The 1950s was a radically changing time for the United States

 The 1950s was a radically changing time for the United States. Culturally, there was a boom in Television and media, globally the United States rebuilt nearly half of the world that was devastated by World War II. Explore how the end of WWII brought about a new rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union for world dominance that became known as the Cold War. This struggle would overshadow eight presidencies until its end in the 1980s. In much the same way Americans today fear terrorism, so did Americans in past decades fear Communism.  

1. Why did the United States contribute to the reindustrialization of Germany and Japan? Why did America fund the Marshall Plan? How did the policy of containment place the United States at the center of international conflicts? 
2. What is popular culture? How did television affect the social mores of the 1950s?
3. What was life like for the average American in the 1950s as they experienced the Cold War?

To help you get started on one or more of these topics, you may want to consider McCarthyism, the execution of the Rosenbergs, duck-and-cover drills, bomb shelters, Cold War propaganda, and even science-fiction movies.