Historical Background

The 1950s
Our game is set in 1953- the period of the Cold War, The Red Scare, and the time of the American Dream. The basics of these ideas and events are listed here, but if you want your character to be involved with any of this you might need to research further.

The Cold War
With the Second World War finishing in 1945, the United States enjoyed a brief period of peace, but quickly tensions between the USA and the USSR began to heighten. The spread of Communism into Eastern Europe scared Americans, and the general consensus was that it spread like a disease to weaker countries. America was soon involved in an arms race with the USSR, racing to create new nuclear weapons first. This is directly related to our game as the Morningstar Power Plant has opened in Bloomsdale, so would be more or less common knowledge. The first hydrogen bomb was exploded in 1952 by the United States on the Marshall Islands. This is directly related to our game, with the Morningstar Power Plant opening in Bloomsdale, so would be more or less common knowledge.

The Red Scare
The Cold War led to terror in America of communists in their midst, prompting the formation of the House of Un-American Activities (HUAC) and widespread hysteria and accusations of communism. Even being associated with a Communist was enough to lose a person their job and make it nigh impossible to find another. The Rosenburgs were convicted of spying for the USSR in 1950, and their execution was to follow later that year.

In 1952, Senator McCarthy made a speech announcing that he knew of 205 government employees who were communists, and after that the hunt for communists became even more extreme, McCarthy energetically leading the way. There was a very real fear of communists, helped along by Government propaganda proclaiming that ‘Reds are after your child’ and the Hollywood movies such as ‘The Red Menace.’

Culture and Beliefs
Patriotism, fuelled by the victory of the Second World War and the ongoing cold war, was strong. In response to the Hydrogen Bomb there was an air of excitement and fear of new technology constantly being developed. Politically, the Republican war hero Dwight Eisenhower was elected in 1952.His popularity was fuelled by his reassuring smile and vigorous authority both of which gave Americans a feeling of stability.

Christianity was the prevalent religion throughout the USA; all characters would be Christian.

Women were still placed well within their traditional gender roles. The Church emphasised the role of the woman as a mother and wife, as did the government with pamphlets and magazines on housekeeping, and of course the steady stream of vacuum cleaners and cleaning items designed to make their lives easier. However, many women who had taken jobs during the War were disgruntled or discontented by having to return to the home sphere.

Consumerism
The fifties marked a big change; America had emerged from The Great Depression through ‘The Good War’, and was expecting peace to follow. People made more money, had babies and moved into two-storey houses in the suburbs. Car sales rocketed, with new and almost ridiculously shiny futuristic designs being the height of fashion.

The Fifties saw the growing popularity of television, bowling, skating and cinema. Celebrity was a big thing; stars such as Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant graced the screens. In keeping with the new ideas of American’s superiority, Superman made its way into popular culture, as did other superheroes and sci-fi films. The use of plastic allowed for new toys; Lego and silly putty, and children and adults alike spent hours watching their new televisions.

Still want to know more about the 1950s? Check out our web resources page!