Popular Culture: 1940-1959

Popular Culture: 1940-1959 — page 5 — tons and had a tiny fraction of the processing power of even the simplest modern PC 2

Popular Culture: 1940-1959 — page 6 — Culture in the Shadow of War The 1940s were dominated by World War II Popular culture of the period was profoundly affected whether in reflecting the horrors of the war itself or in giving people a way to forget about the war and the dangers that they and their loved ones faced In order to win the war countries had to put all their resources behind the effort Some forms of culture like Britain’s early TV station were shut down for the duration of the war 1 Others including radio and many films were used to boost morale or deliver propaganda about the war effort The Holocaust The war cast a long shadow over popular culture Nazi Germany’s persecution of Jews had led many to seek refuge overseas before the war especially in the United States These Jewish immigrants were often highly educated and creative and they had a strong influence on postwar culture The Holocaust in which the Nazis murdered more than six million Jews homosexuals gypsies and others also had a big effect on culture in general as artists struggled to come to terms with and explain the Nazis horrific crimes

Popular Culture: 1940-1959 — page 7 — World War II affected the whole population more than any previous war had as cities across Europe including London shown here were bombed by enemy aircraft Social changes in wartime The war had a major social impact While men were away fighting in the war more women joined the workforce Many women became more confident of their own independence and this was reflected in films and other cultural forms International travel was rare at the time so the arrival of more than a million U S troops in the United Kingdom and Europe to fight the war meant that Europeans learned more about American popular culture than ever before

Popular Culture: 1940-1959 — page 8 — The 1940s was a time of shortages and austerity in many countries because trade and industry had been disrupted by the war Many goods were rationed in the U S during the war and in Britain until 1954 2 This was reflected in films and other popular culture of the time Men returned from fighting in the war to find major changes in many women’s roles in society Dame Vera Lynn b Vera Welch 1917 London-born singer Vera Lynn was known as the Forces Sweetheart because of the role her songs played in raising

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