The Postwar Era (1945-1965) was a period of prolonged economic prosperity. The United States entered World War II still mired in a decade-long depression, but exited the war not only having achieved a double victory over Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan but poised to enter a new period of economic prosperity. The US economy experienced a handful of recession. during the Postwar Era, including one right before and after the conclusion of the war, but most of the recessions of the postwar era lasted less than a year.
Two key socio-cultural features of the Postwar Era were suburbanization and consumerism. Neither of these key features of modern American life began in the 1950s but both underwent explosive growth during the 1950s. Just as important, economic growth during the Postwar Era was directly tied to the explosive growth of the the suburbs and American consumer culture during the Postwar Era. The 1957 promotional film In the Suburbs (see the lecture PowerPoint) highlights many of the key features—as well as junction—of suburbia and consumerism during the fifties.
Write a 400-word paragraph that answers the question: How does the film In the Suburb highlight/illustrate the importance of suburbanization and consumerism during the 1950s?
- Referring to the lecture PowerPoint and The American Yawp “The Affluent Society” (pp.
288–313), describe how and why the suburbs and consumer culture expanded during the Postwar Era. - Analyze In the Suburbs by briefly describing the content and context of the film (i.e. why the film was made) and explaining how the film illustrates the expansion of suburbia and consumer culture during the 1950s. PLEASE NOTE: Take care to connect the dots between the film (B) and the aspects of suburbanization and consumerism you describe before the film (A). To do this, you must describe two segments of the film in detail and then explain how those segments illustrate, or link back to, the major themes for this assignment: suburbanization and consumerism.
- Finally, include one short quotation from The American Yawp “The Affluent Society” (pp.
288–313) and corresponding citation.