Consequences of World War II
The 1950s were a special time in history. During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were allies.
At the end of the war, the Stalinization of Eastern European countries began to drive them apart creating an atmosphere of anxiety and fear.
These Eastern European countries that had been liberated from Nazi occupation were invaded by the Soviets who installed authoritarian one-party regimes.
Germany itself was split down the middle and its capital city, Berlin, was split in two, ultimately creating a capitalist West Germany and a communist East Germany.
The influence of communism was pervasive and repressive. He controlled and censored the media, wrested the Orthodox faith from his people, silenced political dissent, and indoctrinated young people with communist ideals.
In 1949, the Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The spread of communism ushered in the Cold War and a fierce rivalry in which the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies vied for political and military supremacy.
With Athanasas – Korean War Veteran
With Athanasas is a veteran of the Korean War. He was born in the hilltop village of Mesanagros in 1929, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, and was one of those brave soldiers of the Hellenic Infantry Battalion who fought with honor and courage in Korea (1950-1953) .
In June 1950, the United Nations joined the war with 21 nations (including Australia and Great Britain) siding with South Korea (the United States sent about 90% of the troops to help South Korea).
Con served with the elite Greek “Special Expeditionary Force” (Hellenic Army infantry battalion) which numbered just under 900 men called “The Spartan Brigade” under the command of Spartan Lieutenant Colonel Georgios Koumanakos. They were placed under the overall command of the US 1st Cavalry Division and later under the overall command of the US 3rd Infantry Division.
Con had to face horrors on the battlefields and in the trenches and ultimately saw many of his friends die, others return to long-term suffering with physical disabilities or, haunted by the images of war printed on Silence in your memories and your dreams.
The Greek unit received the US Presidential Unit Citation from President Harry Truman for their courage and bravery with one American commander commenting, “Apart from the British and the Australians, no one else was with us as long as the Greeks.”
The Korean War bogged down in bloody stalemate and finally ended in July 1953 with the Korean Peninsula still divided.
With Athanasas he emigrated to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1955 and in the same year married Dimitria Manis, another Mesanagros immigrant at the former Saint George Greek Orthodox Church.
Historical timeline of the 1950s
Queen of the British Commonwealth
Queen Elizabeth II became queen on February 6, 1952, and was crowned on June 2, 1953.
australian prime minister
Robert Menzies
First period as Prime Minister 1939 – 1941
Second period as Prime Minister 1949 – 1966
american presidents
harry s truman
33rd president
[1945-1953[1945-1953
Dwight D Eisenhower
34th president
1953 – 1961
the fabulous fifties
The 1950s were dominated by wholesome family ideals and common decency where children were raised within the safety of a warm and loving family home.
Edmund Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay scaled Mount Everest to be the first to reach its summit on May 29, 1953.
In 1957, the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 was launched into space carrying the first trained stray dog named Laika. She died in the spaceship.
New fashion trends developed in the 1950s, such as bikinis, pointe shoes, Elvis jackets with turned-up collars, and stiletto heels, reached new heights of popularity.
Television replaced radio as the dominant medium of communication. Popular family shows of the decade included I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver, the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Superman, Davy Crockett, Lassie, the Mickey Mouse Club and Mouseketeers, and the wonderful Walt Disney’s Disneyland. . with weekly episodes representing: Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and Frontierland.
Childhood heroes were Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, the Lone Ranger, and Annie Oakley with their many adventures. Other popular cowboy shows included Bonanza, Rawhide, Cheyenne, Wagon Train, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Rin Tin Tin to name just a few. And of course there were the heroes of Western cinema like John Wayne, James Stewart, Joel McCrea, Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott and Audie Murphy.
Elvis Presley – The King of Rock and Roll
Rock and Roll and Elvis Presley epitomized the 1950s musical revolution that swept the world. He scored his first number one hit (“Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956), and “Hound Dog” was the best-selling single of the decade.
Other classic vocalists of the decade included Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Nat King Cole, Doris Day, and Patty Page, who remained popular throughout and beyond the 1950s.
Life in the 1950s in Adelaide – South Australia
Adelaide, the capital of South Australia is the City of Churches. It was a streetcar city for half a century, with tree-lined suburbs, quarter-acre block homes, and its friendly corner shops where people from the suburbs and surrounding streets came to buy their groceries.
Adelaide is also famous for its iconic Hills Hoist, a rotating clothesline developed by World War II veteran Lance Hill in 1945, the dunny (toilet), strategically located at the back of a house or public building, and for its magical show John Martin Christmas. It is celebrated annually on the second Saturday of November.
Those were the days when fresh bread and milk were delivered to your doorstep in the early hours of the morning and blocks of ice for the cooler were still being delivered to homes by horse-drawn cart.
People slept outside on their front lawns on warm summer nights and the Salvation Army marching band and choir played and sang their beautiful Christian worship songs and proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus on suburban street corners.
The boys and girls sat on different sides of the classroom and also had different playgrounds to play on. Every morning, before the start of lessons, all schoolchildren were given half a pint of milk to drink.
And, of course, full service at each service station where the attendant filled the tank, checked your tires, water and oil, and cleaned your windshield.
Saturday afternoon matinee
An important tradition of growing up in Adelaide in the 1950s was the Saturday afternoon matinee at the local cinema for the young.
Ushers with lit torches led the youth to their seats, the lights dimmed, and everyone stood up to respect the National Anthem of God Save The Queen. There were always two movies, a newsreel and a cartoon to enjoy over popcorn, Fantales, Jaffas or a Dandy (ice cream), purchased before the first movie started and again during intermission.
Elvis and Tammy movies, as well as Tarzan starring Johnny Weissmuller, were popular during the 1950s. After the hiatus came cartoons like Heckle and Jeckle, Tom and Jerry, Sylvester and Tweety-pie, Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. , Foghorn Leghorn the rooster and the little cowboy, Yosemite Sam.
Classic films that were screened included High Noon (1952) and Quiet Man (1952), as well as biblical films such as The Robe (1953), The Ten Commandments (1956), and Ben-Hur (1959).
Bodgies and Widgies: The Rock and Roll Era
Bodgies and widgies was a youth subculture that existed in Australia and New Zealand during the roaring fifties and early sixties that was similar to rock culture in Britain and greaser culture in the United States.
They were typified by their clothing, music, and dance style as seen in the films of Elvis Presley, James Dean, and Marlon Brando. Hair slicked back into a toupee using Brylcreem and usually with long sideburns (the Elvis look), big-shouldered suit jackets, tight-fitting stovepipe pants, and luminous socks (white and red socks were popular) . They also wore black or white shirts; crinkle-soled suede shoes or pointed shoes, brightly colored shirts with the collar turned up (black, red, and purple shirts were very popular).
Widgies wore short hair, tight pants and sweaters or three-quarter pants or flared skirts with petticoats underneath, like in Happy Days if they went out, socks and a chiffon scarf around their necks with brightly colored sunglasses.
The milk bars of the 1950s that had jukeboxes was where a young ‘bodgie’ had a much better chance with the girls.