CULTUREIFY. Butter: 36 cents per pound RetroWaste makes every effort to provide quality learning materials and access to legal purchase methods within the confines of U.S. law. Tin-Tan, a famous Mexican actor from the 1940s, wore zoot suits in his films. Marvel Comics introduces Captain America in March 1941. What did people wear in the 1940s? – Car accidents: 26.2, Unemployed: 8,120,000 Labor leader Cesar Chavez sported zoot suit attire in his younger years. Even though they were beasts, cars in the 1940s typically got between 15 and 20 MPG. Many baseball players and other celebrities went to war, and much of American culture was focused around it. (1883-1971) During the 1940s, Americans knew all too intimately the darkest hours of World War II and its devastating effects–as well as the celebrations of unrestrained jubilation that followed victory. Instead of facing shortages like most people, the movie industry in the 1940s was well supported by the government thanks to its morale boosting qualities. While racism was still very present, the integration movement had made some progress in the wake of World War II. Social welfare: $8.8 billion The Eisenhower era. GNP: $99.7 billion In 1949, George Orwell wrote a classic novel about a dystopian future. National debt: $43 billion Average salary: $1,299, Homicides per 100,000: 6.3 After 1941, American life began to change in many important ways. At the end of World War II, American soldiers returned home to a country quite different from the one they had left four years earlier. – Farm: 23.2% Throughout the eighteenth century, clothing manufacture—from the raising of the raw materials, through the spinning and weaving, t…, Chanel, Coco Films like Citizen Cane, Casablanca and The Grapes of Wrath enamor filmmakers to this very day. Car sales: 3,767,300 The 1940s have emerged as a new and popular decade for writers; this cultural history, brief but well written, serves as a fine introduction to the period. … Though prosperity brought new moral challenges, all the major U.S. religious groups gained strength in the 1940s. https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/culture-magazines/1940s-lifestyles-and-social-trends-overview, "The 1940s Lifestyles and Social Trends: Overview – Doctorates: Male (2,861), Female (429) Public education: $2.34 billion This latest addition to Greenwood's American Popular Culture Through History series is an invaluable contribution to the study of American popular culture. . Still, the ’40s brought us Jeep, the Slinky, Velcro, Tupperware AND Frisbee. Glittering skyscrapers expressed the confident mood of corporate America, while sprawling new suburbs offered home ownership to the expanding middle class. Oranges: 29 cents per dozen Many items we take for granted today were rationed, meaning you could only buy the amount the government allowed. Address: P.O. 12 Jan. 2021 . Postwar consumerism was even stronger because of the shortages that had occurred earlier. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Milk: 13 cents per quart ICONS: Mount Rushmore, World War II, Mach 1. U*X*L American Decades. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. New materials, such as nylon, went into making carpets, furniture, and even ornaments. Encyclopedia.com. When you look at them you can tell that late ’40s cars were the baby stages of the awesome ’50s cars we love so much. Family: Married Irving D. Harris, 1943. In order to use less fabric, clothes became tighter and more versatile. Prime rate: 0.6% Many women stayed in the workforce when the war ended, but the emphasis was on home, family, and traditional values. Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra & Perry Como did very well in the 40s. Native American Culture and History In 1940 Hitler invades Norway, Denmark (April 9), the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg (May 10), and France (May 12). Contact: Stanley Rittenhouse, President. Coffee: 21 cents per pound. By the 1940s, post-WWII, consumerism and first wave feminism started to play a role in the American Dream, and by the 1950s the American Dream had encompassed the ideas of futurism and opportunity. I think “It’s A Wonderful Life” is one of the most moving performances I’ve ever seen. Retrieved January 12, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/culture-magazines/1940s-lifestyles-and-social-trends-overview. ." This book explores the major cultural forms of 1940s America: fiction and non-fiction, music and radio, film and theatre, and serious and popular visual arts. », 1940s Sports: History, Facts, MVPs & Champions ». Phonographs were finally affordable. . Velcro was invented in 1948 in Switzerland by George deMestral. Bacon: 27 cents per pound ... One of the basic changes that occurred in the culture of America in the post-war years were typified by custom built housing such as Levittown, where new attitudes were taking hold. Fabrics were heavy and expensive. Suicides per 100,000: 14.4 Sporting events all around the world were disrupted by World War II. Now let's have some fun! ." To great fanfare, Winston Churchill becomes the leader of Great Britain in 1940. In some cases, rationing was the only way to ensure that all citizens get access to things needed for survival. