Unit 8 Post-War Boom & Cold War Conflict
What did Eisenhower want government to be?
"Conservative when it comes to money and liberal when it comes to human beings"
Ike's Approach to Politics
"Dynamic Conservatism" (known today as moderate Republicanism)
Eisenhower's Campaign Slogan
"I Like Ike"
Interstate Highway Act
Eisenhower authorized a nationwide highway network - 41,000 miles of road linking America
At what river did American and Soviet troops meet?
Elbe River
Were workers earning more or less?
Less
For many, what was the American Dream?
Life in the suburbs
How were people of color disproportionately affected by the degeneration of cities?
Many suburban community boards had policies making it extremely difficult for non-white families to buy homes in those areas
"Organization Man"
Modern workers struggled with a loss of individualism, consistent with the broader culture of social conformity and anti-communism that was characteristic of the early Cold War
Formation of Military Alliances
NATO and Warsaw Pact
By 1962, how many Americans were living below the poverty level?
Nearly one out of every four Americans
How many babies were born in 1957?
Over 4.3 million
Executive Order 9981
Provided for the desegregation of the armed forces, abolished discrimination "on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin" in the United States Armed Force
What did the government do to halt inflation?
Re-institute temporary price controls on goods, wages, and rents
How did highways "homogenize" America?
Restaurants, motels, highway billboards, gas stations, etc. all began to look similar
What was China's largest population demographic at the time of the battle between Communists and Nationalists?
Rural working class
How did the U.S. help Nationalists oppose communism?
Sent military aid
After WWII what did returning veterans face?
Severe housing crisis
Who was the first to suggest a cease-fire?
Soviet Union
Is the Korean War over?
Technically no because an "armistice" is simply a ceasefire, NOT a peace treaty
Which industry reached an all-time high because of the baby boom?
Toy ($1.25 billion in toys were sold)
Families returned to what norm after the war?
Traditional
Who flocked to join the "Red Army"
Volunteers (largely farmers and the rural working class)
Emmett Till
• A 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago, visiting his family in Money, Mississippi • Brutally murdered by two white men • The widespread reporting on this crime and Till's mother's decision to give him an open-casket funeral sparked nationwide horror and outrage and reinvigorated the civil rights movement
Truman's Fair Deal
• A nationwide system of compulsory health insurance - did not pass Congress • Raising the minimum wage • Extending Social Security to more people • Initiating flood control and irrigation projects • Secured federal funding for low-income housing
Social Conformity in the 1950's
• American workers found themselves becoming standardized • Businesses did not want creative thinkers, rebels or anyone that would "rock the boat"
Pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock
• Believed children should be allowed to express themselves and be part of the "democratic" life of the household • Believed parents should be "friends" with their children
Advances in the Treatment of Childhood Diseases
• Creation of the polio vaccine • New availability of antibiotics eliminated childhood deaths from bacterial illnesses
William Levitt
• Developer • Bragged that his company could build a home in 16 minutes for under $7,000
In what ways did young people embrace the American car culture?
• Drive-in movie theaters • Drive-in restaurants • "Cruising" teenagers • Dating & Cars
Elbe Day and Creation of the United Nations
• Events were supposed to signal international peace and cooperation • Increasing distrust between the U.S. and the Soviet Union • U.N. would be one of the main arenas in which the Cold War struggle would be played out
What else did Truman ask Congress for?
• Federal anti-lynching law • Ban on the poll tax as a voting requirement • Permanent federal civil rights commission
Longoria Incident
• Felix Longoria was a Mexican-American WWII hero who had been killed in the Philippines • The only undertaker in his Texas hometown refused to provide his family with funeral services • Outraged Mexican Americans stepped up their efforts to stamp out discrimination by creating the G.I. Forum and the Unity League of California • Both were designed to register Mexican American voters and to promote candidates who would represent their interests
Why did the baby boom occur when it did?
• Husbands returning from war • Decreasing marriage age • Confidence in economy • Advances in medicine
What led to 20 million car purchases during the 50s?
• Inexpensive, plentiful fuel • Easy credit
What happened when the armistice was declared?
• Korea was still divided • Demilitarized zone was established
What factors played into Truman's low approval rating?
• Korean War • Rising tide of McCarthyism
What factors from the Korean War helped elect Eisenhower (the only Republican to hold the Presidency between 1932 and 1968)?
• Lack of success at banishing communism from Korean peninsula • High human and financial costs of the war
Communists in China
• Led by Mao Zedong • Worked to gain the support of women and the rural working class
Montgomery Bus Boycott
• Led by Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. • Lasted one year • Ended with a Supreme Court decision which struck down segregated busing
White Flight
• Millions of middle and working class white Americans left the cities for the suburbs • At the same time, millions of rural poor migrated to the cities • Drained American cities of valuable financial stimulation by shrinking the tax base dramatically
What made commuting possible?
