US History: World War II Part 5

G.I. Bill of Rights

Also known as Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, gave money to veterans to study in colleges and universities, gave medical treatment, and gave loans to buy a house or farm or start a new business

Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952)

Court found that there was no congressional statute that authorized the President to take possession of private property after President Truman nationalized steel mills threatened by strike during the Korean War

Henry A. Wallace

FDR's liberal vice president during most of World War II, dumped from the ticket in 1944; ran against Truman for President in the election of 1948

Klaus Barbie

Gestapo chief in Lyons, France. Known as the butcher of France.

J. Strom Thurmond

He was nominated for president on a States' Rights Party (Dixiecrats) in the 1948 election. Split southern Democrats from the party due to Truman's stand in favor of Civil Rights for African Americans. He only got 39 electoral votes.

Rudolph Hess

Hitler's Secretary & deputy, flew to England in 1941, captured & imprisoned until 1987

States Rights Party

In 1948, a group of southern Democrats known as the dixiecrats bolted from their party and supported Governor Strom Thurmond of South Carolina as the presidential candidate of the States Rights party.

Adolf Eichmann

In charge of transportation of Jews and extermination during the Holocaust. Fled to Argentina then later brought to Israel to be tried and executed. Only person to be executed by Israel.

Herman Goering

Nazi politician and head of the Luftwaffe during World War II

Taft-Hartley Act (1947)

Passed over President Harry Truman's veto, the law contained a number of provisions to weaken labor unions, including the banning of closed shops. It imposed a federally mandated "cooling-off period" on strikes judged to endanger national security.

Fair Deal (1949)

President Truman's extensive social program introduced in his 1949 message to Congress. Republicans and Southern Democrats kept much of his vision from being enacted, except for raising minimum wage, providing more public housing, and extended old-age insurance to many more beneficiaries under the Social Security Act

John L. Lewis

President of the United Mine Workers, combined with seven other American Federation of Labor organizations to form the Committee for Industrial Organization. Wanted to bring together all of the unskilled workers together to mass-production industries

Hideki Tojo

Prime minister of Japan during World War II; executed after war crimes trials in 1948

National Housing Act (1949)

This act provided for the construction of 810,000 units of low-income housing accompanied by long-term rent subsidies.

Nuremburg Trials (1945 - 1946)

War crimes trials of 22 top German officials, 12 executed (+1 suicide - Hermann Goering); 7 jailed.

demobilization

act of changing from a war basis to a peace basis including disbanding or discharging troops

Committee on Civil Rights

established by Truman in 1946; used powers of presidential office to challenge racial discrimination

Dixiecrats

southern Democrats who opposed Truman's position on civil rights. They caused a split in the Democratic party.

Thomas E. Dewey

the Governor of New York (1943-1955) and the unsuccessful Republican candidate for the U.S. Presidency in 1944 and 1948