When was life in America basically 'modern'? (WWII, bomb, 90s)

[Trimac20]

Originally Posted by slowlane3

In 1930, on 13% of US farms had electricity - and farms accounted for a huge proportion of the population. By the early 1940s only 33% of US farms had electricity, according to Wessels Living History Farm, Inc. .

All middle-class people I know had television by the mid-1950s (black and white pictures, only 3 national networks, with aerial devices required on the roof of your house). In the mid-1960s came "instant-on" TV's, and more local "educational channels", and the purchase price of Color TV's came down to affordable levels, then eventually there were remote-controls.

Later than i thought.

I guess I always see the post-war years are the first truly modern years, so this stat would confirm that.

1890-1945 was definitely pretty modern, though, especially culturally. People in the 20s spoke pretty much the way we do now. Even the oldest people I've met speak pretty 'modern.'

[tablemtn]

The 1952 presidential campaign (Eisenhower vs. Adlai Stevenson) was the first one in which the campaigns produced ads specifically for television. By that year, the percentage of households with access to a TV was approaching the halfway point, which was a huge surge from the 10-12% or so who had televisions in the home in 1948. It's hard to think of modernity without passive indoors entertainment. In the 1930's and into the 40's, even very small towns could support a movie theater (sometimes two). If you visit some of the smaller towns around the country, the "old theater" is usually one of the more prominent buildings, assuming it is still standing.

Also, by the 1950's, small corner shops and produce stands were being supplanted by grocery stores, many of which had their own parking lots instead of relying on the streetcars to bring customers around. Streetcars were replaced by private autos. These were enormous shifts in terms of the experience of daily life - no more "taking the trolley" for most Americans. The interstate system was in its infancy, but many populated areas now had controlled-access "freeways" with "interchanges" - a novel development compared to the turnpikes and stop/go intersections of the past.

Other big shifts include the rise of indoor electric heating (supplanting the fireplace), air conditioning and electric cooling, the reduction of the agricultural workforce to around 2% of the labor pool, the colorization of film stock, and the emergence of "pop music" in the form of 3 to 5-minute "singles" (as opposed to radio stations playing half of a big band concert at once, followed by ads, followed by the other half).

These changes were all taking hold by the early 1950's in most of the country.

[Nolefan34]

I would say the early 1900's. Things like automobile, refrigerator, and subway systems in major cities became widespread during the first decade of the 1900's. Also, electricity was connected to most homes in cities by this point.

Prior to 1900, we were using horse drawn carriages for transportation. We had trains, but they mainly went across country. No electricity prior to 1900 for most of America.

[WestCobb]

I guess it just depends on what you emphasize as modern. I'd go with the 1920s as well because the basic "infrastructure" of modern life was set. No, they didn't have cell phones, but they did have phones. No, they didn't have space travel, but they did have aeroplanes. They didn't have television and the internet, but with radio, the groundwork for mass communications had been laid. I'd say most of what has happened in the past 100 years has simply been an improvement on already developed technologies.

As for multiculturalism and the modern "liberal" way of thought -- that starts even earlier. In the late Victorian era, with widespread colonialism, there was a highly developed awareness of other cultures and sociological thought. Secularism was also widespread at this point. There have been no major innovations in theological thought since Nietszche. Also, basic scientific concepts were either nailed down or rapidly coming into focus. Urbanism as we understand it was on the rise. Etc.

I guess one caveat would be that while some people were living as moderns in the 1920s (typically the wealthy and educated), plenty of Americans were still living a pastoral, rural life back then too. Life in NYC for a wealthy tycoon was probably more or less modern. Life for a rural farmer in Tennessee was perhaps more or less the same as the average colonial American.

[Brian430]

Only 54% of households in 1940 had electric lights and 26.9% had electric refrigerators. By 1950 it was 85% with electric lights and 67% with electric refrigerators.

I'd say America couldn't be considered "modern" at least until the vast majority of the country had electricity, which happened sometime between 1940-1950.