• New highways • Affordability of cars and gasoline
Negative Effects of Booming Car Industry
• Noise • Pollution • Accidents • Traffic Jams • Stress • Decline of public transportation
Major Themes of Early Cold War
• Origins of the Cold War • Formation of Military Alliances • Marshall Plan • Policy of Containment • The Truman Doctrine • The Berlin Blockade • The Korean War • The Second "Red Scare": Era of McCarthyism • "Arms Race" begins
Ike's "Hits"
• Pressed hard to bring about a balanced budget and tax cuts • Raised the minimum wage to $1/hr • Extended Social Security and unemployment benefits • Increased funding for public housing • Backed the creation of the Interstate Highway System • Warned against the overdevelopment of the military/industrial complex
"Braceros"
• Remained in the U.S. illegally to escape poor economic conditions in Mexico • Soon found prejudice against them rising dramatically, and indeed, against Latinos in general
Battle of Los Angeles
• Rounds from anti-aircraft guns were fired into the sky at an "unidentified" object • "Object" was most likely a meteorological balloon (weather balloon) that failed to be tracked properly between government agencies • Early example of the tension and quiet fear, easily excited into hysteria, that came to characterize the mood of the Cold War
Potsdam Conference
• Stalin, Truman and Attlee meet at Potsdam, Germany • Becomes clear that Stalin would not keep his promise of free elections • Stalin soon expands into "buffer zone" to prevent Germany from ever again invading • U.S. and Truman interested in spreading democracy and having an eastern European market for American goods
Policy of Containment
• The Truman Doctrine • The Berlin Blockade • The Korean War
Interstate Highway System
• These highways were initially planned as a quick escape from major cities in the context of the nuclear threat of the Cold War • "Automania" also spurred the construction of roads linking major cities while connecting schools, shopping centers and workplaces to residential suburbs
How many students entered elementary schools as a result of the baby boom?
10 million
By 1951 Truman's approval rating sank to what percent?
23% (an all-time low)
What percentage of Latino and Spanish-speaking students attended segregated schools until the Brown v. Board of Education decision?
80%
Diversification
Business-boosting tactic which ensures that a company is able to profit from multiple industries
Consumerism
Buying material goods (came to be equated with success and status)
What was seen as a confirmation of the "Domino Theory"?
Communist takeover of China
President's Commission on Civil Rights
Established by President Harry Truman; purpose was to propose measures to strengthen and protect the civil rights of the American people
Potential Disaster for Ike During his Campaign
His running mate, Richard Nixon's alleged "slush fund"
Where did most Americans work?
In the city
Where did Nationalists flee to?
Island of Taiwan
GI Bill
Low-interest loans that helped veterans move into suburbs
What were men expected to do and what were women expected to do?
Men expected to work; women expected to stay home and care for the children
Planned obsolescence
Method of inducing customers to purchase more and more products over time
Republicans used Ike's ________ to emphasize his ability to combat __________
Military background; Communism
Franchise
Multiple locations of the same business with the same business model, but independently owned
Who did Chinese Communists battle?
Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek
Between 1950 and 1960, what did America become?
One of the world's wealthiest countries: • 10 million new homeowners • 20 million new car registrations • $25,000 increase in average family income • $22.5 billion increase in personal savings
What did Dixiecrats do to protest Truman's emphasis on Civil Rights?
Opted to run a third candidate, South Carolina Governor Strom Thurmond
By 1960 how many Americans owned automobiles?
Over 60 million
What was established on the mainland of China after the Nationalists fled?
People's Republic of China
The Second "Red Scare"
Persecution of suspected domestic Communists, blacklisting
How did Nixon respond to the slush fund allegations?
Responded by going on T.V. and delivering an emotional speech denying charges but admitting to accepting one gift for his children - a dog named Checkers
Which job fields exploded during the 1950s?
Sales, advertising, insurance, and communications
Origins of the Cold War
Shaky WWII alliance with Russia, post-war diplomatic and military incidences create distrust
Dixiecrats
Southern Democrats
"Arms Race" begins
Soviets conduct successful tests on their first nuclear bomb as early as 1949
Who did the U.S. support in China and why did this cause issues?
Supported Chiang, but his government was inefficient and corrupt
By the end of the 1950s what were Americans enjoying?
The highest standard of living in the world
After WWII ended where did Americans turn their attention to?
Their families and jobs
What kind of price controls were abolished?
Wartime
Yalta Conference
• Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill meet at Yalta, Soviet Union • Soviets demand reparations from occupied Germany to compensate for wartime losses • Stalin promises to allow free elections in Soviet-occupied eastern Europe
Advertising Industry's Target Markets
• Suburban women • Teenagers
Ike's "Misses"
• Tried to avoid controversy • Brown v. Board of Education ruling took place in 1954 • Rosa Parks/Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 • While he upheld the Constitutionality of the "Brown" ruling during the Little Rock Crisis in 1957, Ike did not press for an end to segregation
Conservatives blamed Truman for not sending enough aid, labeling him ___________
"Soft on communism"
Amount of money Americans had in savings from defense work, service pay, and investments in war bonds
$135 billion
Within 10 days of Japan's surrender how many American defense workers were laid off?
1 million
Marshall Plan
13 billion in aid to help get Europe back on its feet - without having to "resort" to communism
The price of goods soared to what percent?
25%
By March 1946, how many people were unemployed?
3 million
Ad agencies increased their spending from _______ to ________ between 1950 and 1955
6 billion; 9 billion
Nearly what percent of Americans were members of the middle class?
60%
At its height in 1957, a baby was born in America every _____ seconds
7
During WWII, how many women entered the workforce and how many of them were married?
8 million women entered the workforce, 6 million of whom were married
Of the 13 million homes built in the 1950s, what percentage were built in the suburbs?
85%
What method was used to mass-produce houses?
Assembly-line
National Housing Act of 1949
Called for the tearing down of run- down neighborhoods and the construction of affordable housing
"White-collar" Jobs
Clerical, management, or professional jobs
Americans were ready to buy affordable ______________
Consumer goods, homes and cars
U.S. Emotions Towards Communist Chinese Government
Did not recognize them
What rates increased even though they were frowned upon?
Divorce rates
