“The 1950s were an era of conformity and complacency.”?

Question

“The 1950s were an era of conformity and complacency.” why is this agreement false?....

i know that one reason would be the great seperation between blacks and whites...

but what could others be?

Answer 1

Most historians would agree with that statement, relative to other decades...You could make a case that that was not the case in a couple of regards:
1. for non-conformity: rise of the civil rights movement, presence of beatniks and rock and roll (set up cultural critiques and deviated from status quo). Also, one could note the first stirrings of the feminist movement of the 1960s/70s.

2. For complacency: relentless drive for economic self-improvement and spending on lots of consumer goods in an attempt to prove one's worth, Cold War insecurities and military spending.

All the same, I would state our lasting images of these times are those of a drive for conformity, as pushed by McCarthyist fears and general sense of not wanting to stand out.

For an interesting view on this, check out Peter Jennings in the ABC video sereis on the 20th Century. Great look at the 1950s.

Answer 2

The 1950's were Cold War years. People were frightened to death about the USSR and the threat of nuclear war. They were hardly complacent.

Answer 3

The cold war. The Korean war. Rock and Roll got its start.(allot of adults hated it at the time)