MEDIA

Although many Americans today associate the 1950s with prosperity, stable families, suburban living and relative peace, the decade had a very dark side as well. It is true that the post-war economic and technological boom provided an increased standard of living for many Americans, particularly those who were white and in the middle class. Post war benefits such as those granted under the GI Bill helped to provide growing baby boom families with better housing and educational opportunities. For many, the American Dream seemed to be within reach at last.

However, as mentioned above, all was not unicorns and lollypops. In 1950, North Korean troops invaded the South, triggering a joint United Nations response that resulted in a virtual stalemate and more than 35,000 dead Americans. The United States and the Soviet Union continued its Cold War by stockpiling vast numbers of nuclear weapons. The Iron Curtain across eastern Europe remained strong, holding millions of Germans, Poles, Czechs and others doomed to live under oppressive authoritarian regimes with little hope for the future.

On the homefront, schools were still segregated in the South and millions of Black Americans were consigned to the status of second class citizenship. There was hope, however. The 1950s saw a significant increase in civil rights activities and calls for racial integration. The landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v Topeka Board of Education cleared the way for the integration of public schools, although many in the southern states resisted and local governments had to be forced to comply.