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. The 1940s Lifestyles and Social Trends: Overview The United States did not enter World War II (1939–45) until after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Men wore gray and brown suits with white shirts and slim ties. Diarist Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in … The United States was the only nation that had fought in the war to see church attendance increase sharply when the fighting ended. The Counter-Culture of Post-War America; Go to Post-War World (1946-1959) Ch 9. Suits were simple, two-piece garments, with squared-off shoulders. The affluence of the 1950s resulted in large part from technological advances made during the war. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Shortages affected men's fashion even more dramatically. In the 1950s, financial prosperity allowed young Americans to participate in a shared culture of rock and roll music, movies, and television. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Ingrid Bergman won an Academy Award in 1944 for her portrayal of Paula Alquist Anton in the movie Gaslight. Labor force male/female ratio: 3/1 Gabrielle Chanel, known for most of her adult life as "Coco," created a fashion revolution in w…, Terry, Peggy Women's clothing was tailored and elegant, but dresses and suits in wartime were kept simple. The 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games were cancelled because of the war. There was a huge increase in financial contributions, and church building expanded rapidly. WWII drastically effected the entire automotive industry. The U.S. government put limits on the amount of fabric available for civilian clothes. American bacteriologist William A. Hinton (1883–1959) is promoted to Clinical Professor att he Harvard University Medical School, the first Black professor in the history of the university. World War II and its Impact With Our Culture In the 1940s, African-Americans faced considerable obstacles in their everyday lives due to Jim Crow laws and unwritten, racially biased social codes. Post WWII optimism and the rise of the late 1940’s American suburb. In 1944, multi-talented singer-actor Bing Crosby won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Going My Way. Federal budget: $13.2 billion They included millions of women, ethnic minorities, and teenagers. Instead, they bought war bonds or saved in other ways. Post-War American Life: Culture of the late 1940s & 1950s 8:10 7:14 Next Lesson. Pachuco was a style of Mexican-American dress and culture which was associated with the zoot suit. In the beginning of the 1940s, America was in the midst of World War II. – Bachelors: Male (109,000), Female (77,000) Korean War overview. . The consequences of the war lingered well into the second half of the decade, with a war-weary Europe divided between the jostling spheres of influence of the Western world and the Soviet Union, leading to the beginning of the Cold Wa The 1940s was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1, 1940, and ended on December 31, 1949. The 38th Street gang was a Los Angeles street gang known for wearing the zoot suit in the 1940s. Censorship & radio boycotts held back the good stuff. After work, American men relaxed in comfortable slacks, sweaters, and sportswear. POP Culture: 1940. Round steak: 36 cents per pound Popular Culture 1940s The late 30's and The war in the 40's changed many things and one of those was how black sportsmen became popular heroes and paved the way for future generations, these included Joe Louis (Boxer), Jesse Owens (Runner) and Jackie Robinson (Baseball Player). Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. – Movies (weekly): 80 million Most of the Nisei did not want to remain on family farms or in the roadside vegetable business and with the strong encouragement of their parents obtained high school, and in many cases, university educations. Sponsored by the Center for American Studies and the Heyman Center for the Humanities. The original company or artist retains all copyrights. Union membership: 8.1 million Wartime jobs paid well, so many Americans found themselves better off than ever before. In this lesson, we will explore American postwar culture. Gernreich's family came from the nonreligious Je…, CLOTHING INDUSTRY. A clear overview of the major cultural forms of 1940s America: fiction and non-fiction (specifically newspapers and magazines), music and radio, film and theatre, serious and popular visual arts… – Tuberculosis: 40 The 1940s featured dozens of movies that were technological breakthroughs. The 1940s: A World At War The 1940s got swallowed up in World War II. Marvel Comics introduces superhero Captain America in March 1941. For American women, a style called the New Look brought full skirts and soft, feminine curves to fashion. GERNREICH, RUDI © 2019 Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Ohhhh, yeah, beat me daddy eight to the bar!The 1940s slang words reflected the era, too. (January 12, 2021). The Korean War. Movies were pumped out, fashion changed drastically and sports got all of their athletes back. Encyclopedia.com. Rubber soles were a luxury. While they were more sophisticated than before, families still loved to play board games while listening