Week FiveFifth Grade

Social Studies

∆ How did returning soldiers affect the work force in the U.S. after World War II?

∆ Men replaced the women that were in the workforce and the women returned home to be homemakers.

∆ What affect did soldiers returning home from World War II—getting married, starting families, having money to spend, and the revival of the auto industry have on the U.S.?

∆ People moved to the suburbs, (developments on the outskirts of cities) to build their own homes and raise families.

∆ What was responsible during the 1950’s post-war period for the widespread desire for the same popular products such as slinkies, cap guns, coonskin hats, Barbie dolls, and hoola-hoops?

∆ Product advertisement through the mass media of radio and the introduction of television into most homes

∆ What kind of music was a strong indicator of a cultural shift in ideas of young Americans in the 1950’s?

∆ Rock-and-Roll music

∆ What shift in industry supported the prosperity of Americans, and the desire for new products in the post World War II period?

∆ Factories shifted from producing products to support the war effort, like tanks, weapons, uniforms, etc. to producing televisions, cars, clothing, toys, and other luxury items.

∆ How did the “business”of World War II help the economy of the United States?

∆ It helped the U. S. out of the Great Depression by providing jobs to men as soldiers, and factory jobs to women. People were able to save money, and with nothing to buy due to the war, an economic boom followed after World War II.

∆ Following World War II, the service industry began to become a large part of the U.S. economy. What are three types of services Americans spent money on?

∆ 1. Dry cleaners∆ 2. Restaurants and fast food places∆ 3. Motels

∆ How did American Consumerism change after World War II?

∆ During the war, there was limited variety of products for consumers because the bulk of products produced were for the war effort. After the war, industries were able to produce a large variety of goods for the American, such as autos, radios, TV’s, air conditioners, etc.

∆ What were the factors that led to the expanding job market in the U.S.?

∆ People had money to spend.∆ Because people had money,

more and more jobs were created.

∆ What were three examples of new and improved technologies created during the post World War II era?

∆ Autos with automatic transmissions, radial tires, and power steering

∆ 2. Airplanes with jet engines and pressurized cabins

∆ 3. Long distance telephones∆ 4. Air conditioning∆ 5. Television

∆ Who was responsible for the desegregation of the U.S. armed forces and what effect did it have on America?

∆ President Harry Truman ordered the desegregation because African Americans had fought and died just like the whites in World war II. This changed the landscape for civil rights in the United States.

∆ What was the cause and effect of the court caseBrown v. Board of Education?

∆ The United States Supreme Court declared the practice of school segregation unconstitutional in 1954. Over the next 14 years, beginning with the Brown decision, the Civil Rights Movement gained national prominence and importance.

∆ What was the role of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s?

∆ He brought to the attention of the world and the American people the struggle of African Americans to achieve equal rights. He had a non-violent philosophy and led many protests of injustices through marches, boycotts, and rallies.

∆ Who was active in the Montgomery Women’s Association and led the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama?

∆ Mrs. Rosa Parks

∆ What was the role of Malcolm X in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s?

∆ He believed that change was not happening fast enough and that white Americans would never support equal rights, so he encouraged his followers to rely on themselves as opposed to newly passed civil rights laws. He was assassinated in his fight for equality.

∆ What was the major reason behind the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States?

∆ After WW II, a rivalry developed between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The Soviet’s wanted to spread communism, and the U.S. wanted to contain the spread of communism.

∆ What was the term for the “Red Scare” campaign that said hundreds of American “communists” were trying to overturn the U.S. government?

∆ McCarthyism

∆ What happened when the North Korea invaded South Korea with the intension of reuniting the peninsula under one communist government?

∆ The Korean Conflict

∆ What was built by the Soviets to separate the communist and democratic portions of the city of Berlin until it was torn down in 1989?

∆ The Berlin Wall

∆ What was the competition to be the first to reach outer space between the U.S. and the Soviet Union called?

∆ The “Space Race”

∆ What was the period of time when the Cold War rivalry came closest to becoming a nuclear war?

∆ The Cuban Missile Crisis

∆ How were the Vietnam War and the Korean War similar?

∆ In both, the U.S. was trying to stop the spread of communism. In both, the Soviet Union supported the communist governments and the U.S. supported democratic governments.

∆ What is the government body that: finds peaceful solutions to international issues; provides a forum for debate; and provides neutral policing(military) for local conflicts?

∆ The United Nations

∆ What is the military alliance that was established in response to the growing threat of the Soviet Union following World War II and has grown to 26 nations?

∆ The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

∆ What is the name of the organization made up of nations who produce oil products, and plays a major role in controlling their production levels and price?

∆ The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

∆ Why does OPEC affect the U.S. so greatly?

∆ Because the U.S. relies on a large amount of oil, and must import this oil from other countries

∆ What are the two bodies of the United Nations?

∆ 1. The General Assembly∆ 2. The Security Council

∆ Who are the permanent members of the UN Security Council?

∆ Permanent members of the UN Security Council are the Allied Powers of World War II.