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A simple answer? Unions. Brickbat May 2013 #1
Unions built a strong middle class n/t etherealtruth May 2013 #64
Another simple answer: government was not as deeply in the pockets the rich and corporate interests. geckosfeet May 2013 #2
and a lot of the rich were like Romney's dad Skittles May 2013 #76
Don't fall for the postmortem hype. He was a greedy, stupid man who drove a marginal company into Egalitarian Thug May 2013 #81
Your second paragraph pretty much sums it up. femmocrat May 2013 #3
about the "safer" part... annabanana May 2013 #16
Yes, felt safe, lived in a community life long demo May 2013 #63
Actually, we kids were not as safe as we all thought. JDPriestly May 2013 #84
We used to have a social contract even without unions Warpy May 2013 #4
EXCELLENT summation. . . n/t annabanana May 2013 #17
To add to what Warpy said, which was excellent unrepentant progress May 2013 #54
Word. bemildred May 2013 #91
Sears & Roebucks helped a lot Bandit May 2013 #92
The post war years benefited from many things. HereSince1628 May 2013 #5
I was born in 1939 and led mostly a sheltered life, RebelOne May 2013 #6
LOL @ the 70s being the golden age of anything. reformist2 May 2013 #7
compared to what? HiPointDem May 2013 #20
It was the golden age of shoulder pads frazzled May 2013 #22
It was the golden age of silliness landolfi May 2013 #30
Think about that, though. "Pot" as the generation before called it KoKo May 2013 #34
Now that I think about it landolfi May 2013 #59
powell memo = 1971 HiPointDem May 2013 #86
Good Point...many of us didn't know about "Powell Memo" until it got some attention pretty recently KoKo May 2013 #95
You mean the 80's... Oh that was a time! n/t KoKo May 2013 #33
that was the 80's Skittles May 2013 #77
No, that was the eighties. No shoulder pads--or epaulettes--in the seventies. No "messy" or MADem May 2013 #78
Post removed Post removed Jun 2020 #98
80s. 70s = granny skirts and ethnic things, hippie-light look HiPointDem May 2013 #96
You mean when a middle class family could live on a single median salary? MannyGoldstein May 2013 #29
There was "Something" about that...at THAT TIME...it was what it was.. KoKo May 2013 #32
And when only a white family could be middle class Recursion May 2013 #80
Disco! nt Purplehazed May 2013 #68
When I was 10 aristocles May 2013 #8
Everything I've read so far on this thread marybourg May 2013 #9
I'll agree with you on that tech3149 May 2013 #23
Great post. Never heard of Powell memorandum but I'll look into it. nt raccoon May 2013 #25
Thanks, again sorry it was so long but it is important tech3149 May 2013 #47
"Sense of Community" at that time. Key. KoKo May 2013 #26
that sounds familiar. i was raised in queens DesertFlower May 2013 #38
"the fifties sound" niyad May 2013 #10
This old guy thanks you for your post. russspeakeasy May 2013 #12
you are most welcome. I was trying to find a video of it, but couldn't. niyad May 2013 #13
If you do find it, please post it... russspeakeasy May 2013 #18
she is most welcome. I will keep looking for it. niyad May 2013 #19
Yes...that was the Dark Side that Spilled out into the 1960's Revolution... KoKo May 2013 #28
"trashing"? all i did was post a song about what was going on. the OP asked niyad May 2013 #87
this "old woman" also thanks you. DesertFlower May 2013 #40
you are most welcome. niyad May 2013 #88
FDR was the most powerful man in the USA. Obvious. Even he acknowledged that John L. Lewis was byeya May 2013 #11
Credit cards... FirstLight May 2013 #14
Yes. We who were born in the 40s and 50s had parents who grew up during JDPriestly May 2013 #82
FDR's presidency RainDog May 2013 #15
"if it really was such a great time, what were the late 60s/early 70s massive social movements for?" HiPointDem May 2013 #21
i didn't like the 50s. DesertFlower May 2013 #43
IBM was known for being loyal to it's employees bananas May 2013 #66
hubby had one year of college. IBM gave DesertFlower May 2013 #70
Huge difference mick063 May 2013 #24
YES...that was a huge difference...although the "Godfather Movies" show the dark KoKo May 2013 #37
i remember that well. i have scoliosis and several doctors DesertFlower May 2013 #44
Everyone thinks that things were simpler when they were a child. That's at least Squinch May 2013 #27
If a person thinks it is golden they are probably white, middle class treestar May 2013 #31
Bank holding companies were intrastate, not Ilsa May 2013 #35
My 2 cents- ruffburr May 2013 #36
People seemed MUCH MORE sociable in that era. Even up through the mid-80's. KoKo May 2013 #39
Oh well guess we shouldn't even try- ruffburr May 2013 #42
Oh...it can work...but, I think folks these days like to be with their own... KoKo May 2013 #46
I'm good with that- ruffburr May 2013 #49
Well here's another way to look at it, though... KoKo May 2013 #62
The Sword Of Damocles changed everything.... Junkdrawer May 2013 #41
The Gladys Knight Version of "The Way We Were" is visually incredible..and the voice KoKo May 2013 #48
Love the song.... Junkdrawer May 2013 #51
Yes...I picked up the lyric/verse from "The Way We Were".. KoKo May 2013 #53
How does that go? If women remembered the pain of childbirth.... Junkdrawer May 2013 #57
Yes...it's worth trying to be hopeful...weed the sad out from the laughter KoKo May 2013 #60
This message was self-deleted by its author raccoon May 2013 #93
Unions nadinbrzezinski May 2013 #45
I don't really know much of anything we can quantify of what we have these days... KoKo May 2013 #50
Sooner or later we will face social unrest nadinbrzezinski May 2013 #52
There's much more "local" action starting. Not stuff that get's posted much on KoKo May 2013 #55
I know, that is what locally OWS moved, evolved into nadinbrzezinski May 2013 #56
You are right...Unions. Also, regulation= middle class. demosincebirth May 2013 #61
there was a turn against social programs when it started to benefit minorities JI7 May 2013 #58
Is this for your dissertation? Good God, there are library STACKS devoted to these questions. WinkyDink May 2013 #65
It's too broad a subject to do justice to, but... CBHagman May 2013 #67
unions and politicians who gave a shit about america madrchsod May 2013 #69
In every historical account save those concocted by capitalist douchebags, this era is called alcibiades_mystery May 2013 #71
I was going to post something similar but you've said it better. Basically it was a time when byeya May 2013 #89
This Was The Time RobinA May 2013 #72
Let's look at how the tax brackets were arranged in that period... JHB May 2013 #73
Unity. moondust May 2013 #74
Employees were considered and treated as 'people' instead of human capital DebJ May 2013 #75
Great times if you were a straight white male Recursion May 2013 #79
God I love you guys! defacto7 May 2013 #83
Get naked olddots May 2013 #85
Less GREED in the pre-Reagan era many a good man May 2013 #90
white flight was around since the 20s--but since the Long Hot Summers a far-right bunker mentality MisterP May 2013 #94
Unions and Corporate paternalism SteveG May 2013 #97
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