America in the 1950s
Cold War Fears
Fear and Conformity: An Introduction
Written by Zach Sauers
In the aftermath of World War II, many people began looking towards unity and simplicity for support and prosperity. America’s capitalist ideal of conformity became the norm and anything looking to oppose this would be considered antisocial, dangerous, or even treasonous. In 1949, the communist Soviet Union began their nuclear testing program. This became a catalyst for the second red scare in America. The US, in an attempt to stop communism from spreading, molded their ideas of conformity into a tool of fear and intimidation. Pressure was put on anyone who challenged the status quo and any sort of contradiction could lead to extreme consequences.
Written by Zach Sauers
In the aftermath of World War II, many people began looking towards unity and simplicity for support and prosperity. America’s capitalist ideal of conformity became the norm and anything looking to oppose this would be considered antisocial, dangerous, or even treasonous. In 1949, the communist Soviet Union began their nuclear testing program. This became a catalyst for the second red scare in America. The US, in an attempt to stop communism from spreading, molded their ideas of conformity into a tool of fear and intimidation. Pressure was put on anyone who challenged the status quo and any sort of contradiction could lead to extreme consequences.
The Rosenberg's
One family whose entire life was shaped by this national policy of conformity was the Rosenberg’s. Husband and wife Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were a working class Jewish communist couple based in New York City. In 1951, a jury convicted the Rosenberg’s of conspiracy to pass atomic bomb secrets to soviet agents during World War II. Their chief accuser was David Greenglass, who was Ethel’s brother. He had worked at the Los Alamos nuclear research center with Julius. The case had its basis in highly secretive documents, which could not be revealed in court. This, coupled with the extremely crude and unclear evidence led many to believe that the couple was innocent, though they still could have aided the soviets in some way. The prosecutor of the case said that the crime was "worse than murder". Despite the little to no evidence towards Ethel’s guilt, both were found guilty. Many believe Ethel’s accusation of guilt was used to put pressure on Julius to admit guilt. Greenglass later revealed that he had lied under oath. Despite the controversy the case raised, both Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in 1953. This trial reinforced the paranoid claim that soviet agents were actively in America. With their deaths, the Rosenberg’s became the dark example of what not to be in conformist capitalist America.
One family whose entire life was shaped by this national policy of conformity was the Rosenberg’s. Husband and wife Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were a working class Jewish communist couple based in New York City. In 1951, a jury convicted the Rosenberg’s of conspiracy to pass atomic bomb secrets to soviet agents during World War II. Their chief accuser was David Greenglass, who was Ethel’s brother. He had worked at the Los Alamos nuclear research center with Julius. The case had its basis in highly secretive documents, which could not be revealed in court. This, coupled with the extremely crude and unclear evidence led many to believe that the couple was innocent, though they still could have aided the soviets in some way. The prosecutor of the case said that the crime was "worse than murder". Despite the little to no evidence towards Ethel’s guilt, both were found guilty. Many believe Ethel’s accusation of guilt was used to put pressure on Julius to admit guilt. Greenglass later revealed that he had lied under oath. Despite the controversy the case raised, both Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in 1953. This trial reinforced the paranoid claim that soviet agents were actively in America. With their deaths, the Rosenberg’s became the dark example of what not to be in conformist capitalist America.
McCarthy
In the early 1950s, America was a time of social panic. Social pressures to conform led to one of the most shocking abuses of power in American history. Elected in 1946, Senator Joseph McCarthy went on to become one of the key individuals involved in the second red scare in America. In February of 1950, McCarthy made a speech in which he claimed to be in possession of a list of 205 people in the state department who were communists. Despite this outrageous claim, McCarthy never identified a single verifiable dishonest individual. He used his power to establish a senate subcommittee, which held hearings and leveled charges against accused communists. With his persuasive presence and exploitation of intimidation and the conformity mentality of 1950s America, McCarthy was able to gain political traction. His quest for power didn’t last long, however, and in 1954, the senate investigated charges he had raised against the Army, which he accused of harboring communists. The 'Army/McCarthy' hearings revealed McCarthy to be the liar that he was. As a result of his brazen disregard for other people, countless thousands lost their jobs and careers over false accusations and hostility towards anyone outside of the status quo. McCarthy later died in 1957 as a result of his extended alcoholism.
