7 - Imperial America ('45-'75) -- WIP 3/4 Flashcards

(Post-War America & Conflict at home & abroad) (44 cards)

1
Q

Domestic Legislation/Events

A
  • Full Employment Bill ‘45 (Truman) - Declared employment to be a right, gov required to ensure that jobs were available, Raised minimum wage, Introduced farm price supports & public works programme
  • Interstate Highway Act ‘56 - Boosted federal subsidies for road building, create 41k miles of road, aimed to facilitate rapid evacuation in the event of nuclear attack
  • GI Bill of Rights* ‘44 - free training & higher education for veterans, also low interest loans for housing & starting buisnesses
  • Truman’s ‘Fair Deal’ - raised minimum wage, housing for the poor, slum clearances
  • JFK legislation
    • Public Works Act ‘62 - $900M for job creation, Telstar Act ‘62 gave money to develop satalite tech
  • LBJ legislation
    • Spent huge money on the “War on Poverty”, e.g. Appalachian Regional Development Act ‘65 brought many in the West US out of poverty; they became consumers
      ___
  • Smith Act ‘40 - 11 leaders of the Communist Party were prosecuted under the Smith Act & sentenced to up to 5 years in prison, simply for believing in Communism
  • The Red Scare ‘50-‘54
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2
Q

FP Legislation/Events ‘45-‘60

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Interventionist & very anti-communist policies & presidents
* NATO49
* USSR created the Warsaw Pact55 to counter NATO, which it saw as an ‘aggressive alliance’
* Truman Doctrine ‘47
* Communism should be containedunism
* Marshall Aid ‘48
* sent $13.3B to 17 EU nations
* Eastern EU invited but not allowed by USSR; Stalin called in “Dollar Imperialism”
* credited for WG’s post-war ‘economic miricle’
* Domino theory results in v. interventionist FP
___
Berlin Blockade ‘48-49
* WG introduce new currency (the shared one was doing very badly & Stalin sabotaged it) –> WB electricity & land access to WB cut off
* In the next 15 months, 2.4M tons of food & fuel airlifted to WB under v. fast & organised rotations
* ‘49 (May) Stalin backs down; looks like he caused the conflict (commies less popular), German-NATO attitudes became very positive after the massive effort & the West v. unified

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3
Q

Presidents ‘45-‘60

A

1.75T - Truman - ‘45-‘52 (D)
2T - Eisenhower - ‘53-‘60 (R)
(most FP is Eisenhower)
0.75T - JFK - ‘60-63 (D)
1.25T - LBJ - ‘63-68 (D)
1.5T - Nixon - ‘69-‘74 (R)

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4
Q

Truman ‘45-‘52 Strengths & Weaknesses

A
  • Strong FP: Truman Doctrine ‘47 - established US policy of providing political, military & economic support to anti-communist countries (e.g. Greece & Turkey)
    • Marshal Plan ‘48 - $13B programme to rebuilt Western EU
    • NATO formed ‘49
  • Domestic economic managment, going from war-peace time economy: gradual demobilisation, support for returning servicemen
    • GI Bill ‘44 - veterans got education & housing loans, unemployment compensation, refacilitating them into civilian life
  • Civil Rights initiatives
    • an executive order in ‘48 desegregated the military & established the President’s Committe on Civil Rights ‘46
      ___
  • Korean War
    • Stalemate & dismissed General MacArthur in ‘51, both of which were unpopular
  • Economic Difficulties
    • opposition in Congress limited his legislitive success
    • Post-war labour strikes & inflation: ~3.5% until ‘47 when it shot up to 28%, but it was back under control by ‘52
  • Civil Rights Limitations
    • Opposition from Southern Dem.s, thus he had little ability to enact CR despite advocating for them
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5
Q

