Great Society

Question 1

what was the great society

Answer 1

it was a programme of legislation that addressed the issues of poverty and racial equality, urban renewal, healthcare and education reform.

Question 2

where did the idea of the great society come from

Answer 2

the idea came from the book - ‘the good society’ by Walter Lippmann

Question 3

what did Johnson consider the most important element of the great society

Answer 3

ending poverty

Question 4

what was the great society characterised by

Answer 4

racial equality
the end of poverty
educational reform
modern housing
the end of urban decay
peace with other nations so he could focus on domestic problems

Question 5

what did LBJ say during his 1964 state of the union address

Answer 5

he declared ‘an unconditional war on poverty in America’

Question 6

what act was passed to help the war on poverty

Answer 6

Economic Opportunity Act 1964

Question 7

what did the Economic Opportunity Act1964 create

Answer 7

The office of Economic Opportunity

Question 8

what was the duty of the Office of Economic Opportunity

Answer 8

Its duty was to administer the war on poverty

Question 9

who was the office of economic opportunity headed by

Answer 9

Sargeant Shriver

Question 10

how much money did the Economic Opportunity Act provide and to what

Answer 10

The act provided $1B to programs focused on job creation for poor americans

Question 11

things created as a result of the Economic Opportunity Act

Answer 11

44 states had anti-poverty programmes with 6 on the war
It created 53 job corp centres
Over 4 million were receiving AFDC benefits (Aid to Families with Dependent Children)
35,000 college students were on work study programmes

Question 12

what did the Economic Opportunity Act led to

Answer 12

It led to job creation and greater income for the poor

Question 13

what did Johnson do for healthcare

Answer 13

Johnson advocated for federal financial support for healthcare

Question 14

why did Johnson advocate for federal financial support for healthcare

Answer 14

The elderly had always constituted a large majority of America’s poor becuase health care was a great expense for them as well as other americans

Question 15

what act was created to deal with the healthcare issue

Answer 15

Social Security Act 1965

Question 16

what programmes did the social security act 1965 create

Answer 16

Medicare and Medicaid

Question 17

what was medicare

Answer 17

A programme that provided federal funds for healthcare insurance for those over 65s

Question 18

what was Medicaid

Answer 18

A programme that gave federal government funds to state to helo them with medical treatment for poor people

Question 19

what did the healthcare programmes do

Answer 19

It lifted elderly americans out of poverty and in 1966 alone 19M americans benefitted from it

Question 20

what were the problems with education

Answer 20

In 1964, Johnson highlighted the problems - 54M Americans never finished high school
100,000 high school graduates with proven ability could not afford to enter college.
Schools were over-crowded and short of good teachers

Question 21

how much did Johnson gain to deal with the education problem

Answer 21

Johnson obtained $8B of federal expenditure to solve the problems he had highlighted

Question 22

acts passed by Johnson concerning education

Answer 22

Two important acts in 1965 channelled the money towards the poorest states and the poorest children - The Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Higher Education Act.

Question 23

what did those acts do

Answer 23

By the end of Johnson’s presidency over 13M children had benefitted from federal aid to education, the % of those with a high school diploma rose, the shortage of teachers had reduced and the accessibility of college education increased by 1970, 25% of college students received some form of financial aid from the HEA. It also created operation head start, a set of programmes that provided comprehensive early education to underprivileged students

Question 24

what were the problems with housing

Answer 24

American inner cities were characterised by poverty and poor schools and housing.

Question 25

what office did Johnson create to deal with urban problems

Answer 25

Johnson created the Housing and Urban Development department to coordinate the various programmes to combat housing shortages and decay in highly populated cities.

Question 26

what act was passed to deal with the housing issues

Answer 26

Congress passed the Omnibus Housing Act 1965 which furthered rent supplement and $8B of low and moderate income housing and persuaded builders to construct reasonably priced housing. Johnson passed the fair housing act 1968 to end discrimination in housing which would alleviate ghetto overcrowding. It prohibited discrimination based on race concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing which allowed AA to access better housing

Question 27

progress made by the OEO according to johnson in 1965

Answer 27

44 states had anti-poverty programmes with 6 more states to follow
53 job corps centres providing job training were receiving work training applications daily
Over 4 Million were receiving AFDC benefits - Aid to Families with Dependent Children
Loans were being given for small businesses and rural development for example, $17M was distributed in rural loans in 1968

