Popular Culture: 1940-1959

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

Popular Culture: 1940-1959 — page 9 — British morale during the darkest days of World War II After joining a musical troupe at the age of 11 Lynn went on to sing with several big bands in the 1930s During the war she recorded the radio series Sincerely Yours and played concerts for troops including popular songs such as We’ll Meet Again and The White Cliffs of Dover After the war Lynn had success in the United States where she was the first UK female singer to have a number one hit with Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart in 1952 Vera Lynn was honored as a Dame of the British Empire in 1975 3 The Cold War World War II ended with the U S military dropping two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing thousands of people in an instant Within a few years the Soviet Union also built an atomic bomb Nuclear weapons meant that any conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union would be more destructive than any previous conflict These two superpowers and their allies faced each other in a hostile standoff that became known as the Cold War Both sides in the Cold War were strongly opposed to the system of government of their opponents Western governments and media opposed the communist belief that all areas of life should be controlled by the state while the Soviet Union criticized the consumerism of the West Both sides feared that the other was

Popular Culture: 1940-1959 — page 10 — trying to undermine their way of life This mistrust was shown in many smaller conflicts such as the Korean War 1950 1953 Technology and society In the years after World War II the United States became unquestionably the world’s largest economy as European nations focused on reconstructing their shattered countries America’s factories that had produced arms and technology for the war effort switched to producing consumer goods Science and technology had been pushed to the limit as nations strained to gain an advantage in World War II This continued in the Cold War but technology also brought benefits Fast travel by plane between and across continents was starting to become a reality for many people although it was still very expensive Kitchen appliances such as refrigerators became widespread and cars were seen as essential rather than just a luxury Pop culture under communism In the years that followed World War II many countries in Eastern Europe such as Hungary and Poland were ruled by communist regimes that were dominated by and closely allied with the Soviet Union These regimes were determined to control all aspects of their people’s lives Anyone who criticized the government was arrested Films and other types of popular culture were heavily biased toward the government and support of the communist

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