Eisenhower ‘53-‘60 Strengths & Weaknesses

A
  • Strong FP approach
    • Eisenhower Doctrine ‘57 - aid to Middle Eastern countries fighting communism
    • Suez Crisis ‘56
  • Did quite well for middle class white Americans, but not for others; times were good, but not because of him
    • Economic growth, low inflation & unemployment
    • Interstate Highway System ‘56 - largest public works project in US history
  • “Dynamic Conservatism” executed well
    • Strengthened social security programme
    • Created the department of Health, Education & Welfare ‘56
      ___
  • Didn’t like dealing w/ racial issues
    • Brown vs Board of Education ‘54 - public schools segregation ruled unlawful. Eisenhower stayed true to the ruling by getting the army to protect the Little Rock 9 ‘57
    • In a highly publicised address, he said the way the LR9 were treated was damaging US image; still not ultimately helpful to the AA population
  • FP/CIA controversies
    • Approved coups in Iran ‘53 & Guatemala ‘54, & organised Bay of Pigs, carried out under JFK, all of which created long term regional instability
  • Eisenhower was primarily focused on defence & infastructure, so had limited social priority
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6
Q

JFK ‘60-‘63 Strengths & Weaknesses

A
  • Managed Crises
    • Cuban Missile Crisis ‘62 & Berlin Crisis ‘62
  • Civil Rights
    • Advocated for Civil Rights but only introduced legislation in ‘63, which would become the Civil Rights Act ‘64; his effort made this legislation possible
  • Economic Growth
    • GDP grew from ‘61-‘63 by 5.5%, industrial production rose by 15%
      ___
  • Bay of Pigs invasion ‘61
    • Humiliated the US most importantly infront of Castro & Khrushchev
  • Escalation in Vietnam
    • Escalated US involvment by sending in 16k US military advisers
  • Limited Domestic Legislative success
    • Most of the legislation he advocated for only came in under LBJ
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7
Q

LBJ ‘63-‘68 Strengths & Weaknesses

A

Bad person, good president (except for Vietnam)
___
* Significant Civil RIghts progress made, but AAs were still seriously disadvantaged & discriminated against
* Civil Rights Act ‘64 - outlawed segregation & Voting Rights Act ‘65
* Great Society & War on Poverty
* War on Poverty success until Vietnam started draining its funds, as Vietnam cost $80B/year
* Appalachan Regional Development Act ‘65, Head Start, Elementary & Secondary Education Act ‘65 (funding so disadvantaged people can get a better education)
* Passed lots of legislation
___
* Vietnam War
* US troops in Vietnam ‘63-‘68: 16k-500k
* Domestic unrest; approval ratings dropped ‘65-‘67: 70%-40%
* Failed to negotiate a peace in Vietnam during his presidency
* When he announced he wasn’t running in ‘68, the Dem party panicked, & Kennedy (JFK’s brother) was assassinated on the night he won the California primaries

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8
Q

Nixon ‘69-‘74 Strengths & Weaknesses

A
  • Detente
    • Nixon’s visit to China in ‘72 vastly improved relations
    • SALT 1 & overall cooling down of the Cold War
  • Environmental Initiatives
    • Environmental Protection Agency ‘70 - oversaw environmental protection efforts
  • Some strong domestic policies
    • Equal Pay Act ‘73 - same pay for the same job regardless of gender, but did nothing about hiring discrimination
    • Family Assistance Plan (FAP) would have given direct grant of $1.6k/year to families of 4 in poverty (benefiting AAs especially), but Congress blocked it
    • Devalued the $ in ‘71 & ‘73; first time created an economic boom, thus winning him the ‘72 election, but economy was bad otherwise
      ___
  • Very limited Domestic policy achievement; Dem congress
    • Family Assistance Plan ‘69 blocked
  • Watergate led to widespread public distrust resigned in ‘74 to avoid impeachment
  • Economic Challenges
    • “New Great Depression” - by ‘74 inflation was 12%, unemployment 9%, production down by 15%
  • Vietnam Policy weaknesses
    • ‘69-‘71 Nixon expanded the war into Laos & Cambodia
    • “Vietnamisation” of the war, but led to the fall of Saigon in ‘75
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9
Q

Changing Domestic US life overview

A

Gender roles were beginning to shift slightly
* Women in the labour force: 34%-38% across the ’50s
* Married women in work: 36%-60% from ‘40-‘60
* Women in uni: 721k-1.3M from ‘50-‘60
* Career women blamed for many social problems such as teenage drinking
* TV reinforced stereotypes
___
Baby Boom
* 4M babies/year from ‘54-‘64
* By ‘64, only 40% of the population had been born pre-‘46
* Most women were pregnant after on average 7 months after marriage
___
Labour saving devices
* By ‘51, 90% of US families had a fridge & 75% had washing machines & telephones
___
Leisure time & Disposable Income
* By ‘60, there were over 50M TVs in the US
* American Express was established ‘58
* By ‘53, average families annual income was $4k
* Disposable income rose by 17%
___
Rise in Consumption (food)
* Early ’50s, the US consumed 33% of all world goods and controlled 66% of the world’s productive capacity
* 2B hot dogs were consumed in ‘60
* Average yearly family consumption included 300lb beef, 31 chickens and 8.5 gallons of icecream
___
Levittowns (Other flashcard)