[Trimac20]

Originally Posted by WestCobb

I guess it just depends on what you emphasize as modern. I'd go with the 1920s as well because the basic "infrastructure" of modern life was set. No, they didn't have cell phones, but they did have phones. No, they didn't have space travel, but they did have aeroplanes. They didn't have television and the internet, but with radio, the groundwork for mass communications had been laid. I'd say most of what has happened in the past 100 years has simply been an improvement on already developed technologies.

As for multiculturalism and the modern "liberal" way of thought -- that starts even earlier. In the late Victorian era, with widespread colonialism, there was a highly developed awareness of other cultures and sociological thought. Secularism was also widespread at this point. There have been no major innovations in theological thought since Nietszche. Also, basic scientific concepts were either nailed down or rapidly coming into focus. Urbanism as we understand it was on the rise. Etc.

I guess one caveat would be that while some people were living as moderns in the 1920s (typically the wealthy and educated), plenty of Americans were still living a pastoral, rural life back then too. Life in NYC for a wealthy tycoon was probably more or less modern. Life for a rural farmer in Tennessee was perhaps more or less the same as the average colonial American.

That's what fascinates me. Dolly Parton talks about growing up in the Great Smokies in the 1950s, and she could be talking about the 1850s or even the 1750s. She was of the minority who didn't have electricity.etc. The difference between 1950 and today is that the modern lifestyle is now ubiquitous, even in deepest Appalachia.

[mateo45]

Funny how most everyone seems to define ''modern'' as some variation on ''technology'', while taking for granted all the truly revolutionary social and cultural changes just in the past couple decades... like sexuaiity & mating, gender roles, race, nationality, patriotism, the military, work-life balance, ''family'', friendship, attitudes re: children, independence, class, money, education, entertainment, psychology, outsourcing & employment, travel & mobility, communication, information, globalization, language... you name it!

All of which have not only transformed how we live, view the world and relate to each other, they're gradually becoming the international norm! So that while even ''traditionalists'', Fundies, social conservatives, and muslim extremists have no trouble exploiting the latest technology and gadgets... it's all these profound, and relatively recent changes in society and culture (aka, modernism) which they're really complaining about!

[Trimac20]

But technology and society are inseparable. And about sexuality, sexual liberation isn't anything new. In fact it was the norm bar a few hundred years of prudish human civilisation. Technology - from agriculture, to warfare - has basically created and shaped society. Technology is basically what created the modern way of life and the modern mentality.

[mateo45]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

But technology and society are inseparable. And about sexuality, sexual liberation isn't anything new. In fact it was the norm bar a few hundred years of prudish human civilisation. Technology - from agriculture, to warfare - has basically created and shaped society. Technology is basically what created the modern way of life and the modern mentality.

Of course it has, just as we've shaped it. But name any other time, short of maybe the change from hunter gathering to cities and agriculture, when the social changes have been so comprehensive, and in such a short space of time? And the really remarkable thing is we already take 'em for granted!!

BTW, isn't that the very appeal of shows like Mad Men.... that a mere 40 or 50 years ago they pretty much looked like us, went to work, had families, etc..... but that somehow now it already all looks so ''quaint''! Except to maybe some conservative folks still longing for the time when women, minorities and anyone ''different'' knew their ''place''. Hey, whaddaya know, it's time for a staff meeting... let's break out the cocktails and smokes and make passes at the gals!

[jtur88]

I think life in America took a huge turn in the 60s-70s, when civil rights became politically correct, the N-word was abolished, people wore smiley buttons that said Have a nice day, women assumed visible authority, dress became casual, Christian fundamentalists became widespread and conspicuous, war and imperialism were no longer virtues, nudity and profanity became commonplace in movies. The general social attitude of the people was very, very different in the 70s than it was in the 50s. Which I think is a more profound change than the introduction of consumer and household technology.

Because the changs in the 60s was more recent, that would be the beginning of "Modern" America.