America WW2 & 1950s

Question 1

when did the lend lease programme begin?

Answer 1

1941

Question 2

what was the lend lease programme?

Answer 2

america sent food, arms, medicine and other supplies to britain during the war which would then be given back after the war.

Question 3

by the end of WW2, how many dollars worth of supplies had been shipped abroad from the USA?

Answer 3

$50.1 billion

Question 4

why did lend lease stimulate the economy?

Answer 4

the goods required american firms to make them so certain businesses were back in business

Question 5

by 1944, how many of the weapons being produced world wide originated in america?

Answer 5

nearly 50%

Question 6

did leading industrialists support or oppose FDR’s economic policies during the war?

Answer 6

support

Question 7

what did FDR set up to meet war production needs? and when?

Answer 7

The War Production Board 1942

Question 8

why did wartime production help stimulate the economy?

Answer 8

making supplies required workers so it created jobs. workers used their wages to buy goods which stimulated other companies.

Question 9

how many extra workers did General Motors take in 1914-45?

Answer 9

0.75 million/750,000

Question 10

how many new businesses were set up during WW2?

Answer 10

500,000

Question 11

name two businesses that became rich as a result of WW2

Answer 11

coca cola

wrigleys

Question 12

what were war bonds?

Answer 12

american people paid war bonds to the government to fund the war. these were paid back at the end of the war with interest.

Question 13

how much did americans spend on war bonds during the war?

Answer 13

$129 billion

Question 14

what did the war do that FDR’s new deal failed to do?

Answer 14

end unemployment

Question 15

how many african americans were conscripted or joined the armed forces during the war?

Answer 15

1 million

Question 16

what impact did the lack of segregation in britain have on african americans who were stationed there during the war?

Answer 16

they realised the fault in jim crow laws

they began to question their country’s policies

Question 17

how many african americans were employed in factories producing war materials by 1944?

Answer 17

2 million

Question 18

what significant difference did africans americans notice when moving from the south to the north?

Answer 18

they saw segregation was not as enforced in northern states

Question 19

what impact did the lack of segregation in the north have on african americans?

Answer 19

their expectations for rights changed - they no longer wanted to be treated as second class citizens and wanted the same rights as white americans.

Question 20

which agency was set up in the 40s for coloured people?

Answer 20

National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) - campaigned for equal rights

Question 21

by the end of the war, from which number to which number had NAACP membership grown from?

Answer 21

from 50,000 to 500,000 members

Question 22

what proportion of workers in munitions factories were women after 1941?

Answer 22

1/2

Question 23

how many women joined the Women’s Army Corps during the war?

Answer 23

200,000

Question 24

during the war, the percentage of married women working went up by how much?

Answer 24

35% to 50% between 1941 and 1945

Question 25

what did 60% of american plant managers say about female workers?

Answer 25

that women were their best workers

Question 26

what were women generally expected to do after their husbands came home from the war?

Answer 26

become housewives again

Question 27

what was the american dream?

Answer 27

that people could achieve success with hard work

Question 28

describe why america prospered after the war

Answer 28

american land was not affected in the war unlike other countries so they faced less competition after the war when rebuilding themselves.

Question 29

name something from the 20s that was used to cause economic prosperity

Answer 29

hire purchase

Question 30

name two groups that didn’t share the american dream

Answer 30

african americans

working class

Question 31

pop culture was dominated by what?

Answer 31

tv, radio and cinema

Question 32

young people had more leisure time and money, how did this impact them?

Answer 32

they assumed their own style and culture

Question 33

name two influential movie stars from the 50s

Answer 33

james dean

marlon brando

Question 34

how many hit albums did elvis presley have?

Answer 34

80

Question 35

by how much did television ownership increase from 1948 to 1958?

Answer 35

0.4%-83.2%

Question 36

how did tv advertising impact the american people?

Answer 36

people felt the need to buy the newest appliances and goods and were fuelled with consumerism

Question 37

how were attitudes of older generations different from attitudes of younger generations?

Answer 37

older generations looked down on the changing youth and their new rebellious culture

Question 38

who was joe mccarthy?

Answer 38

a senator who was very anti communism

Question 39

after ww2, what happened in eastern europe and china that made americans scared?

Answer 39

eastern europe - communist spread to poland and east germany

china - became communist in 1949

americans we’re scared because they thought communism would spread to them

Question 40

what did the house committee of un-american activities investigate?

Answer 40

any communist activity in the government, education and film industry.

Question 41

when did the korean war start and what impact did it have on americans?

Answer 41

1950 - americans got more scared that the north koreans would take over and spread their communist ideas elsewhere

Question 42

how did mccarthy stir up the fear of communism?

Answer 42

he claimed he had 200 names of communists working in the department of state. it made news headlines and made people believe communism was spreading to the government and was a threat.

Question 43

what were three impacts of mccarthyism?

Answer 43

many people lost their jobs
america was seen more negatively by other countries
americans became more scared of communism

Question 44

who was j edgar hoover and what was his role in mccarthyism?

Answer 44

he was the director of the FBI and an ally of mccarthy

Question 45

which organisation stopped discriminating in government employment?

Answer 45

FEPC