15) The Culture of Containment

The 1950s saw an economic expansion, much like the 1920s did. This was the era of the baby boomers. They had greater income, allowing for disposable income that they spent on things like TVs. There was also a much greater opportunity to attend university and greater freedom over what to do with their lives. A youth culture developed which saw things like Elvis Presley and a very youth-targetted cinema.

The youth culture was created by the media, particularly the TV. Everything that had been on the radio was now being broadcast on TV as they were in most people's homes. But, this left a gap in the radio and cinema. The youth didn't want to sit at home with their families and watch TV, so they went to the cinema and listened to the radio that started playing more music. Soon, the cinema and radio were programming specifically for teenagers.

The 1950s also saw a reinvigoration of anti-communism. Joe McCarthy alleged that numerous communists and Soviet spies and sympathisers had infiltrated the US federal government, universities, film, industry and elsewhere. Anti-communism was popular and it was made worse by the fear of the atomic bomb.

Generally, the 1950s were a placid and boring time though and there seemed to be a culture of containment.

In 1899, Japan declared victory in their short war against China allowing them to create a sphere of influence in the country along with Britain, France, Germany and Russia. John Hay created an equal trade opportunity, otherwise known as the 'open door policy', but the Europeans weren't particularly supportive. But, after America helped put down an imperialist rebellion in China, they asked again for free trade for those in China under the European imperialism. The open door policy came to be. It later became used as a tool to open markets and dominate them. The policy was important to the survival of the US.

When the US entered the war, they didn't immediately open a western front as Stalin had hoped. Instead, along with Churchill, they agreed to harrass the Germans from the air leaving the Soviets to take the brunt of the land war. Stalin believed it was an Anglo-American conspiracy to bleed the USSR dry. Then at the Yalta Conference, the western powers didn't want Stalin to pull out. So, he used this to his advantage trying to secure the USSR's future. He wanted a series of buffer countries so Germany couldn't invade again involving making Poland friendly to the USSR and changing its borders. But, Churchill thought it was a way for Stalin to expand and the US thought it would interfere with their open door policy. Stalin couldn't understand why they wanted to interfere with the countries on the border of the USSR though thinking they were up to something. The air of suspicion thus began. The Long Telegram, the Iron Curtain speech, and the Truman Doctrine soon followed.

Domestic anti-communism dominated American politics. It became a mainstream ideology and was accompanied with powerful initiatives from the federal government. The Smith Act led to the arrests and imprisonments of several hundred communists and placed restrictions on the anti-communist programme which people likened to a witch hunt. Employers black-listed communist employees and unemployed them. Ambitious politicians, like Joseph McCarthy, saw an opportunity. He stated they had so far been too soft in the state department (where foreign policy was situated) and there were numerous communists there. This led to a lot of worry even though there was little to no truth in it. McCarthy announced he had a list of 205 communists within the state department and the press was hooked. It gave him the spotlight and he became the personification of US anti-communism. He was eventually discredited though.

The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) was established in 1947 and launched a series of hearings on the influence of communism in Hollywood. In the 1940s, it focused on labour unions, but in the 1950s, it focused on well-known screen-writers, directors and actors testifying the movie industry harboured communists. They often refused to give names though. They said the hearings were violating their rights, and the 'Hollywood 10' were sent to prison for between six months to a year.

Spy trials were also carried out, like that of Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs. Both the Rosenbergs were sentenced to death even though it was found Ethel had nothing to do with anything, leaving 2 little children behind. Nixon gained power through this.