1950es

The 1950s, often referred to as the 1950es, was a decade of sustained postwar recovery, rapid economic growth in many Western countries, and the emergence of mass consumer culture. Suburbanization, increasing automobile ownership, and the spread of television reshaped everyday life, while scientific and technological advances accelerated.

In international affairs, the Cold War defined politics. The Korean War (1950–1953) ended with an armistice in 1953. NATO and the Warsaw Pact framed two military blocs, and the arms race produced new generations of missiles and nuclear weapons. The launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik in 1957 spurred intensified space exploration and science education. The decade also featured decolonization pressures, with events such as the Bandung Conference in 1955 promoting non-alignment, and Ghana gaining independence in 1957.

Social change unfolded gradually. In the United States, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling (1954) and the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–56) helped catalyze the civil rights movement. Internationally, crises like the Suez Crisis of 1956 signaled changes in imperial influence.

Culturally, rock and roll began to redefine popular music, while fashion, film, and literature reflected youth culture. In science, the elucidation of the structure of DNA in 1953 and advances in semiconductor technology foreshadowed the coming information age, complementing mid-century modern architecture and design.