{"id":6692,"date":"2018-02-01T18:29:24","date_gmt":"2018-02-01T18:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/heritage\/?p=6692"},"modified":"2019-02-19T00:19:11","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T00:19:11","slug":"chapter-five-the-fifties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/heritage\/2018\/02\/01\/chapter-five-the-fifties\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter Five: The Fifties"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the 1950s, Vancouver experienced an economic boom, rapid growth, a dramatic rise in the school population, an increase in ethnic and cultural diversity, and the threat of annihilation in a global nuclear war. The children who entered school during this decade were part of an enormous post war \u2018baby boom\u2019.\u00a0 The rapid rise in the number of school-age children posed a huge challenge to the Vancouver School District. The economic prosperity of this time coupled with the increasing availability of new homes, automobiles, and new products such as electrical home appliances and television produced a consumer society strongly influenced by American values and culture.<\/p>\n

I. World Events<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Date: November, 1952\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 USA: First Atmospheric Hydrogen Bomb Test, November 1952. The Soviet Union detonated a similar device nine months later.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. \u2018Grand Alliance\u2019 to \u2018Cold War\u2019<\/p>\n

By 1951, the Grand Alliance of the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union, which formed during World War Two to defeat the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan, was broken. The United States and Great Britain, Canada, and several Western European countries had formed a mutual defense pact called NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) to protect Western Europe from Soviet aggression. In 1955, the Soviet Union countered by forming the Warsaw Pact, a military alliance that included seven Soviet satellite states in Eastern Europe. The rivalry between these two alliances was to last for decades.<\/p>\n

In China, in October 1949, Communist forces defeated the Nationalist rivals after a lengthy civil war, and their leader, Mao Zedong, proclaimed the creation of the People\u2019s Republic of China. In June 1950, war broke out in the Korean peninsula when armies from communist North Korea, invaded South Korea. A United Nations military force led by the United States stopped the invasion, and then attacked North Korea. Communist China countered by sending armies into North Korea to counter the UN forces. In July 1953, an armistice ended the fighting, but a peace treaty was never agreed to. The Korean peninsula remains divided between two rival states to this day.<\/p>\n

The rivalry between the \u2018Communist World\u2019 and \u2018Non Communist World\u2019 was to last for decades. It was known as the Cold War because open combat between the rival alliances never happened. However, the Cold War sparked a potentially catastrophic arms race. Several countries began to develop and stockpile powerful nuclear weapons. Testing of these weapons continued for several decades, resulting in the release of huge quantities of dangerous radioactive material into the atmosphere.<\/p>\n

In September 1957, Canada joined NORAD (North American Air Defence Command), which oversaw the construction and operation of radar systems in Alaska and Canada\u2019s far north. Their purpose: to provide early warning of a Soviet attack on North America.<\/p>\n

The threat of nuclear war was heightened when Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) were developed to augment long range nuclear bomber forces. These missiles could reach targets half a world away in less than 30 minutes, and could not be recalled once launched. This increased the possibility that a full-scale nuclear war could erupt by accident or through miscalculation.<\/p>\n

In Vancouver, school children were made well aware of the terrible threat they faced through conversations they overheard at home, newsreels they sat through in movie theatres, television news they may have seen at home, and Air Raid drills they practiced at school.<\/p>\n

Excerpt from A SHORT HISTORY OF BC EDUCATION<\/u><\/p>\n

1951\u00a0 The first chills of the Cold War are evident in the provincial education system. In September 1951, a course of lectures on Civil Defence Affairs is organized at the {Provincial Normal School in Victoria. The next year, the Department of Education issues a poster on what to do \u201cIf An Air Raid Comes Without Warning.\u201d \u201cGet Under Your Desk \u2013 Move Fast!\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

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Photo at right:\u00a0Students at Lord Selkirk Elementary practice moving an injured person onto a wheeled stretcher, under the watchful\u00a0gaze\u00a0of members of the Vancouver Fire Department.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Date: 1954.<\/strong><\/p>\n

