The 1950’s in American History and Memory: The Way We Never Were

Volker Janssen (Professor of History, California State University, Fullerton)

March 17, 2016

How do we remember the 1950s? As the climax of the American Century, when returning GIs and their wives settled into suburbia to have lots of children and enjoy the fruits of living in the only major industrial power left standing after World War II? Or as an age of conformity and anxiety, when anyone who challenged the status quo was suspect and Americans were poised to retreat to fall-out shelters? Or both? Join us to explore how we remember those mid-century years and learn why those memories matter now.

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Subjects

History / American History / Collective Memory / Aftermath of World War II / The Fifties /