Great Society Flashcards

Question

what office did Johnson create to deal with urban problems

Answer 1

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

Answer 2

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

Answer 3

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

Answer 4

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

Answer 5

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 4. 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

Answer 6

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 3. The problem of healthcare being costly still remained despite the legislation

Answer 7

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

Answer 8

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

Answer 9

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

Answer 10

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

Answer 11

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

Answer 12

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.

Answer 13

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

Answer 14

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%