B. The Space Race and Its Impact on Education<\/p>\n

The Cold War rivalry between Communist and Non Communist powers went beyond the arms race. They competed in other areas such as sports, economic development and propaganda. On October 04, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik I, into Earth orbit. This set off a \u2018space race\u2019 between the United States and the Soviet Union, which culminated in the US Apollo 11 mission – the first landing of humans on the Moon\u2019s surface.\u00a0 The space race led to calls for more emphasis on science and mathematics education in North American schools.<\/p>\n

Excerpts from 100 Years of Discovery: 1950 – 1959 <\/strong>(2015 Fall Feature Story \u2013 The University of British Columbia):<\/p>\n

\u00a0Soviet \u2018scientific success\u2019 and the Space Race puts the focus on science from K \u2013 12 and in higher education, but it also instills a nagging uncertainty as Western educators try to \u2018catch up\u2019 to their Soviet Bloc counterparts. <\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0To incentivise academic achievement in the province, Premier W.A.C. Bennett introduces a scholarship program that provides up to 50 percent of school fees for students with first-class standing.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

Excerpt from the Commonwealth Report<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u00a0When the first Sputnik satellite was launched by the Soviets in 1957, putting them ahead of the Americans in the race for space, many pointed to the \u2018lax\u2019 school system as the cause. Thus, when the Vancouver School Board went to the voters in 1957 to ask for funding to build new schools, its advertisements read \u2018Catch Russians: Money for Education.\u2019<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> Canada in the 1950s<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

A. The British Connection<\/p>\n

Up until 1947, persons born in Canada and naturalized immigrants were classified as British subjects. The Canadian Citizenship Act of 1947 changed this. It created the category \u2018Canadian citizenship\u2019. Residents of Canada could now claim Canadian citizenship regardless of their country of origin. Canada\u2019s connection to Great Britain remained strong. This was evident in the respect and admiration most Canadians held towards the British Royal Family, and their pride in Canada\u2019s prominent place in the British Empire.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Date: 1959\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Top: Students at Admiral Seymour Elementary pose with letters to their Australian pen pals. Bottom: Another group of students at Admiral Seymour Elementary pose\u00a0as ‘typical’ Australians.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This strong connection continued as the British Empire evolved into a Commonwealth of independent states. It was bolstered by a surge of British immigrants to Canada during the early 1950s (in 1951, 44 percent of all immigrants to Canada were from Great Britain), and fostered by a series of Royal visits to Canada. British Columbia was a popular and frequent destination for members of the Royal family.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Royal Visits to British Columbia during the 1950\u2019s<\/u>:<\/p>\n

1951<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip;<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

During her stay in Vancouver, Princess Elizabeth planted a tree in Queen Elizabeth Park,\u00a0named to commemorate her mother Queen Elizabeth\u2019s visit to Vancouver in August\u00a01939. Photo Credit: City of Vancouver Archives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1954<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh<\/p>\n

Prince Philip attended the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games that were\u00a0being held Vancouver, July 30 \u2013 August 07.<\/p>\n

Interesting Facts:<\/p>\n

– The Games were formally opened by the Earl Alexander of Tunis, a former Senior British Army officer, and a citizen of Great Britain.<\/p>\n

– From 1930 – 1950, the games were known as the British Empire Games<\/p>\n

– Empire Stadium was built for the 1954 Games. It hosted 29 athletic events.<\/p>\n

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Date: August 1954\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Photo Credit: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1958<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0 Princess Margaret; Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother<\/p>\n

Cross Canada tour with several stops in BC to mark the 100th<\/sup>\u00a0Anniversary of BC becoming a British Crown Colony; later the same year, Queen Elizabeth, the\u00a0Queen\u00a0Mother made an overnight stop in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credits: City of Vancouver Archives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1959\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh (Cross Canada tour)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PHOTO COLLAGE: VANCOUVER SCHOOLS CELEBRATE\u00a0 THE 100th<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0ANNIVERSARY OF BC BECOMING A BRITISH CROWN COLONY<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

