Government Decisions In The 1950s

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The 1950s was a time of not only financial prosperity and advances in space exploration, but a time of fear and paranoia. Government decisions, directly impacted society and how society reacted to those decisions. From the lack of funds for general education, to the Rosenberg trial, to the media-fueled paranoia of the time, government decisions impacted how people lived and the decisions they made. The 1950s was a time of economic prosperity and a rise in population. According to the documentary series America the Story of US, the average American family made 15 times more money compared to those in Europe. Furthermore, according to that documentary series, in 1946 an average of 330 babies were born per hour (about 1 baby every 10 seconds). …show more content…
Everyone was suspected to be a communist, whether they had proof or not. As Document 2 shows, in many cases, when someone was accused and placed on trial for being a communist their case would be rushed and not well thought through. One of the most famous examples is the Rosenberg trial. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were accused of espionage and selling nuclear secrets to the Soviet government. The couple was convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage (they could not be convicted of treason because the United States was not technically at war with the Soviet Union) in 1951, and were sentenced to death by electric chair. Document 4 shows how society was split between the people who wanted the Rosenbergs to suffer for the crime they have committed and those who have doubts of the guilty conviction. Media at the time only added “fuel to the fire” or they thrived on the fear of the people. Some magazines would publish articles telling people what steps to take to prepare and survive a bombing by the Soviet union. The picture in Document 5 shows someone building a bomb shelter in their backyard. The picture was published in an edition of Time Magazine. Some companies would also produce films to teach people what to do during a bombing or how to spot a communist. The 1950s was a time of economic growth and development, but it was also a time of fear and paranoia. The government chose to fund science and space exploration over general education, and society was split over the Rosenberg trial. The media also thrived on the fear of the people and might have even fueled their
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