American way of life or "American way of life" was a model of behavior that emerged in the United States after World Wars I and II.
This way of life involved consumerism, social standardization and the belief in liberal democratic values.
Features of the American way of life
The idea of a happy, victorious and free life defines this American way of life. This happiness achieved by material means became the escape valve to forget the horrors of the First and Second World Wars.
O American way of life it was only possible because of the American technological superiority, the might of its army and the war arsenal developed after the conflicts.
Mass manufacturing enabled large-scale consumption and with cheap credit, Americans took the opportunity to buy goods, often superfluous.
The car becomes an object of desire, especially since it is cheapened by the entrepreneur Henry Ford.
Television becomes an indispensable item in homes and, with it, the dissemination of a certain standard of beauty, life and behavior.
Therefore, the United States sold the idea of happiness through consumption, where buying and enjoying free time in leisure activities are the central axis of existence.
1929 crisis
This prosperity will be put in check when the New York Stock Exchange crashes and the United States faces a strong economic crisis.
Unable to manufacture as before, several industries close their doors and unemployment increases. Thousands of people lose their goods and consumption levels fall.
To lift the American economy, the American president Franklin Roosevelt (1882-1945) launches the program New Deal. However, it was only with World War II that the US recovered its productive capacity.
Cold War
O American way of life emerges with force after World War II. In this way, the American model imposes itself around the world and will be the well-being reference for Western capitalist countries.
Thus, the United States built a virtually unemployment-free society where all dreams could be fulfilled.
This showcase of a perfect and egalitarian society, sold through films and advertisements, will be fundamental to the fight against the Soviet Union and the communism during the Cold War.
The Other Side of the American Lifestyle
However, not every society has benefited from this prosperity.
Afro-descendants were excluded from civil rights during the first half of the 20th century and in the 50s and 60s there were great demonstrations for legal equality.
Anticommunism also reached levels of hysteria with the investigations carried out by Senator Joseph Raymond McCarthy (1909-1957).
In his fight against communist ideas, McCarthy managed to pass a law in which any American citizen could accuse another, without evidence, of being a communist.
This has led to real purges in universities, public administration and the entertainment industry such as Hollywood cinema.
American way of life in Brazil
Brazil was not immune to the American way of life. With the Good-Neighbor policy carried out by the United States and accepted by Getulio Vargas, the Americans were becoming the first exporters of domestic products to Brazil.
In this way, commerce was filled with consumer goods that were only accessible to a small part of the population. Buying on credit and, consequently, getting into debt was the only way to imitate this standard of living.
After World War II, with Brazil's alignment with Western countries, the adoption of the American lifestyle was patent with imports of soft drinks, chewing gum, cars and a way of life that excelled in consumption before everything.
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- Second World War
- It was Vargas
- U.S
- Good Neighbor Policy
