Vision Of America Since 1945 Homework – Audiences

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The Cold War and “Domestic Containment”

In the previous module, we examined the cultural state of affairs in the United States from the late 1930’s, through the postwar period after the end of WWII in 1945. We will now look at the early cold war period of American popular culture, from 1952 until 1960.

It is important to note that the cold war did not end in the 1960’s. The cold war did not end until 1991, when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) officially dissolved. “Cold War” was a term created by British author George Orwell, famous for his dystopian novel “1984“. Orwell used this term to describe the threat of the nuclear bomb, which the USSR and United States were both in control of. After the defeat of Nazi Germany at the end of WWII, the United States and the USSR were the two superpowers of the world. Although both the USSR and the United States were allies during WWII, once the war came to an end, tensions quickly began to mount between these two countries.

The United States was a capitalist country, and the USSR was a socialist/ communist republic. These two very different worldviews created fear within the minds and hearts of Americans that the USSR could easily begin a nuclear war with the US, and thus began a struggle for global supremacy between the two nations. These struggles lead to the idea of “containment”.

Containment was a foreign policy first described by George Kennan, an advisor to President Harry Truman. It was a political term that suggested that the United States needed to keep their rivals within their “sphere of influence”. This meant that the United States wanted to keep communist ideals outside of its borders. It has been suggested by cultural historians that the ideology of containment also referred to American society and domestic issues here at home. This ideological view is called “domestic containment”.

The Baby Boomers, and the problem with Rock and Roll

The “baby boom” that began in 1945 was due to soldiers returning home, and starting families. The US economy was also booming after the war, and families in the US were enjoying better financial conditions than they had during the Great Depression. The youngest of the “boomer” children were coming of age by the late 1950’s, and their parents began to fear that their children were beginning to challenge authority.

The baby boomer’s rejection of the “white, middle class, suburban” values of their parents became a cultural issue of national importance. The values and ideologies of Americans who grew up during the Great Depression were not shared by their children. These values, such as “women belong in the home and not in the workforce”, “no sex before marriage”, “homosexuality is a sin”, and “racial segregation is a necessity”, to name a few, were beginning to be challenged by American youth.

Rock and roll music was just beginning to gain popularity in the early 1950’s, with many of its first musicians getting their start through the vehicle of Sun Studio. Sun Studio was operated by Sam Phillips, and based in Memphis, Tennessee. “Rockabilly” music, which was a predominantly white version of early rock and roll, and the predominantly black genre of “Rhythm and Blues” music, were the predecessors to rock and roll. Thus, this new style of music was a fusion of African American spiritual music, and white folk music.

The cultural significance of rock and roll is massive, as it brought black and white American cultures together, and began to break the boundaries of domestic containment. The sexuality present within the lyrics and sound of this new music excited young people, and terrified their parents. During the early years of the cold war, Rock and Roll became the source of blame for everything that was wrong with the boomer generation.

ASSIGNMENT

What role do audiences play in creating popular culture? Explain how Hollywood both manipulated and reflected the popular culture of the 1950’s and 60’s. Analyze a popular film of the time. This paper should be 3 pages, in APA style, utilizing the college’s library resources. One scholarly article as a minimum should be included in your essay.

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