HISTORY 7B Chapter Notes - Chapter 28: Social Change, George Meany, Yellow Fever
Document Summary
Booming national prosperity: altered the social, economic, and physical landscape of the us. Continuing struggle against communism: created anxiety but encourage americans to look more approvingly at their own society. Better-balanced and more widely distributed prosperity, not as universal. Baby boom: reversed a long pattern of decline, began in ww2, peaked in 1957, population rose almost 20, led to increased consumer demand and expanding economic growth. Suburban expansion: 47% increase in the 50s, stimulated growth, privately owned cars doubled, demand for new homes helped sustain a vigorous housing industry. Growth was not equally distributed, the average american in the 1960 had over 20% more purchasing power than in 1945. Growth of the west was a result of federal spending and investment (dams, power stations, highways) Military contracts flowed disproportionately in california and texas: many built with government funds during the war. Increased number of automobiles: new demands for petroleum, growth of oil fields.
