the postwar boom in america
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The Postwar Boom in AmericaEssential Question:
In what ways did the Cold War contribute to postwar prosperity in
the US?
First, some review Following WWII, the United States established long-term
military presence in West Germany in an effort to do what? Stop communist expansion
What was the Berlin Airlift? The Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Berlin Airlift, and
Korean War were all attempts by US to do what foreign policy term that means to stop communism from spreading? Containment
When Sec. of State Dulles suggested that the US massively retaliate against the Soviets or China if either invaded was called what? Brinkmanship
More Review What does the term McCarthyism mean?
Reckless accusation with little or no evidence Government officials resorted to conformity during
the Red Scare because they were afraid to be accused of being a what? Communist
The successful launch of Sputnik in 1957 by the Soviets was the beginning of the what? Space Race
What was the intent of the Truman Doctrine? To rebuild European Cities
What caused so many Americans to believe communists were infiltrating the government? FEAR
Readjustment & Recovery By summer 1946, 10 million men and women were
released from armed services – they were ready to settle
The GI Bill (1944) – was created to help ease the veterans back into society and provide them with economic aidEncouraged veterans to get higher education by paying
part of their tuitionGuaranteed a years worth of unemployment benefits
while job huntingOffered low-interest, federally granted loans – which
many young couples used to buy homes and farms
Housing Crisis Veterans returning home faced a severe housing
shortageMany lived with relatives or in cramped apartments
William Levitt produced houses in an assembly line style. He boasted that he could build a house in 16 minutesHe offered his homes in small residential communities
called suburbs, for less than $7,000 His first group of standardized homes built on a
treeless lot was located on Long Island which he called Levittown
Redefining the Family• Tension created by changes in men’s and
women’s roles after the war lead to a higher divorce rate
• Traditionally, men were the bread winners, while the women were Susie-home-makers
• During the War, 75% of married women joined the workforce– Many were reluctant to go back because they liked
the independence the change had brought them• Many did return home, but by 1950 more than 1
million war marriages had ended in divorce
The Feminine Mystique• Betty Frieden was an influential woman who wrote a
book entitled The Feminine Mystique– Read through the excerpt to determine what you think the
purpose of this book was
• It energized a new type of women’s rights movement that empowered women to be more independent and seek a live that was what they wanted, not what was expected of them
Economic Readjustment
• US converted from a wartime economy to a peacetime economy
• Because the war ended, jobs were cut that involved military equipment production– Result: By March 1946, 3 million people were without
jobs– Also prices of goods increased by 25% due to the
ending of OPA’s inflation control• Americans were also getting paid less than they
had before
Truman’s Sudden Presidency
• Franklin D. Roosevelt died in 1945, launching Harry S. Truman into immediate presidency
• Truman asked Eleanor if there was anything he could do for her– She replied “Is there anything we can do for you?
For you are the one in trouble now.”– What did she mean???
Harry S. TrumanI don’t know whether you fellows ever had a load of hay fall on you, but when they told me yesterday what had happened (Roosevelt’s death), I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me.
Meeting Economic Challenges• President Truman’s Inheritance– When President Truman inherited the presidency,
not only did he inherit the Cold War . . .– He also inherited the responsibility in restoring
the American economy to a strong footing after the war’s end
• Truman Faces Strikes– Because of lower wages following the war, 4.5
million men went on strike in 1946– Truman threatens to draft all strikers in the
military, and take control of the RR and mines• The Unions gave in
Remarkable Recovery Most economists predicted a post-war
depression Why didn’t it happen? Remember the war bonds the gov’t urged
Americans to get? And the rationing? People finally had money and had been without
certain goods for so long, they were ready to spend their money on goods, regardless of the price.
The demands for goods forced production to increase, which created jobs – and the cycle continues
Social Unrest Persists A wave of racial violence erupts in the south Truman Supports Civil Rights
Asks for a federal anti-lynching lawA ban on the poll tax as a voting requirementAnd a permanent civil rights commission
Congress refuses to pass any of theses, nor do they agree to integration in the military
To rebut, he issues an executive order for military integration, an end to racial discrimination in hiring, and permission of African Americans in neighborhoods
The 1948 Election
• Despite the fact that Americans blamed Truman for increased inflation, the democrats nominated him for re-election
• Dixiecrats:– Southern Democrats who were opposed to Truman’s
pro-civil rights stance– Sought to nominate their own democratic candidate
who was anti-civil rights– Governor J. Strom Thurmond of North Carolina
• The Republicans nominated Governor Thomas E. Dewey
Scandalous History
• Strom Thurmond had an illegitimate biracial daughter who he kept a secret!!!!– Essie Mae Washington-Williams
• He represented a political party that did not want civil rights for blacks!!!!
• SCANDALOUS!
The 1948 Election• Truman’s “Give ‘em Hell, Harry” campaign
worked• He won in a political upset (Dixiecrats)
The Fair Deal
• Truman’s extension of FDR’s New Deal– Included proposals for a nationwide system of
compulsory health insurance and a crop-subsidy system to provide a steady income for farmers
• But the Republicans and Dixiecrats in Congress refused both of these
• But. . . Congress did raise the minimum wage from 40 c to 75 c, extended Social Security to 10 million more people, and built 810,000 housing units for low-income areas
Republicans Take the Middle Road
• Truman’s approval rating sank, what with all the radical racial and equality ideas
• In addition, the Korean War was a bust (as we saw), and McCarthyism was priming Americans with fear
• President Eisenhower takes the next election– Won 55% of the popular vote and majority of the
electoral college– Nixon was his running mate and became VP
Walking the Middle Road
• Eisenhower asks congress to be conservative when it comes to money and liberal when it comes to human beings
• He took a middle-of-the-road course avoiding many controversial issues
• But he had a hard time side-stepping civil rights• In 1945, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v.
Board of Education that public schools must be racially integrated – this lead to more civil rights actions
Early Civil Rights Movement• A year after the Supreme Court ruled that public
schools must be racially integrated, a seamstress named Rosa Barks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man– Her arrest sparked major
news and a boycott on the Montgomery, AL bus system
The Postwar Boom in AmericaAnswer the Essential Question:In what ways did the Cold War
contribute to postwar prosperity in the US?
The Story of Us: Boom
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