chapter 27 - postwar america
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Chapter 27
Return to a Peacetime EconomyEconomy increases =
increased consumer spending
GI Bill –loans to veteransIncreased spending =
increased prices (inflation)
Workers go on strike for higher wages
Taft-Hartley ActOutlawed the closed shopOutlawed featherbeddingAllowed states to pass
right-to-work laws outlawing union shops
Truman’s Domestic PolicyTruman has little
successCongress gets in the way
Truman labels Congress a “Do-Nothing Congress”
Mid-term elections see the Democrats win majorities in Congress
“Fair Deal”Minimum wage
increasedSocial Security expanded
The Eisenhower YearsEisenhower - midway
between conservative and liberal
Dynamic conservatism balancing of economic
conservatism with some activism
Conservative Side: Ended price and rent controls Cut aid for public housing Supported tax reductions
Activist Side: Federal Highway Act –
created 40,000 miles of interstate highways
Provided $25 billion for the construction of these roadways
Wartime to peacetime economy
American Abundance John Kenneth Galbraith – The
Affluent Society: New business techniques and
improved technology White-collared jobs (sales,
management, services) begin to outnumber blue-collared jobs (physical labor industry)
Multinational corporations – located near raw materials, and cheap labor
Increase in franchises Conform to company standards. Advertising: fastest growing
industries Suburbs: Levittown, NY:
become the symbol of the American dream – example of American conformity
The 1950s FamilyFamilies grow larger
and women enter the workforce
1941-1965 – baby boom – more than 65 million children born in the United States
Popular culture embraced and encouraged large families
Women expected to stay home, but many enter the workforce
Technological BreakthroughsENIAC and UNIVAC –
1st computers developed in the US – useful for business data
Development of antibiotics; drugs for arthritis, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease; and advances in surgical techniques
Jonas Salk – invented the polio vaccine
Commercial planes made smoother and faster
New Mass MediaTelevision popularity –
advertising and sporting events
Comedy, action and adventure, variety shows, and quiz shows 21 – Cheating scandal
Movie industry losses viewers – innovation of the cinemascope and 3-d glasses Stereotypical roles
Radios expanded their programming: Music, news, talk shows, weather, and public service programming
New Youth CultureYoung Americans look to
break from conformityAlan Freed plays rock ‘n’
roll for the 1st time on the radio
Elvis Presley becomes a hero to teenagers – parents fear music’s influence
Generation gap – cultural separation between children and parents
Beats – group of artists who highlighted the generation gap in the US
Jack Kerouac – On The Road
African American EntertainersFound acceptance as
music performersChuck Berry, Ray
Charles, Little Richard
Women’s groups – The Crystals, the Chiffons, the Shirelles
Poverty Amidst Prosperity1950s – 1 in 5 Americans
lived below the poverty line
Michael Harrington’s “The Other America”Single mothers, elderly,
minority immigrants, rural Americans, Appalachians, and Native Americans
Americans move to suburbs, urban areas become home to poorer, less educated minority groups
Urban renewal programs – tore down slums, built high-rise projects
Minority Ethnic Groups in the 50sAfrican American salaries
were 51% of white salariesNAACP and Congress on
Racial Equality push for equality, but have little success
Bracero program – 5 million Mexican immigrants to come to the US for agricultural needs – struggle with poverty and poor working conditions
Native Americans the poorest group in the country
Termination policy – US government withdraws recognition of Native Americans as legal entities
Juvenile DelinquencyRise in anti-social or
criminal behavior amongst youths
Youths were stereotyped if they did not conform to social norms
As baby boomers enter school, schools suffer building and teacher shortages
Schools criticized for lack of technical education – improvement made in math and science education
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