A8
decades
The Fifties
British and American people typically think of the 1950s as a time when people obeyed the law and respected authority, and when the idea of having sex without being married was fairly shocking. The British ECONOMY had been severely damaged by WORLD WAR II, and during the 1950s it improved only gradually. Many of the countries of the British EMPIRE became independent during the 1950s. The SUEZ CRISIS in 1956 made British people realize that their country was no longer a world power (=a country that has power in many parts of the world). The new world powers were the US and the Soviet Union.
In the 1950s, TEENAGERS in the US. TEENAGERS began to have a separate culture from their parents. They listened to a new type of music, ROCK 'N' ROLL, played by people such as Bill HALEY and Elvis PRESLEY, which quickly became popular with young people around the world. The US became much more wealthy in the 1950s. Many people could afford to buy big cars and electrical equipment for their homes, and it is thought of as a time when American people were very hopeful about the future.
The Sixties
The 1960s became known as the SWINGING SIXTIES and is thought of as a time when young people had a lot of fun. The UK economy improved,
and Britain became a very fashionable place, especially Liverpool, the home of the BEATLES, and London, where the most fashionable clothes were designed. Long hair for men became very fashionable, and for women, the miniskirt was very popular.
When people in the US and UK think of the 1960s, they think of a time of great social change, when young people in many western countries began developing a new set of values and opinions that were very different from the traditional ones their parents had. They began to take part in political protests against the VIETNAM WAR, and NUCLEAR WEAPONS. Young people known as HIPPIES began using drugs such as LSD for pleasure and the introduction of the PILL gave people much more sexual freedom. The music and clothes also expressed the new ways of thinking. In 1963 the people of the US were deeply shocked when President KENNEDY was shot dead. In 1969 the American ASTRONAUT Neil ARMSTRONG became the first man to walk on the moon.
The Seventies
People in the US and UK generally think of the seventies as a time of bad style, when people wore FLARES (=trousers that become wider below the knee), PLATFORM SHOES (=shoes with very thick soles), and clothes made of artificial material such as NYLON. People decorated their homes in brown, orange, and purple. WALLPAPER with a strong pattern was popular.
When people think of seventies popular music, they think of DISCO music. In the mid-seventies older people were shocked by a new type of youth culture and music, PUNK. When people in the US think of the 1970s, they think of the WATERGATE SCANDAL which forced President NIXON to stop being the president in 1974. People in the UK think of the 1970s as a time