Conformity in the 1950s
The 1950s is largely perceived to be a time of great conformity. Everyone must wear the same clothes, listen to the same music, have the same beliefs. Those who strayed from this beaten path were branded as communists by the McCarthy-crazed populous. Though this stereotype is somewhat true, especially when considering the adults, the younger generations were beginning to develop a culture all their own. The political stance of the 1950s was largely conformist, especially at the risk of being branded as a traitor. The Cold War had begun a few years before, Just after the end of World War II. Russia backed out of the fight at the last minute, leaving the USA to tighten up loose ends as one of the only active superpowers against Hitler. Coupled with the arms race and a supreme dislike of Russia?s communist ways, Americans developed a near-universal hatred for Russians. When Russia developed its own atomic bomb, Americans feared it was the work of spies, either the Russians themselves or those sympathetic towards communism. McCarthy began his campaign against communists, though this came back to haunt him after naming too many important people as communists. Never the less, nearly everyone in America banded against Russia and its government. Those who did not agree with such thoughts were called communist and ruined for the rest of their lives.