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10
Q

Levittowns

A
  • A home was built every 16mins
  • Pre-war = 5 homes/year per builder; Levitt produced 2,000
  • ‘45-‘55, 15M houses were built
  • Home owning Americans from: 50%-60% from ‘45-‘60
  • No. of ppl living in suburbs: 17%-33% from ‘20-‘60
  • By late ‘50s there were over 4k shopping malls
  • Derelict inner cities suffered due to the ‘flight of the middle classes’ and & of investment
    ___
  • Levitt had made a booming buisness of mass-produced homes, & it became a staple of the AmDr; an opportunity to live in a “modern home” (e.g. a built-in TV) for city-dwellers who could afford it
    • Affordable becuase of the ‘48 Housing Bill, which loosened $Billions in credit
  • Called themselves manufacturers rather than builders
  • First began in ‘47, sold for $8k
  • Entirely White population; prosperity/affluence still unattainable for AAs
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11
Q

Causes of the Age of Affluence

A

Consumerism
* Car industry sales rose 70k-6.7M from ‘45-‘50
* In ‘58, more cars in LA than Asia
* Advertising, e.g. Levittowns highliting the AmDr
* Spending on household appliances rose by 500%
* Hire-purchase schemes; ppl took on debt to buy stuff
___
Presidential Policies
* GI Bill of Rights ‘44 - free training & higher education for veterans, also low interest loans for housing & starting buisnesses
* Truman’s ‘Fair Deal’ - raised minimum wage, housing for the poor, slum clearances
* Eis. strengthened the Social Security programme, increased the minimum wage from 75 cent-$1
* Interstate Highway Act ‘56 - 41k miles of road to be constructed; Millions of jobs
* JFK
* Public Works Act ‘62 - $900M for job creation, Telstar Act ‘62 gave money to develop satalite tech
* LBJ
* Spent huge money on the “War on Poverty”, e.g. Appalachian Regional Development Act ‘65 brought many in the West US out of poverty; they became consumers (Consumerism main reason)
___
The Cold War
* Marshall Aid helped to rebuild EU trade
* Arm race stimulated industries; high tech industries e.g. Bowing (also caused by higher gov. spending)
* Vietnam kept spending on war industries high
___
Baby Boom
* Pop. growth: 152M-180M from ‘50-‘60
* Within ave. 7 months of marriage, women were pregnant
* Encouraged spending on homes, labour saving devices, children’s clothes & toys

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12
Q

Effects of the Age of Affluence

A

Consumerism
___
Prosperity for some
* Per capita income was at $1,450; almost 2x the UK
* 7% of global pop., 42% of global income
* GDP 3x from ‘40-‘60
* 87% of families own a TV & 75% owned a car
* Home ownership ‘50-‘60: 55%-62%
* Poverty sharply declined ‘60-‘66; 21.1%-15%; “the New Fronteer” & “War on Poverty” especially helped older ppl
___
Federal government spending:
* ‘39, $9.4B
* ‘45, $92.2B
* ‘48, $36.5B

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13
Q

Limitations of the Age of Affluence

A

A significant minority of Americans continued to live in poverty
* Poverty in ‘47: 60% of AA families, 23% of White families
* Poverty in ‘64: 23% of AA families, 9% of white families
* Older Americans didn’t benifit as much from the post war economic boom
* There was a recession ‘60-‘61, JFK had to promise to ‘‘get America moving again”
* Particular poverty in the south & cities
* In ‘47, 33% of US homes lacked running water & 40% didn’t have flushing toilets

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14
Q

Causes of McCarthyism

A
  • 49 fall of China blamed on insufficient state departments
  • Cold War developed in Europe
  • 49 US lost its Nuclear Monopoly; scientists from the Manhattan Project gave info to help USSR catch up to US
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15
Q