B. The Rise of American Popular Culture<\/p>\n

Despite the popularity of the Royal Tours in Canada during the 1950s, British cultural influence on Canada waned as the United States established itself as a dominant cultural force in Canada. This influence was felt especially in the realms of popular culture: television shows, movies, and pop music.<\/p>\n

TELEVISION<\/u>: Beginning in the late 1940s, television exploded in popularity. In the United States, the number of commercial television stations rose from 98 in 1950, to 233 in 1954, to 440 by 1960. Three television networks dominated broadcasting: NBC, ABC, and CBS. Cowboy shows dominated the schedules. Their popularity peaked in 1959 when 26 cowboy shows aired during prime time each week. Canada\u2019s first network, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, didn\u2019t begin operation until 1952. Due to the popularity of American shows in Canada, TV shows produced in Canada often struggled to find an audience, despite the fact that the number of television sets in Canada rose from 146,000 in 1952 to 2.3 million in 1956.<\/p>\n

MOVIES:<\/u> British movies continued to be popular in Canada, but the American film industry continued to dominate, even as it struggled to compete with the growing popularity of television shows. The production of cowboy movies, and Innovations such as wide screens and 3D, and the production of spectacle films with historical and religious themes were introduced in an attempt to win back movie audiences.<\/p>\n

Very little film production happened in Canada. The National Film Board, established in 1939, won some international acclaim for its production of animated films and documentaries.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE LONE RANGER\u2019S CANADIAN “SIDEKICK”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harold J. Smith, aka Jay Silverheels, was born on a reserve in 1912. A gifted athlete, he was a champion boxer and wrestler, and a top scorer on the Canadian National Lacrosse team. He appeared in dozens of films, mostly westerns, as a stuntman and bit player. Most were low-budget and poorly produced. In 1945, he took the name Jay Silverheels, his last name being a nickname given to him by his team mates on the Canadian National Lacrosse team.<\/p>\n

His breakout opportunity came in 1949 when he won the role of Tonto in the television series The Lone Ranger. It became an enormous hit, and Silverheels and Clayton Moore, who played the Lone Ranger, became household names. Silverheels\u00a0 later criticized his Tonto role for dialogue that made him look dim-witted. He also criticized Hollywood\u2019s practice of casting non-Indigenous actors in Indigenous roles.<\/p>\n

During the 1960s, Silverheels was attacked by Indigenous activists for his Lone Ranger\u2019s \u201csidekick\u201d persona. The fact that he had begun playing his Tonto persona for laughs only worsened the criticism. Critics called him \u201cUncle Tomahawk\u201d and the \u201cIndian Stepin Fetchit.\u201d Yet, he helped establish the Indian Actors Workshop, a place for training Indigenous actors and provided a political voice on First Nations issues.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

PHOTO COLLAGE: Possible evidence of the influence of American films and television on Vancouver schools during the 1950s.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

POP MUSIC<\/u>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Excerpts from \u2018Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll and Social Change\u2019<\/p>\n

by Richard Welch<\/p>\n

Published in History Today Volume 40 \u00a0Issue 2<\/u> February 1990<\/p>\n

Yet one of the most profound cultural changes in American history is seldom credited for what it was and did. In the mid-1950s this enormous cultural revolution swept aside prevailing notions of American popular music, blended black and white musical traditions and integrated black performers into the pantheon of musical superstars in an unprecedented fashion. In such a way this revolution both presaged and encouraged the desegregation movement of the 1956-64 period. More generally, this revolution created a music which became the common property not only of two generations of Americans, but millions throughout the world, creating the most ubiquitous, and perhaps, most influential form of American popular culture. The revolution was rock ‘n’ roll.<\/em><\/p>\n

The startling success of rock ‘n’ roll in transforming American popular music and culture owed much to the phenomenon of the mass-market adolescent subculture. While adolescence is normally a time of some rebellion against adult authority and mores, nothing seen before in history was quite as dramatic as the transformation of adolescents from an age group to a virtual class after the Second World War. <\/em><\/p>\n

Excerpt from ELVIS HISTORY BLOG: http:\/\/www.elvis-history-blog.com\/elvis-vancouver.html<\/a><\/p>\n

