Domestic Flashcards
Roosevelt 
Imperial president
New deal to lift out of economic depression
Congress was dominated by Democrats
Revolutionary in promotion of large scale, federal intervention 
What were the problems in Truman‘s first administration?
Demobilisation: 12 million veterans returned home from the war fortunately, Roosevelt GI Bill of Rights gave 52 weeks unemployment pay and loans, Congress only allowed business tax cut to encourage new jobs
Inflation: influx of men, returning consumer demand 2.5% rate, Truman wants emergency powers to impose price controls, normality, restored war, production, factories, move to domestic goods
Labour unions and strikes: 1946 strikes employers reject rise to keep up with inflation, stifled certain consumer good production, he threatened to conscript the railroad workers and have army run Congress, refused of Roosevelt style emergency powers
21 point program: extended new deal to free healthcare, full employment successes, e.g. Social Security (did end up extended to 1 mil more) and minimum wage extensions, but Congress rejected and most logical extensions on FDR
1946 midterm elections
Republicans gained majority in House of Representatives and Senate
Labour Union support lost
Re-election chances looked bleak with approval, ratings, 30%
Why did Truman win 1948 presidential election?
Almost 5000 strikes in 1946, Republican controlled Congress passed the Taft Hartley act to curtail union power- “Blue collar”, working class, support Truman
Opp candidate Dewey was dull
Ethnic support contributed significantly
Policy of containment
33. Day tour Republican counties too
Truman second administration, 1948 to 52
Fair deal: National housing act 800,000 homes and slum clearance, $.40>$.75
National health insurance attacked as socialised medicine (too close to comm)
Why did McCarthyism take hold?
Cold War context e.g. Iron Curtain, 1948, Korean War, 1950
FBI, Director, Hoover, anti-Communist setting up the federal employee loyalty program in 1947, (three mil, three years investigated) and House of un-American activities,(Hollywood high profile)-fear
Alger hiss in US state department accused
McCarthyism
Movement early 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy, Republican
Against value, freedom of belief
Claimed 200 communists in state department
Hysteria and climate of fear- jobs lost+++
Fair deal evidence of creeping socialism
Helped ensure defeat in 1952 election
End of McCarthyism
Army, McCarthy hearings, 1954, no concrete evidence appeared drunk, and bullying tactics too extreme
European youth became anti-American
