1950's Car Culture
By Tom Wallace and Travis Vandoozer
New Car Innovations and Demand
-High Demand for Automobiles After WWII
-1 in 6 Workers Would End Up in the Automotive Industry After WWII
-Many Companies Who Once Manufactured Goods For the War Switched Over to The Automotive Industry Such as Volkswagen
-In the 1950's the Amount of Cars in the U.S. Went From 39 Million to 74 Million
More Travel
- The National Highway Act of 1956 Allowed For Americans to Travel All Around the U.S. With Much
More Ease Then Before
- People Began To Travel From Cities to Suburbs
- Of the 12 Most Populated Cities, 11 Had Suffered a Loss In Population In the 1950's
Kinds of Cars
- The Auto Industry Was Trying to Push For a New "Sports Car"
- In 1951 the Hardtop Convertible Style Begin to Grow Very Popular
- Sportier Style Cars Grew In Popularity
1957 Chevy Belair
1953 Chevy Corvette
1954 Buick Skylark
Impact on the Decade
Right after WWII there was a boom in demand for cars. This caused a large chain of effects for Americans, such as drive in movie theaters and the fast food drive thru. In addition the National Highway Act of 1956 had been passed to further develop the roadways and make transportation between states much easier. Pollution was yet another cause of having such a large collection of automobiles accumulated by our country. It got so bad some people with severe breathing conditions were suggested to stay inside.
Citations
Baughman, V. B., Layman, R., McConnell, T., & Vol, V. T. (2001). 6: 1950-1959. Detroit: Gale.
Flink, J. J. (1975). The car culture. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.