American Consumerism in
the 1950’s
By: John Macce and Sam Stentz
The Consumer Boom
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In the 1950s the overall economy grew by 37%.
By the end of the decade the median American Family had 30% more
purchasing power than at the beginning.
Unemployment during the decade dropped to as low as 4.5%
People of the time had been living with the bare essentials for 2
decades. The Great Depression and the War had severely halted
spending.
In the 50’s the boosted economy caused people to want to spend, and
spend they did.
The American Consumer
● In the 1950’s, the Consumer was considered a Patriotic
Citizen.
● Product Placement was huge, and TV shows were always
placed in a house filled to the brink with all the latest
consumer goods.
● People had more money to spend, and more and more items
to spend the money on.
● Between 1945 and 1949, Americans purchased 20 million
refrigerators, 21.4 million cars, and 5.5 million stoves.
● Americans consumed ⅓ of the worlds goods and services
Television
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Advertising changed to a new revolutionary
media.
The first major television commercials aired to
an ever growing number of viewers
TV and Radio expenditures shot up to 2 billion
dollars every year in 1957
By 1949 250,000 Television were being bought
every month
TV commercials were an extremely effective way
of informing the public of new “must have”
appliances
Ad Agencies vied for spots on popular TV shows
like I Love Lucy and Leave it to Beaver.
Companies would focus on a simple themes, with
slogans that were repeated over and over again
Industry
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Industry responded to the huge consumer demand. In
fact by 1952 America was supplying the world with
65% of its manufactured goods.
New Industries were created out of the huge boom of
consumer spending, including The Television Industry,
The Plastic Industry, Jet Engine Industry, and Mass
Housing.
The Automobile Industry went from making planes
and tanks, and returned its attention to residential
cars.
The Housing Industry also “exploded” after the war as
millions settled down and the baby boom began.
New Devices
Many Technological Advances caused “a plethora of
goodies.” These new devices were fuel to the fire for the
American Buyer.
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Air Conditioners
Power Lawn Mower
Vacuum Cleaner
Dishwashers
Television
Plastics
Frozen Foods
Garbage Disposals
Washing Machines
Dryers
Much More
New Way of Spending
- People started to use credit to buy a lot of things
- The first credit card was “The Diner’s Club Card”, and was used only at
certain restaurants
- As the decade went on people started borrowing a lot bringing the term
“Buy now and pay later” to the country
-Borrowing brought private debt up $150 billion from what it was at the
beginning of the decade
But All Was Not Great
● 25% of the country still lived in poverty (annual
income for family of four under $3000)
● These people included people living in urban
communities and people living in the
Appalachian Mountains
● Although this percentage is shockingly high many
people believe this was the best decade in our
country’s history
Veterans After WWII in the 50s
● G.I. Bill gave WWII veterans a chance for
affordable education and work called
the New Deal for Veterans
● Industries who had to stop what they
were doing and make war materials
went back to their original jobs
● These veterans added a supply of
educated workers to the job pool,
helping the economy.
Thanks For Listening!
Websites
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/tupperware-consumer/
http://www.academia.
edu/1640182/Television_and_consumerism_in_the_1950s_Soaps_quiz_shows_and_the_Kitchen_Debate
http://www.shmoop.com/1950s/economy.html
http://www.fofweb.com/NuHistory/default.asp?ItemID=WE52
http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1187274?cid=41&terms=1950+Economy
Citations
Wessel, Megan D. "advertising, post–World War II." In Winkler, Allan M., Charlene Mires, and Gary B. Nash, eds. Encyclopedia of American
History: Postwar United States, 1946 to 1968, Revised Edition (Volume IX). New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010. American History Online.
Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE52&iPin=EAHIX002&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 9, 2014).
"The Economy Booms, 1950-1959 (Overview)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.
Schwartz, Richard A. "Epilogue: Final Thoughts on the Decade." The 1950s, An Eyewitness History. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003.
American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE52&iPin=EH50SEssay12&SingleRecord=True
(accessed March 10, 2014).
Appliancesland. Nov. 25, 2013. Mar. 10, 2013.<http://appliancesland.com/how-to-choose-the-best-portable-air-conditioner/>
Free Images Hub. March 10, 2013.<http://freeimageshub.com/tv-clip-art/tv-clip-art-7/>
Spit Takes: Quick Look at Writing & Selling a TV Pilot. March 10, 2013. <http://www.scriptmag.com/features/spit-takes-a-quick-look-atwriting-selling-a-tv-pilot>
General Article: The Rise of American Consumerism. March 12, 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/generalarticle/tupperware-consumer/>
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Economy in The 1950s."Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.