Effects of McCarthyism

A
  • 49 Truman sets up the ‘Loyalty Review Board
    • within 4yrs, 1.2K Gov. employees dismissed, 6k resigned
    • over 150 organisations banned & 11 leaders of the Communist Party were prosecuted & sentenced to 5yrs in prison
    • Alger Kiss trial - president of the Carnegie Institute put on trial
      ___
  • 50 McCarthy made speech declaring he had a list of spies in Gov. (never released)
  • 53 McCarthy given control of Senate Committee on Government Operations
  • One of the most popular men in US in early ‘50s
  • Persecuted & ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people
  • The inflence of communism was definetly present, but far overblown, causing sig. less harm than McCarthyism did
    ___
  • 54 TV exposed his bullying tactics, lack of evidence & drunkenness
  • 54 McCarthy accussed the army & lost public support
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16
Q

FP in Europe ‘45-‘60 (Eisenhower)

A
  • Hungary
    • In ‘56 Khrushchev began relaxing Stalinist control over E.Europe until moderate communists threatened to leave the Warsaw Pact - he sent in tanks & had their leader shot
    • The rebels had asked for US intervention, but it was considered too risky
  • Berlin
    • The West initially refused to recognise EG –> Khrushchev threatened ‘dire consequences’ by ‘59, he backed down
    • First Eisenhower-Khrushchev summit in ‘59, but no progress made on Berlin, & ‘60 summit failed after USSR found & shot down US spy plane over USSR
  • Austria
    • Eisenhower was involved in the Austrian State Treaty of ‘55, ending Austria’s Occupation after 8yrs of East-West negotiations
    • Eisenhower worried Austrian neutrality could lead to WG neutrality & threaten American security
    • Occupation forces to withdrawn & established Austria’s neutral status, creating a barrier of neutral countries seperating W.Europe
    • Austria becomes a stable & prosperous country
      ___
  • Eisenhower also met with British, French, & USSR leaders in Geneva ‘55, Eisenhower proposed the US & USSR exchange military establishment blueprints
  • Khrushchev - leader from ‘55 - threatened the West less militarily but more diplomatically, seeking allies in the Middle East & stirring up W.Europeans to stop German rearmament
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17
Q

FP in Suez (Eisenhower)

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  • ‘56 Nassar (Eygpt leader) took control of Suez Canal from Britain & France, who invaded the Canal Zone with Israel w/out US support
  • US forced them to back down w/ financial sanctions
    • Britain & France clearly no longer superpowers, unable to act w/out US support
      ___
  • The Eisenhower Doctrine ‘57 - offered military aid to any Arab country who needed it; Eisenhower believed relationships with East were needed for oil & to protect against the Communist bloc
    • Eygpt & Syria were already moving towards the USSR due to the US’s familiar Western ‘colonial’ mentality
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18
Q

FP in Asia outside of China ‘45-‘60

A

Korean War ‘50-‘53
* North invaded South in ‘50, almost won until US troops got backup & w/ UN troops almost won, then stalemate in middle until ‘53
* Both sides saw it as a sign of aggression from the other
Japan
* To become satalite state & independant from commie North
* Japan gov. system completely reformed; no imperialism, free market, Emperor just a figurehead; set up Japan’s economic boom; thus preventing communism in Japan
* Defensive perimeter

19
Q

FP w/ China ‘45-‘60

A
  • Chinese Civil War
    • US gave $4B of aid to Chiang Kai-shek/Nationalists
    • 49, Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan
    • US refused to acknowledge the P.R.China & instead only had diplomatic relations w/ the R.O.China government in Taiwan
      ___
  • Tensions w/ the P.R.China
    • Capitalist-Communist hatred for eachother
    • both saw the Korean war as a sign of aggression
    • US-Taiwan defence treaty ‘54 - US military bases established in Taiwan
    • US put trade embargo on China ‘49
    • China excluded from the UN
  • 55 & ‘58 China shelled Taiwanese islands (Queymoy & Matsu). Eisenhower hinted at using a Nuclear bomb/military action & China stepped down.
20
Q