On August 31, 1957, Elvis Presley gave one of the most legendary concerts of his career at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, B.C. It would be his last performance outside the U.S. Crowd estimates ranged from 16,000 to over 26,000. Either way, it was the biggest crowd he faced in 1957. Thousands of spectators left the stands and charged down the football field before halting just short of the goal line, where Elvis gyrated on stage. Fear that the excited crowd might advance on the stage caused Elvis to cut his performance down to 22 minutes, about half his normal time on stage in 1957. After Elvis split, hundreds of fans burst through the security line and overran the stage. Eventually the crowd dispersed, and Elvis\u2019s Vancouver show passed into history.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

C. The Economy<\/p>\n

In the 1950s, Canada\u2019s economy grew at a fast pace, fueled by new resource-based development (coal, oil and natural gas, forest products, prairie wheat) and rising consumer demand. The Port of Vancouver saw rapid growth as trade with Japan and other overseas countries expanded.<\/p>\n

The standard of living of most Canadians rose dramatically. This period of unprecedented economic prosperity continued well into the 1960s. Canada\u2019s economy became more integrated with the American economy through trade agreements which saw the lowering of trade barriers.<\/p>\n

In the 1950s, many young people were coming of age in an era of relative abundance. Goods that families couldn\u2019t afford in the 1930s and couldn\u2019t purchase in the 1940s due to wartime restrictions on production were becoming more common. New consumer products, too, were entering the market. Between 1950 and 1960, homes in Canadian cities and towns acquired items such as automatic washing machines and electric refrigerators (rural homes often didn\u2019t have the electricity and plentiful running water these appliances required). New automobiles were increasingly abundant and affordable. Televisions were growing in popularity; the children of the 1950s were the first to grow up with access to this medium, which brought advertising into the home in a new and \u2014 some believed \u2014\u00a0invasive way.<\/em><\/p>\n

(Excerpt from\u00a0\u00a0YOUTH AND CONSUMERISM<\/u>\u00a0\u00a0by Katharine Rollwagen, Department of History, Vancouver Island University)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

British Columbia: The Era of William Andrew Cecil Bennett (1952-1972)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Date: 1956\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0W.A.C. Bennett (far left) and his wife May Bennett (far right) attend a ceremony.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Photo Credit: City of Vancouver Archives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On August 01, 1952, W.A.C. Bennett was sworn in as BC Premier as leader of a Social Credit (populist conservative) Government. He remained in office until September 15, 1972. One of Bennett\u2019s ambitions was to complete a railway linking Vancouver to northern British Columbia:<\/p>\n

Bennett’s northern ambitions involved two complementary and sometimes overlapping goals. The first was to develop northern British Columbia as part of his government’s overall aim of hinterland expansion. When Bennett became premier, a general consensus prevailed that settlement and economic activity in British Columbia were too heavily concentrated in the southwest corner of the province.<\/em><\/p>\n

It mainly connected logging and mining operations of the British Columbia Interior with the coastal town of Squamish, where these resources were transported by sea. Resources were not available for the government to expand the railway to the intended target of Prince George, and to its detractors PGE came to stand for \u201cProvince\u2019s Great Expense\u201d, \u201cPrince George Eventually\u201d, \u201cPast God\u2019s Endurance\u201d, and \u201cPlease Go Easy\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally beginning in 1949, there were financial allocations that allowed the Pacific Great Eastern to begin to expand. Track was laid north of Quesnel to a junction with the Canadian National Railways at Prince George. Between 1953 and 1956, the PGE constructed a line between Squamish and North Vancouver.<\/em><\/p>\n

Source: John R. Wedley, A DEVELOPMENT TOOL: W.A.C. BENNETT AND THE PGE RAILWAY<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

D. IMMIGRATION<\/p>\n

The 1950s saw changes in Canadian immigration policy and practices that affected both immigrants and refugees and increased ethnic and cultural diversity in Canadian society.<\/p>\n

The following are excerpts from a chronology prepared by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada:<\/p>\n

1950<\/strong><\/p>\n