Boomers (1946-1951)

Focus Years Research

The years 1946-1964 were the years of the post-World War II generation known as the baby boomers. In this, I will focus on the beginning years of this generation from 1946-1951, and hone in on the events, technology, politics, and people that defined these years of the generation. I will go in chronological order starting with the year 1946.

1946 was a huge year for not just America, but for the entire world as a whole, as President Truman officially declared the end of World War II. Combat had ended in 1945, however, the war was still considered to be “ongoing” due to the hostilities and war crime trials that transcended into 1946. This was one of the most major events in the history of the entire world, as the largest war ever fought was finally brought to an end. What did this mean for the baby boomer generation specifically though?

Coming out of the Great Depression and World War II, the past several years of American History have been wrought with death and turmoil, and the ending of the Second World War was observed almost as arriving at the light at the end of the tunnel by many american at the time. Many historians believe that the baby boomer occurrence was due to a variety of reasons some of which include: many wanting to start families at this time due to having put them off through the depression and war, and a reassuring sense of confidence. Not to mention, the late '40s and '50s, also saw an increase in wages, businesses, and prosperity.

Along with this newfound electricity that seemed to surge through American society, was the migration of young families from the cities into the suburbs. This was due to the GI bill, passed a couple of years prior in 1944, however with the war not being over, the young men and their spouses were really unable to take advantage of it. With the war coming to an end in 1946 however, the GI bill allowed military members to buy affordable homes in the suburbs of major cities. This led to a massive change in the American family system with the emergence of the suburban ethos. This meant that the ideal family had the man being the provider, the woman as the housekeeper, plus the children.

We now move into the year 1947, which marks the start of the Cold War. This was a period of geopolitical tension between America and the Soviets which lasted decades. The Cold War propaganda of the time also promoted Americans to have children than their communist adversaries in China and the Soviet Union. “The U.S. government encouraged the growth of families after the war” (CFI). Due to this massive population growth, it jump-started a need to produce infrastructure, schools, housing, malls, etc. All of this development throughout the country, as well as the huge increases in the American defense budget for the Cold War combined with our World World II victory sparked a huge demand for American products and expertise globally. This caused the United State’s Gross National Product to more than double during this time.

Moving along the timeline, we arrive at the year 1950. After a few years of peace and prosperity (with no combat, because the Cold War is still going on at this time) the Korean War begins in June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea. What could have been left as a civil war, however, was not. “The decision to intervene in Korea, however, grew out of the tense atmosphere that characterized Cold War politics” (Archives). For, there were a number of Cold War events occurring at the time with made the American Government, mainly Truman anxious about the Soviet’s power, as well as the spread of communism, including the Soviet Union's detonation of their own atomic bomb one year prior in 1949, which mean the the United States no longer had a monopoly on the most destructive weapon at the time.

This was not the only unsettling event going on in East Asia at the time, that led to insecurity in our Western World. For in 1949, China also underwent a revolution leading to the rise of Mao Zedong and his communist party into power in the country. Combined with the Cold War, and the Korean war this left an extremely unsettling feeling in American Society having just recently come out of such tumultuous times. This led to the success of American political leaders such as Joseph McCarthy, a Wisconsin Senator elected in 1946, however did not truly gain prominence until 1950, during Zedong’s communist rise to power, the communist North Korean invasion, and the tension between the democratic US and the Soviets, when he gave a polarizing speech stating 57 communists had infiltrated the State Department. “Upon subsequently testifying before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, he proved unable to produce the name of a single “card-carrying communist” in any government department. Nevertheless, he gained increasing popular support for his campaign of accusations by capitalizing on the fears and frustrations of a country weary of the Korean War and appalled by communist advances in eastern Europe and China” (Britannica).

To summarize everything, America went through a short lived time of total prosperity, the economy flourished, businesses thrived, and the future looked bright. Values were centered on the family and hard work to support that family. However, with the Cold War, Korean War, and the spread of communism accross the world, brought an unsettling fear throughout American society. People were scared to go back to those dark times we had just gotten out of. The economy still thrived with a focus on family and hard work especially now out of fear of returning to war or depression, especially now more than ever with so much of the population starting families. This also led to a rise in leaders who were able to capitalize and take advantage of the fear. All in all, these years were characterized by family, hard work, prosperous times, and a fear of communism.

“US Enters the Korean Conflict.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/korean-conflict#background.

“Baby Boomers.” Corporate Finance Institute, 22 Sept. 2021, https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/baby-boomers/.

Achter, Paul J.. "McCarthyism". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 May. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/McCarthyism. Accessed 30 August 2022.