Berlin Wall Crisis ‘61 & ‘62

A

Overview of Rising Tensions ‘60-‘62
* Berlin Crisis & Cuban Missile Crisis showed that conflict between the Superpowers would clash
* BUT that they could and had the willingness to negotiate out of formal conflict
___
Berlin Wall built in ‘62
* JFK said “Ich bin ein Berliner” & “A wall is a hell of a lot better than a war”
* Stand-off at Checkpoint Charlie for 16 hours
___
* American U2 spy plane incident - Powers admitted to spying, became unpopular
___
USSR is tightening control over its Satellite states
* ‘56 USSR crushes Hungarian uprising
* Khrushchev denounced Stalinism in ‘56, but after Hungarian Uprising being a reaction to this loosening of their grip, he tightens Soviet control again
___
Much more on paper sheets; to be converted

21
Q

Causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis ‘62

A
  • ‘59 - Castro takes power in Cuba, ejects all US businessmen & investment. In retaliation, US refused to buy Cuban sugar - its biggest export.
  • Khrushchev was keen to outmanoeuvre the inexperienced JFK & expand Soviet influence to the Caribbean
    ___
  • In ‘61 JFK sanctioned an invasion by Cuban exiles who would allow for a popular revolution against Castro; the Bay of Pigs Invasion
  • The invasion was a disaster:
    • Over in 2 days w/ 100 killed & 1.2k surrendered
    • US air support was restricted
    • Castro was already popular & his position strengthened, he grew closer ties to the USSR, & announced his conversion to Communism in ‘61
      ___
      ‘62 - Cuba starts to construct Soviet Ballistic missiles, & a US U2 spy plane over Cuba reveals this, causing panic, as most major US cities were now in range of a Nuclear strike.
  • JFK’s advisors were split between Hawks, who wanted aggression/war, & Doves, who wanted diplomacy
  • The US imposed naval blockade on Cuba, which the USSR threatened to break, though they retreated & threatened nuclear war
  • JFK asked for Khrushchev to remove missiles from Cuba, & Khrushchev said he would if the US agreed to not invade Cuba & remove missiles from Turkey
  • The deal went through & missiles were removed from Turkey & Italy in secret
    ___
    Vasily Arkhipov stops a submarine from starting WWIII; Global tension was so fragile that a single decision of one man was the difference between peace and war
22
Q

Results of the Cuban Missile Crisis ‘62

A
  • JFK appeared stronger than Khrushchev, as to the West it appeared like Khrushchev had backed down
    • Missile withdrawal from Turkey & Italy was kept secret
  • US overconfidence following their perceived victory –> Vietnam
  • USSR determined to not back down again, and achieved nuclear parity by the end of the decade
  • Soviet missiles were never finished in Cuba, and so overall the US lost their advantage instead of the Soviets gaining one
    • Arguably a Soviet victory
  • ‘63 - Hotline agreement, so that the White House & the Kremlin could directly call each other to prevent influence in their own governments excacerbating things
  • Partial Test Ban Treaty ‘63 - US & USSR agreed to stop testing nukes in the atmosphere (underground still legal)
23
Q

Détente Overview

A

Sino-Soviet split important to Detente
* Clashes between the two on interpretations on application of communism on their two societies
* ‘Triangular Diplomacy’ (exploit teh split)
___
Reasons for improved relations w/ China
* ‘71 - US lifted its 21 year long trade embargo w/ China
* China denounced Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia ‘68
* Nixon & Kissenger wanted to exploit the Sino-Soviet split to force the USSR into Détente
* Closer US-China relations may help end Vietnam War
* Policy of linkage
* Mao believed China needed Detente - stimulus for Chinese trade & industry
* Mao also thought Nixon could withdraw US troops from Asia - esp. Vietnam - so US less of a threat than the USSR
* Nixon was very anti commie; thought he could not be swayed by commies so he visited China
* Ping-Pong diplomacy
* Vietnam - helped end it
* Cuba crisis & the creation of the US-USSR Hotline

