swimming pools and two bowling alleys. Residents also had to law mown, have no fences and no hanging out washing on weekends. Very controlled area. They were so popular that people would want to queue to buy them. They were originally at 8000 dollars, Were well constructed with heating and built in closets. There were spacious with modern bathrooms, attached garages and gadget filled kitchens. They were also exclusive and if a black family bought a house, rocks were thrown at them in 1957.
How did the Great Migration lead to Black americans living in inner city ghettoes, and how did whites contibute to ghetto growth?
During Great migration, millions blacks fled southern states and moved north (detroit/chicago).
Lots of black people lived together in ghettos. This was because of personal choose and migrants preferred to live in safer areas with community and because of white racism. Whites contributed to the growth of large urban ghettos.
How did federal government policies support these new changes in locations?
The FHA distributed billion of dollars of low mortgages in the late 1940’s, butexcluded applicants who were risks due to their ‘income’. These risks were normally black Mexicans or Jews.
Federally constructed highways enabled suburbanites to commute to city jobs,.
Also congress authorised construction of 810000 subsisted public housing units and purchased slum areas for redevelopment.
They used restrictive covenants to exclude black Americans from white neighbourhoods even though Supreme Court said these were illegal in 1948.
Why was it so hard for black tenants to buy houses in suburb areas (due to gov policies and white people)
Lending institution like developers and city officials made It difficult for black Americans to buy decent housing and due to this black tenants had to pay overprice.
Sometimes white housing riots were stayed such as in 1951 where several thousand working class whites used looting and burning to drive out the black family.
Whites also fled out of black ghettos. They fled to Oakland, California and suburbs. They refused to pay taxes to assist these cities. When black pressure to stop segregation grew, southern whites fled to suburbs.
They wanted to tear down black communities and replace with commercial areas.
Federal goverments attempts to alleviate black housing shortage innefective (only 325,000 built and some failed like pruitt idge)
What was the Pruitt Igoe project, and why did it fail so badly (case study)
One famous public housing project was PRUITT IGOE.
The government funded 33, 11 story apartment Buildings from 1954-1956 and the high density blocks could house 10000 people. They had laundries, trees and play areas. However by 1963 the areas became dirty and mugging and rapes were common and the elevator rarely worked.
Many people said it failed due to few facilities, too sterile, too big and there was hardly any money for maintained. .
And some said that it was single females with families and or/black people, and authorities didn’t maintain the electricity, also had poor transport links.
What was pruchasing power, and how did it increase?
In 1960, an average family income gave Americans 30% more purchasing power than in 1950. Also, suburban Americans rushed to buy cars and anything else ‘essential’. Purchasing power is the amount of products and services available with a certain currency unit.
How were household goods part of the american dream?
Products like washing machines, dishwashers and freezer’s made the life of housewives easier. The ability to buy what Americans wanted when they wanted it became a part of the American dream. Mass advertisment made this possible like (radio, television etc).
Why did critics dislike consumer culture?
Intellectuals like David Riesman feared that consumerism and materialism were becoming central to the nations identity and were undermining traditional American Values, such as money management and hard work.
Harvard economist John kenneth Galbraiths THE AFFLUENT SOCIETY (1958), argued that americans were too materialstic and evangelist billy graham echoed these concerns.