Fear and Conformity: A Conclusion
Through looking back on the trial of the Rosenberg’s and the bastardization of America’s legal system by Joseph McCarthy, we can get a better picture of what the priorities of 1950s American society were. Conformity was looked at as the standard by which every goodhearted American had to apply to, if they wanted to maintain their reputation and livelihood. Anything other than the status quo was viewed as anarchistic and dangerous to the American way of life. This was an age of ossification, and the reverberations of this time can still be felt today.
In the early 1950s, America was a time of social panic. Social pressures to conform led to one of the most shocking abuses of power in American history. Elected in 1946, Senator Joseph McCarthy went on to become one of the key individuals involved in the second red scare in America. In February of 1950, McCarthy made a speech in which he claimed to be in possession of a list of 205 people in the state department who were communists. Despite this outrageous claim, McCarthy never identified a single verifiable dishonest individual. He used his power to establish a senate subcommittee, which held hearings and leveled charges against accused communists. With his persuasive presence and exploitation of intimidation and the conformity mentality of 1950s America, McCarthy was able to gain political traction. His quest for power didn’t last long, however, and in 1954, the senate investigated charges he had raised against the Army, which he accused of harboring communists. The 'Army/McCarthy' hearings revealed McCarthy to be the liar that he was. As a result of his brazen disregard for other people, countless thousands lost their jobs and careers over false accusations and hostility towards anyone outside of the status quo. McCarthy later died in 1957 as a result of his extended alcoholism.
Fear and Conformity: A Conclusion
Through looking back on the trial of the Rosenberg’s and the bastardization of America’s legal system by Joseph McCarthy, we can get a better picture of what the priorities of 1950s American society were. Conformity was looked at as the standard by which every goodhearted American had to apply to, if they wanted to maintain their reputation and livelihood. Anything other than the status quo was viewed as anarchistic and dangerous to the American way of life. This was an age of ossification, and the reverberations of this time can still be felt today.
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Suburban Nation
Written by Anya Marcum
Under the pressures of the Cold War, the American landscape began to reflect the nation’s fears and insecurities. This shared cultural anxiety was masked by a rigid conformity. Suburban life was a clear reflection of the themes of fifties. An idea of what America was supposed to be could be seen in rows of suburban homes. Capitalism was supported through consumerism and, “a conception of freedom centered on economic abundance within the traditional family life” was the ultimate representation of American superiority (Foner, 738).
“In the suburb one might live and die without marring the image of an innocent world, except when some shadow of evil fell over a column in the newspaper. Thus the suburb served as an asylum for the preservation of illusion. Here domesticity could prosper, oblivious of the pervasive regimentation beyond. This was not merely a child-centered environment; it was based on a childish view of the world, in which reality was sacrificed to the pleasure principle.” - Lewis Mumford
Levittown, the suburban development from William and Alfred Levitt built in the 1950s, was a shining example of America’s landscape of conformity. Quickly built from pre-made parts, Levittown houses were the ultimate consumer good (Foner, 739). The availability of these houses, within the financial means of many Americans, seemed to promote the superiority of capitalism over Soviet communism. In 1959 when Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev met in Moscow for the American National Exhibition, they discussed American housing and the ideological polarity between capitalism and communism. The elevation of suburban life to a level worthy of international political discourse, was due to the American lifestyle being representative of its capitalistic culture. Nixon, “asserted that the superiority of capitalism over communism was embodied not in ideology or military might but in the comforts of the suburban home” (Coontz, 28). He crystalized the importance of the suburban lifestyle within the context of Cold War rivalry. Even further, a comment from Khrushchev got to the heart of the issue. Directed to Nixon and seemingly to the United States as a whole that, “you know absolutely nothing about Communism, except for fear!” (Kitchen Debates) It was this fear which was guiding the United States and its citizens.
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Suburbia represented the established order of the 1950s in America. Included in this was the racial boundaries set in place years before. The Levittown development explicitly excluded blacks from owning or renting houses. The racial homogeneity of suburban neighborhoods, particularly Levittown, was blatantly defended by Levitt. He stated that, “We can solve a housing problem or we can try to solve a racial problem, but we cannot combine the two” (Sugrue, 176). He did not see that his support of segregation was not only not solving the problem but further perpetuating it. This fear of change and fear of confronting difficult issues was a result of America’s need for security and maintenance of the status quo in the face of Cold War uncertainty. This need would come to influence the entirety of American culture.
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