24
Q

Nixon’s visit to China in ‘71

A
  • Needed an end to Vietnam war
  • Domestic tension
  • Some troop standoff on USSR-China border
    ___
    Nixon visits China
  • Shook hands and joked; broke the ice; Postpones their deep problems; 1 China policy
  • Led to SALT I agreements, which saw both US & USSR limited to their amount of missile silos in ‘69
  • Nixon-Kissenger strategy was VERY SUCCESSFUL
  • Opened relations w/ China
  • Arms control & Detente w/ USSR
  • Greatly helped to end Vietnam War & brought US POWs home
25
Vietnam War Facts **'64-'73**
US War Crimes * Agent Orange dropped by US to kill the jungles the Vietkong hid in * Had long lasting effects on Vietnam, such as birth defects still present 50 years after the war ended * My Lai Massacre **‘68** * **347** men, women & children were murdered by US troops, who were behaving brutally due to low morale and drug taking - one soldier charged w/ killing 109 ppl only served 2 years hard labour; shocked US & anti-war demonstrations surged ___ * Average age of US soldier in Vietnam was **22**, and *disproportionately AAs* * Most soldiers were ‘drafted’; selected by lottery to join the army, *but rich men were able to dodge the draft by faking a medical condition* * From **‘61-’75**, **2.2M** men were drafted * In **‘63**, JFK sent **16k** military ‘advisers’ to help SV * In **‘63**, Diệm was assassinated in a coup from his own army, thus leaving SV w/out a strong government in control
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Why the US failed in Vietnam
Unpopular Tactics * Use of Agent Orange, Napalm, & indiscriminate aerial bombardment * Vietnamese ppl further resented the US’s chemical warfare & so refused to surrender, especially from rural farming populations * Viet Cong even more popular in South, making the Guerilla tactics even more effective Strength of Communists * Tet Offensive **'68** successes demoralised the US * Guerilla Warfare & tunnels * Minimised pitched battles and reduced the effectiveness of higher tech US weaponry in jungles of Vietnam * Due to fear of US bombing raids, the Viet Cong developed tunnels as air raid shelters; the tunnels around Saigon ran for **320k** * A safe haven for Viet Cong, but booby trapped so also a death trap for US & S.Vietnamese troops * NV were more motivated by Independence & Communism - would not surrender, compared to US draftees ___ US weaknesses * Average age of draftees = **22**, & unprepared for guerilla warfare * Low morale led to drug-taking & brutal behaviour, such as the My Lai Massacre ___ Attitudes in America * Kent State Shootings **'70** - Ohio national guard troops shot at unarmed student protesters, killing **4** & wounding **9** * Draft system * Images on TV, the failure of not achieving a quick victory, the **58k** US troops lost and the use of war crimes like Napalm seriously harmed public support/morale * The cost of war - estimated **$352B** spent, though economists have estimated this to be half/a third of total cost * **~$2B** in foreign aid to Viet Cong (China & USSR) **‘65-’68** * **8k** anti-aircraft guns & **200** anti-aircraft missiles ___ Role of Nixon * Vietnamisation - making the Vietnam War about Vietnamese people again rather than Americanising it * ‘Peace with Honour’ - Nixon described the Paris Peace Accords in **'73** which ended US involvement * Nixon announced first **540k** troops’ withdrawal in **‘69**, & only **334k** US troops left in Vietnam by **‘70** * SV forces went from **820k-968k** in the same time; unable to replace US presence
27
Vietnam War Causes
* NV was opposed to SEATO; saw it as new form of Western Colonialism * French colony → invaded by Japan in WWII → Ho Chi Minh led resistance movement/the Vietminh & declared Vietnamese independence in **‘45** → France tried to take it back, but defeated in **‘54** * Still strong scepticism of West ___ Since the peace treaty w/ France in **‘54** the country was divided North-South until elections were held - which there never were * Communist North - Hồ Chí Minh * US-backed South - Ngô Đình Diệm ___ Civil War broke out in **‘55** * Hồ Chí Minh was very popular in the North & South, as they were unhappy w/ Diệm * Diệm was incredibly unpopular, corrupt (gave power to his family), Anti-Buddhist, though the majority in the country were Bhuddists; Diệm was Christian. Most people in SV’s religion were under threat and treated poorly by the Gov. * Famously, ~6 monks burned themselves to death in the streets, showing no pain, in protest of Diệm. * SV looked very likely to fall to Communism, sparking fears of the domino theory ___ Domino Theory * If one country falls to Communism, countries around it will also fall
28