Question 28

successes of the great society

Answer 28

1. 19M benefitted from Medicare and Medicaid in 1966 alone, those programmes were providing 20% of the population with healthcare
2. Over 13M children and young people benefitted from Johnsons education legislation
3. 1M children benefitted from operation head start as it provided free nursery schooling for disadvantaged children
4. The % of Americans in poverty fell from 17% in 1965 to 11% in the early 1970s
5. Unemployment rate in 1967 was at a 13-year low of 3.9%
6. Minimum wage rose by 35cents

Question 29

failures of the Great Society - housing and poverty

Answer 29

1. Money for housing was spread too thinly to be effective, despite legislation the ghettos continued in their dire state and housing was a major cause of ghetto discontent, which led to riots. Four Fifths of the detriot ghetto rioters arrested in 1967 had jobs paying over $120 a week suggesting that housing and alienation rather than poverty caused their dissatisfaction. LBJ faced white opposition to integrated housing
2. It failed to eradicate poverty. A third of non-white families still lived below the poverty line, with infant mortality rate and unemployment rates nearly twice those of whites, though he drew attention to poverty and made efforts to combat it, his promises were unrealistic

Question 30

problems with healthcare reform

Answer 30

2. Gaps in coverage in Medicare and Medicaid - didn’t cover spectacles
3. Medicare and Medicaid proved to be far more expensive than Johnson anticipated, as the legislation allowed hospitals and doctors to set their fees - which led to a rise in the amount spent by the government on health care to over $2B in 1966 which made congress reluctant o fund it
4. The problem of healthcare being costly still remained despite the legislation

Question 31

problems with the education reform

Answer 31

5. A study conducted by the Department of health and human services found that the effects of operation head start were not sustained over time. By the third grade, head start participants and non-HSP, there was no significant difference btw them in terms of academic achievement
   Many of the GS programmes required significant changes in teaching methods and curriculum but teachers were not adequately trained to implement them
   Many opposed the education reform as they felt it was the state’s duty which meant that a lot of kids were left out. The national education association opposed the ESEA as they felt it would lead to federal interference in local education decisions
   The president found it hard to obtain funds for education because congress felt it should be under local control

Question 32

Sargent Shriver

Answer 32

Johnson put Sargent Shriver in charge of the war on poverty as Director of the OEO with an initial budget of $1B. Shriver felt he was fighting a losing battle with the Vietnam war as more money was spent on this. This made him embittered as they couldn’t do enough to help poverty

Question 33

how much was spent on the vietnam war compared to the great society

Answer 33

Between 1965 and 1973 $15.5B was spent on the Great Society compared to $120B on Vietnam

Question 34

why the great society ran out of steam

Answer 34

1. The war led to inflation and tax rises that made the Great Society unpopular and Congress made LBJ agree to cuts in the programme
2. Some said the Great society was unrealistic
3. There were unforeseen consequences eg when programmes to help the urban poor were hijacked by black radicals

Question 35

criticisms of the great society

Answer 35

Republicans criticised it for overspending
Economist Friedman accused Johnson of damaging the economy because of its interventionist approach
Nixon and Reagan called it a ‘cruel hoax’ and said that the silent majority were being forced to subsidise for the poor
The war on poverty was not fully successful and widespread enough

Question 36

economic issues under Johnson

Answer 36

Johnson inherited a strong economy, the GNP was at 39% as JFK had created a strong economy after the Eisenhower recession. Most Americans felt that the standard of living would continue to rise under Johnson.

Question 37

why did the economic fail

Answer 37

The Vietnam war had a dramatic and adverse effect on the American Economy because of the inflationary pressures that resulted from federal government over-spending
America started to import more than export
Johnson overspent on the Great Society

Question 38

timeline of the economy

Answer 38

1964 - limited inflation, low unemployment, pleasing GNP growth
1965 - Persuaded labour industry to prevent inflation by following wage and price guidelines
1966 - After-tax wages had increased by 35% corporate earnings by 65%, and unemployment was at a 13-year low. Inflation was at its highest for 10 years
1967 - Increased taxes due to the budget deficit of over $10B, 4.5% rise in consumer prices. 4.5% increase in GNP, a fall in unemployment to 3.8% but problems remained with an increasing federal budget deficit, inflation and rising consumer prices. In oct, 60% of Americans saw a high cost of living
1968 - Federal govt deficit was at $19.8B. The Dollar was greatly weakened as US gold supplies were decreased by 40%