to the radio. By 1941, raw materials such as steel, rubber, nylon, silk, oil, and fabrics were in short supply. Share your love for The 1940s: A World At War. You were not allowed to simply waltz into a store and buy as much sugar, butter or meat as you like. . The 1940s got swallowed up in World War II. Pockets, frills, and unnecessary buttons disappeared. – Heart: 485 https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/culture-magazines/1940s-lifestyles-and-social-trends-overview, The 1910s Lifestyles and Social Trends: Topics in the News. Therefore, it’s best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publication’s requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Deaths per 100,000: More than anything else, Americans wanted to put the war behind them and enjoy the benefits of victory. Many baseball players and other celebrities went to war, and much of American culture was focused around it. "The first work I had after the Depression was at a shell-loading plant in Viola, Kentucky. In 1948, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball. After the war, manufacturers applied new skills and ideas to making goods for the civilian market. But even before that, the war had made an impact on American life. After approximately 14 years, carving at Mount Rushmore concludes in October 1941. Harvard Medical School would eventually honor Blayton by renaming its Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ state laboratory after him. But after the war, everyone’s spirits focused once again on extravagance and pop culture. Deaths per 1,000: 12.1 But because most producers of clothes for men were making military uniforms, it was almost impossible to buy a new suit after 1942. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. The boundaries of social and political hierarchy were delineated by the clothes one wore, and throughout the early-modern period sump…, Gernreich, Rudi – Urban/rural: 74/57 Eggs: 33 cents per dozen Rice Krispies adopted the phrase “Snap! Manufacturers began to put more effort into supplying the wartime needs of Europe, creating shortages at home. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Americans began to buy newly built homes in suburban communities outside of busy cities. It is almost impossible to explain how much of an impact the war had on all aspects of life. The book was titled 1984. Email. Factory worker During the 1940s, Americans knew all about jive talk and slang!Find more slang from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s right here in CULTUREIFY.COM The Legendary Microwave Boss Lady - October 1, 2020 Pop!” to describe the sound it makes when you pour milk on it. Patriotic conservative organization seeking to improve the public image of "Germanity" and to publicize contributions to American culture made by German Americans. Births per 1,000: 19.4 U.S. Population: 132,122,000 By 1940, over half of the Nisei held Japanese as well as American citizenship. U*X*L American Decades. You also couldn’t fill up your gas tank whenever you wanted. Sophisticated, rigorous, and deeply humane, Jim and Jap Crow is a fresh consideration of American politics in the middle decades of the twentieth century. Life Expectancy: Male (60.8), Female (68.2) After discussing the dominant ideas that inform the 1940s the book culminates with a chapter on the 'culture of war'. Men were being sent overseas and women were being sent to the factories. Pop Culture Goes to War Hollywood stars, radio personalities and the musicians enlisted in the war effort, as well, both on the frontlines and on the Home Front. Hepburn’s high-waisted slacks and button-down shirt off-screen look bordered on a uniform and epitomized the emerging “American look” in the 1940s. Most of World War II took place in the first half of the decade, which had a profound effect on most countries and people in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. – Baseball (annually): 10 million, Consumer Price Index (if 1967 = 100): 42 This site does not claim ownership in any way. Google Classroom Facebook Twitter. To make up for a lack of adornments, women wore hats and high heels, and carried long, flat leather handbags. "—Mae Ngai, Columbia University "A cartographer of social interstices, Matthew Briones illuminates the racial borderlands of 1940s America. In contrast with Americans’ romanticized historical memory of the postwar period, the cultural history of the 1950s was complex. Buildings were simpler and more efficient, while furniture became less elaborate and more functional. Sports balls were made of inferior rubber. Cars were large, powerful, and streamlined. The 1940s Lifestyles and Social Trends: Overview. Strikes: 2,508 In 1940, African-Americans made up just 4 percent of Brooklyn’s total population. U*X*L American Decades. The United States did not enter World War II (1939–45) until after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Research 1940s clothing styles, trends & history with our year-by-year timeline & 50+ pictures. We will learn what life was like throughout the late 1940s and the 1950s by highlighting important cultural trends. College Degrees These laws and behaviors created strictly segregated barriers, and discrimination pervaded most areas of life.