**'48** Election
Truman wins **59.6%**, though expected to lose to *Dewey* * Fragmented opposition: "Dixiecrats" & "Progressives" split the vote, but both won only **2.4%** each * Spoke in **250** cities during his campaign; covering **21k** miles * Truman's Civil Rights advocacy gained him the AA vote, opposition to the Taft Hartley Act **'47** (reduced power of organised labour) (Truman vetoed it but passed regardless) gained him support from organised labour * Maintained the support of FDR's supporters/"The New Deal Coalition": liberals, minorities & urban voters * Truman appeared as a strong leader from the Berlin Blockade **'48-'49** ___ Turnout: **51%**
29
**'52** Election
Eisenhower wins **55.2%** * Dissatisfaction w/ Truman/Dem administration * Korean War stalemate * Inflation had risen to **28%** in **'47** * Eisenhower's leadership & war prestige * Effective use of TV, his war hero status & the "I like Ike" slogan made him appear trustworthy * Campaign * Nixon as VP appealed to the anti-communist vote * Highlighted Truman's failures in FP ___ Turnout: **63%**
30
**'56** Election
Eisenhower wins **60.2%** * Eisenhower's stong economic performance * Unemployment had peaked in **'64** at **6%** compared to Truman's peak in **'49** of **8%** * Sense of stability * Strong Campaign & party unity * Effective use of TV * Seen as strong FP leader * Handling of the Suez Crisis **'56** & his condemnation of USSR's crushing of Hungarian Uprising **'56**, also supporting Hungarian refugees ___ Turnout: **57%**
31
**'60** Election
JFK wins **49.7%**, against Nixon Turnout: **63%**
32
**'64** Election
LBJ wins **61.1%**, against Goldwater Turnout: **62%**
33
**'68** Election
Nixon wins **43.4%**, against Humphrey & Wallace (who may have divided the vote; he got the racist vote) Turnout: **62%**
34
**'72** Election
Nixon wins **60.7%** Turnout: **63%**
35
Civil Rights **'45-'75** Legislation/Events
Brown vs Board of Education **'54** - ruled school segregation was illegal Civil Rights Act **'64** - Outlawed segregation in public places based on race or gender Voting Rights Act **'65** - Banned voting supression policies/strategies being used to supress the AA vote (esp. in the South) ___ Little Rock 9 **'57** - 9 AA students in Little Rock attended a school after Brown vs Board of education, harrassed, national guard was sent in to block their entry into the school building, Eisenhower sent the Army to escort the students in for the year & said the abuse the LR9 faced was harming US image Murder of Emmett Till **'55**
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Civil Rights **'45-'75** Change evidence
Civil Rights Act ‘64 - Outlawed segregation of public places based off of race or gender Voting Rights Act ‘65 - Outlawed Southern methods of suppressing the AA vote Montgomery Bus Boycott ‘55 Interracial Marriage legalised ‘67 - showed changing attitudes CR movement growth w/ rise of MLK in ‘55 Brown vs Board of Education ‘54 Developing Black Middle Class
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Civil Rights **'45-'75** Continuity evidence
Still discrimination despite being outlawed, as seen through Little Rock 9 ‘57: the school closed & did little in the end; shows how outlawing segregation did not end it immediately
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Non-CR Social **'45-'75** Legislation/Events
**Women** ___ **Youth** ___ **Class Differences**
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Non-CR Social **'45-'75** Change evidence
**Women** Married women in work ‘40-’60: 36% to 60% Women in Uni ‘50-‘60: over 700k to 1.3M (still only 2%) Labour saving devices increased, leaving women more time to pursue careers: by ‘51 90% of US families had a fridge and 75% had a telephone and a washing machine NOW - legal action against institutional discrimination Some women (middle classes mainly) became doctors or lawyers, somewhat breaking ___ **Youth** ___ **Class Differences** Labour saving devices increased: by ‘51 90% of US families had a fridge and 75% had a telephone and a washing machine Goods consumed rose Early ‘50s The US as a whole had 6% of world population, 33% of world consumption & 66% of world production LBJ’s “War on Poverty”: gave funding to poorer parts of society: Appalachian Regional Development Act ‘65 - brought many in the West out of poverty Public Works Act ‘62 - gave $900M for job creation
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Non-CR Social **'45-'75** Continuity evidence
**Women** Career women lamed for social problems such as teenage drinking TV reinforced gender roles/stereotypes Most women still not in work ___ **Youth** ___ **Class Differences** Levittowns were exclusively white
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How the Reps & Dems changed **'45-'75**
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How US FP changed **'45-'75**
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How Rep.s & Dem.s didn't change **'45-'75**
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How US FP didn't change **'45-'75**