Consequences of World War II
The 1950s was 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 the Eastern European countries began to separate them 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 one-party authoritarian regimes.
Germany itself was split down the middle and its capital city Berlin split in two, ultimately creating a capitalist West Germany and a communist East Germany.
The influence of communism was widespread 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.
Con Athanasas – Korean War Veteran
Con Athanasas is a veteran of the Korean War. He was born in the village of Mesanagros, on top of a hill, 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 valor 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” (infantry battalion of the Hellenic Army) numbering 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 the horrors on battlefields and trenches, ultimately seeing 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 their memories and their dreams.
The Greek unit was awarded the US Presidential Unit Citation by President Harry Truman for their courage and bravery with an American commander commenting, “Aside from the British and the Australians, no one else stood with us as long as the Greeks.”
The Korean War bogged down in a bloody stalemate, finally ending in July 1953 with the Korean Peninsula still divided.
With Athanasas he immigrated to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1955 and in the same year married Dimitria Manis, another immigrant from Mesanagros 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
Roberto Menzies
First term as Prime Minister 1939 – 1941
Second term 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 security of a warm and loving family home.
Edmund Hillary and Sherpa climber 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, turn-up-collared Elvis jackets, and stilettos, reached new peaks in popularity.
Television replaced radio as the dominant media. 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 her 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 was the epitome of 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 houses, 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 revolving clothesline developed by World War II veteran Lance Hill in 1945, the dunny (toilet), strategically placed at the back of a house or public building, and for its magical show. Christmas by John Martin. It is held 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 delivered to homes by horse-drawn wagons.
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 play areas 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 your tank, checked your tires, water and oil, and cleaned your windshield.
Saturday afternoon matinee
An important tradition growing up in Adelaide in the 1950s was the Saturday afternoon matinee at the local youth cinema.
Ushers with flaming torches ushered the youth to their seats, the lights dimmed, and everyone rose to their feet to perform the God Save The Queen National Anthem. There were always two movies, a newsreel and a cartoon to enjoy eating popcorn, Fantales, Jaffas or a Dandy (ice cream), bought before the first movie started and again during intermission.
The Elvis and Tammy movies, as well as Tarzan starring Johnny Weissmuller, were popular during the 1950s. After the interval came cartoons like Heckle and Jeckle, Tom and Jerry, Sylvester and Tweety-pie, Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. Leghorn, Foghorn the rooster and the little cowboy, Yosemite Sam.
Classic films shown 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 booming 1950s and early 1960s 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 movies of Elvis Presley, James Dean, and Marlon Brando. Hair slicked back in a quiff using Brylcreem and usually with long sideburns (the Elvis look), suit jackets with big shoulders, stovepipe-hugging pants, and glow-in-the-dark socks (white and red socks were popular). . They also wore black or white T-shirts; suede shoes with wavy soles or pointed shoes, brightly colored shirts with a turn-up collar (black, red and purple shirts were very popular).
Widgies wore short hair, tight trousers and sweaters or three-quarter trousers 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.
Milk bars from the 1950s that had jukeboxes were where a young bodgie had a much better chance with the girls.
