Family life in the 1950s was different from any phase this institution had ever survived. The unit was affected by the onslaught of the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. The post World War II economic downturn, the influx of culture from decolonized nations, inflation and a general 'calm before the storm' sensitivity tore the very foundations of most families around the world. Without restricting the analysis to the few wealthy homes that could boast about remaining buoyant even through the war or certain countries or regions, the common man and the 'family' went through a trying time. It was a period of readjustment mixed with a preparedness for inevitable political turmoil. This decade culturally earned the stigma: 'least musical'.
The decade is remembered in world history as one of struggle and strife for families living in Korea and Vietnam. In the rest of the world, the unhealthy competitions between provisional and coalition governments hit family life with inflation and unrest. Subsequent humiliation of the defeated states did symbolize the end of colonialism, but also led to racial segregation in many parts of the world. Families were torn apart by partitions in many places and battled the hardships of a refugee existence. Political and cultural implications surfaced in the form of juvenile delinquency and crime arising out of poverty. Government policies such as unionization, social spending and hiked taxes, especially in the newly liberated nations and those exploited as the 'spoils of war', took a toll on family life. In the west, while most governments adopted more liberal and moderate politics, the orient was a battlefield for the old War. Family life here was grim and predecessors of the hippie movement that was to set in a little later. The counterculture influence generated in the family man the hope for a technological future, amidst racial tension.
Families lived on frugal means and even those in the west structured investments and adhered to budgets. The youths were influenced by the lyrics and music popularized by Patti Page, Johnnie Ray, Perry Como, Eddie Fisher and Guy Mitchell. Jazz musicians were prominent and seemed to clear the rostrum for change that was to set in by the middle of the decade in the form of Rock and Roll. Families were introduced to a facet of entertainment that reflected their struggles and the irony of the Cold War after a major world war that lasted for 6 long years. Television was welcomed by the 1950s family and also set in a trend of reduced access to theaters. This in turn rippled on to a revolution in the world of cinema. Filmmaking techniques were improvised and developed. Blockbusters and Hollywood biggies like The Robe, The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur were the outcome. Parents and children enjoyed the spectacular attempts made to attract them back to the theaters and viewed films like The Day the Earth Stood Still, The War of the Worlds and Forbidden Planet as reflections of what would be the probable outcome of the growing animosity between the capitalist and communist nations. The dynamics of race and class was never more explored or exploited as they were in the 1950s. Teen violence and rebellion defied the morality and the traditional values that the older generations were tying to cling on to and pass down the ages.
by writers
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