Post-War Consumerism #1

After World War II .....

the United States was the world's

most powerful nation. Americans were ready to forget about World War II and get

back to the good times!

Does this remind you of another era we studied?

Did you notice that all of the images were about consumer goods?

After World War II ended,

the Baby Boom began.

The Birth rate in the United States jumped

Between 1946 and 1964 over 79 million babies were born in the US

What do you think was going on in the United States when the birth rate

dropped to 9 million?

If you guessed that it was the Great Depression - You're Right!!

education and job training

Guaranteed low interest loans to buy homes

Guaranteed an income for the first year

if the soldier was unemployed

Help finding a job

Soldiers came home and bought houses, started families and purchased consumer products

college wasn't just for rich people anymore

With the end of WWII, the Baby Boom and the G.I. Bill families were looking for space to grow

This need for space was met

by the creation of suburbs

Suburbs are housing

areas where people live

outside the city –

but still work there

Developers like Bill Levit responded to the demand for affordable housing by applying assembly line ideas to the home building process

Levittown

Mr. Levit used standardized parts and specialized construction crews

(workers would move from site to site, completing their one task)

Levittown became famous for the way they quickly built suburban homes –

in assembly line fashion - like Henry Ford,

only the workers moved instead of the houses

This is Ms. Phelan’s house, it was build in 1957,

in the style of a Levittown home.

Levittown was one of the first examples of the new style of living – the suburb

This quick and efficient way of building was soon copied by other builders, creating a massive supply of affordable housing.

Watch this commercial, think about why the woman would need a car......

Post-War Consumerism - Presentation #1

Do you see ..........

The house?

The car?

How do the people look?

Look carefully at the next few images to see

what you can learn about the 1950's

Post War Consumerism

THE GI BILL WAS ALSO GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY

Developers like Bill Levit responded to this demand by applying assembly line ideas to home building

He used standardized parts and specialized construction crews

(workers would move from site to site, completing their one task)

Levittown became famous for the way they quickly built suburban homes – in assembly line fashion

Levittown

The G.I. Bill provided...................

The G.I. Bill

Soldiers could come home and go to college because of the GI Bill

The GI Bill forever changed education

in the United States

The G.I. Bill made it possible for returning soldiers to easily

fit into civilian life

Where did they get the money to buy all the new things the factories were producing?

Many soldiers came home and got married.

In this new consumer culture there were lots of things to buy.

What was happening

in the

United States after

World War II

Yes, this is a real picture of Ms. Phelan's home.

The title of the commercial "Automobiles Influence the Suburbs"

The Suburbs

Soldiers came home, married and started families.

The Baby Boom

Every structure was a work of art

This room is so awesome that the entire room was re-made inside a museum so everyone could visit it!!!

A House Called Falling Water

Falling Water:

The Opposite of a Levittown Home

Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect.

He designed amazing one of a kind homes.

Click forward to take another look at the chart while you think.

THE END

Locate Presentation #2 to Continue...........