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Highways, Houses & Hamburgers. Postwar 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
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Highways, Houses & Hamburgers Postwar 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
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
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