America: Opportunity and Inequality - Post-War American society and economy Flashcards
1
Q
how did the war affect consumerism in the late 1940s and 1950s?
A
- now the war was over, peacetime goods were produced in the same, efficient way that war goods were
- soon, luxury refrigerators and ovens, vacuum cleaners, cars and televisions were reproduced at prices that millions could afford
- a huge advertising industry and “buy now, pay later” scenes persuaded people to spend money; massive shopping centres were built on the outskirts of large towns and cities
- vast car parks were built to accommodate the growing number of vehicles - by 1956 there were 75 million vehicles on America’s roads
- by the end of the 1950s, 9/10 US households had a tv, 8 had a car and a telephone and 7 had a washing machine
- despite having only 6% of the world’s population, by 1952 America was supplying the world with 65% of its manufactured goods
- its growing population was consuming one-third of the world’s goods and services; after the war, America experienced a “baby boom” that saw a 40% increase in the population
2
Q
how did the government help veterans?
A
- a GI bill was passed to help veterans of the conflict (GI was a nickname for a US soldier)
- it established hospitals, made cheap home loans available and offered grants to pay for ex-soldiers to attend college or trade schools
- from 1944 to 1949, nearly 9 million veterans received around $4 billion from the government
3
Q
what was Truman’s “fair deal”?
A
- like Roosevelt, Truman felt it was important for the government to help Americans most in need and bring about a fairer American society
- the two main issues he hoped to tackle were poverty and the rights of African-Americans
- Truman raised the minimum hourly wage from 40 cents to 75 cents, and cleared large slums to make way for affordable housing
- however, not everyone supported Truman’s ideas. A proposal to introduce a national health insurance scheme was blocked by the Republicans and an attempt to improve the rights of African-Americans was halted when many Southern politicians voted against it
4
Q
who was the new president after Truman?
A
- in 1952 a popular war hero Dwight Eisenhower, became the new president
- he was a Republican who brought lots of business people into the government to keep the economy booming
- they succeeded and throughout Eienhower’s presidency, the living standards of millions of Americans continued to improve as wages kept rising
5
Q
what was the “American dream”?
A
- the idea that anyone in America can succeed through hard work
6
Q
what were the realities of the “American Dream”?
A
- however, despite America being the richest country in the world by the 1950s, there were still areas where the majority of people were desperately poor with sub-standard, unsafe housing and schools
- 25% were still living in poverty - and people in the South were less well off than those in the North and on the West Coast
- unlike Britain, there was no national health service that guaranteed a basic level of healthcare for everyone, or jobseekers’ or sickness pay
- the elderly also failed to benefit from the booming economy. In 1960, 68% of people over 65 had an income of less than $1000 at a time when average factor earnings were over $4000
7
Q
what happened to the role of women after the war?
A
- millions of women who had done such valuable and demanding war work went back to their more traditional roles as housewives
- during the war years, women’s wages in factories had risen to two-thirds of those earned by men, but then fell back to 53% of that during the 1950s
- by 1950, the average age at which a woman married was 20 - the lowest since 1890
- women were often employed in “female” jobs - nursing, teaching and secretarial work
8
Q
what happened to women who tried to pursue a job that wasn’t “female”?
A
- women who attempted to pursue a high-flying business or management career often faced discrimination and were usually viewed with suspicion
- a widespread view in 1950s America was that a “woman’s place” was in the “home” - and that she was “living the American Dream” if she had all the latest gadgets to help her
- however, a growing number of women in the late 1950s - particularly middle-class women - were becoming increasingly frustrated with their limited lives
9
Q
what was the life of a young American before the war?
A
- generally speaking, a young man leaving school would be expected to find a job or join the armed services, in order to earn money to support his family
- a young woman would most likely leave school and perhaps get a “traditional” woman’s job, before getting married and having children
- graduating from high school and then going to college was not particularly common
10
Q
how did the war change expectations for young Americans?
A
- with a booming economy, parents could now help their children achieve more than ever before. This tied in with one of the key ideas of the “American Dream” - that the next generation is more successful than the previous one
- a more prosperous America meant that parents no longer had to insist that their children got a job to support the family as soon as they reached the age of 14 or 15
- many parents had gone through both a Great Depression and a world war, so were keen that their children make the most of their opportunities
11
Q
how did the teenage identity develop in the 1950s?
A
- in 1957, it was estimated the average teenager spent between $10 and $15 a week compared to $1-$2 in the early 1940s
- some teenage boys became “thrill-seekers” who raced cars, drank heavily and formed gangs
- teenagers soon got a reputation for being independent, rebellious, secretive and aggressive
- the way teenagers dressed, behaved and even spoke differed hugely from their parents and a “generation gap” developed between the teenagers of the 1950s and their parents
12
Q
how did American businesses change their advertisement?
A
- American businesses soon realised that they could sell all sorts of products to teenagers, and targeted their advertising to cash in on teenagers growing purchasing power
13
Q
what was rock and roll?
A
- rock and roll was a blended country and western music and rhythm and blues
- the lyrics often contained sexual references and referred to young people doing things that their parents might not approve of, such as hanging out in gangs and drinking
- before long, Rock ‘n’ Roll was seen as “dangerous” and was linked to teenage crime and gang culture
- radio stations and TV shows rushed to book popular performers
- a 1956 TV performance by Elvis Presley was watched by a staggering 82% of Americans
14
Q
why did a second Red Scare develop in the late 1940s and 1950s?
A
- after the war, the communist Soviet Union emerged as a rival nuclear superpower to the USA. This period of rivalry between the countries was known as the Cold War
- Under the Soviet Union’s influence, many countries in Eastern Europe had also become communist. Many Americans worried that communism might spread to the USA.
- An official American policy - containment - tried to stop the spread of communism. China, another huge nation with vast reserves of raw materials, had become communist in the late 1940s. Containment didn’t seem to be working
- a member of the US government, Alger Hiss, was accused of spying for the Soviet Union. Two Americans - Ethel and Julius Rosenberg - were also accused of spying and executed in June 1953. These scandals became headline news, and the fear that there were communists at work across America grew
15
Q
what was the ‘Loyalty Programme’?
A
- President Truman even introduced a loyalty programme that allowed the FBI to investigate all government employees and sack any “security risks”.
- from 1947 to 1950, millions of Americas were investigated by the HUAC and the loyalty programmes
- although none were found guilty of spying, many were forced out of their jobs because of the “disgrace” associated with their investigation
- they refused to say whether they were members of the Communist Party or not because they argued that, in a democratic country like the USA, they could be members of whatever political party they chose -however, this refusal led to a one yr jail sentence for “contempt of court”
