Harry Truman Flashcards
done
when was he president?
1945 - 1952
what party did he belong to?
Democrat
what was the North East US like?
traditional politically, financially and an educational powerhouse, sophisticated and responsible
what was the mid west like?
sparsely populated and lacked major cities
what was the South like?
more traditional and embraced segregation
what was the border of mexico like?
oil rich and had a population explosition
what was the east coast like?
lacked political influence
what was the west coast like?
more relaxed and liberal
how many white people in 1945?
130 million
what were the 5 ethnic groups in US?
White, Asian (smallest), African American (largest, 14 million), Native and Hispanics
when was the Wall Street Crash and what did it do?
1929 - 1945
levelled many inequalities and created ‘thrift’ culture and hard workers in middle class
what were ‘blue collar’ workers now protected by?
Trade Unions / ‘Organised Labour’
who was provided little protection under Trade Unions?
women and minority groups
what did the war lead to socially?
increase in social mobility between classes
females in workforce in 1944?
36%
how many US troops expected work in 1945?
12 mill
when was Yalta?
4-11 Feb 1945
what was discussed at Yalta?
loose agreements to split Germany into 4 zones
allow free elections in Germany
USSR join war against Japan after Germany
was Yalta a success or failure?
success
when was Potsdam conference?
17 Jul - 2 Aug 1945
what was discussed at Potsdam?
Poland’s borders
German disarmament & reparations - decision to trials for leading Nazis
little agreed
what caused tensions at Potsdam?
Truman not telling Stalin of development of atomic bombs
what happened 6 Aug 1945?
Hiroshima
what was the Truman Doctrine?
military aid to any country faced with takeover by an armed minority
what was the Marshall Plan / European Recovery Program?
economic aid offered to all European countries to help rebuild shattered economies
how much was given to the Marshall Plan?
$17 billion
who got most of the Marshall Plan?
France, UK and Germany
when was the Berlin airlift?
March 1948 - May 1949
what caused the Berlin airlift?
Berlin blockade on 25 March
how many supplies were sent by air in Berlin airlift?
1.5 million tonnes
how many flights were made to Berlin?
275,000
how long did the airlift and blockade last?
324 days
when did Stalin lift blockade?
12 May 1949
what was created from Berlin airlift?
NATO
what does NATO stand for?
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
when was the occupation of Japan?
Aug 1945 - 1952
when did Japan announce surrender?
14 August 1945
who was given dictatorial power and how many Us troops were involved in occupation of japan?
MacArthur
350,000
between 1945 - 52, who was banned from government posts?
communists
what did Article 9 do?
renounced war as instrument of policy
what was the government changed to in japan during the occupation of japan?
democratically elected government with votes for women
what changed American policy towards Japan?
Mao Zedong’s victory in China
why did Truman fear for Japan?
because it was an easy prey for communism
what boosted Japanese economy?
Korean war
what did Japan occupy and with what?
Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam with guerrilla warfare
who expected US support?
Ho Chi Minh
who did US support instead of Ho Chi Minh and how?
France - covered war costs
what was Korea divided on?
38th parallel
who blocked United Nations efforts regarding Korea?
USSR
who won election in South Korea?
Syngman Rhee
who did USSR install in korea in 1948?
Kim II Sung
when did US remove troops from Korea?
1948
what happened when North Korea invaded South on 25 June 1950 and how many soldiers invaded?
faced little opposition because of lack of US troops
100,000
when did the Untied Nations intervention begin in Korea?
July 1950
in what year did MacArthur call to use atomic bombs in Korea and what consequences did he face?
1951
Truman removed him from power
what did war in Korea show about Truman?
that he was willing to use American military to back up policies of containment
how much did the Korean war cost US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in %?
14%
how many US troops dead/injured from Korean War?
138,000
who was the Chinese leader of the Nationalist party?
Jiang Jieshi
who was the Chinese leader of the communist party?
Mao Zedong
why did Jiang Jieshi and Mao Zedong meet?
for talks on formation post, the war government and truce
when did Chinese civil war start?
1946
where did Chinese Nationalist party flee to?
Taiwan
when did communism take over China?
1 October 1949
what was the ‘Fair Deal’ designed to do?
address problems of poverty
how many soldiers demobilised in 1945?
9 mill
how many soldiers were demobilised by 1946?
10.5 million
what did demobilising soldiers lead too?
short-term unemployment
what was the inflation rate?
25%
when was the baby boom?
1945 to 1959
what did the baby boom do economically?
created huge market for goods and services
stimulated housing
what was built under the housing boom?
suburban housing cities (e.g., Levittown)
what did the housing boom lead to?
booming car sales
what was the car sale growth?
2.1 million in 1946
7.9 million in 1955
how much money did was invested in GI bill?
$20 million
how much did income per captia rise?
40%
how was the economy in 1948?
improved and demand was growing
what did the introduction of the Bretton-Woods and IMF & world bank promise?
new world economic order based around American concept of capitalism and trade
what year did republicans win house and senate?
1946
how did the republicans win house and senate?
they highlighted problems of re conversion from a war economy
who was in dissary during Truman’s election?
Democrats
how did Truman win the election?
he toured the country remorsefully, railing at the political gridlock
what saying came formed in Truman’s election?
Give em hell Harry
who had control of the house and senate by the end of Truman’s presidency?
Democrats
what was Truman’s popularity rating by the end of his presidency?
22%
why did factories change what they produced?
baby/consumer boom
unemployment in 1950?
5%
when did Truman announce his intention to maintain price controls?
Aug 1945
when did the strikes hit steel, coal and railroad industries?
late 1945 - 1946
what did Truman recommend in response to strikes?
compulsory meditation and arbitration
what did the government warn in response to strikes?
that they would take strikers to court
what were the measures under the Fair Deal
federal aid to education
tax cuts for low income families
increase in public housing
abolition of poll taxes
anti-lynching laws
new Department of welfare
increase to minimum wage
national health insurance and expanded social security coverage
how much did minimum wage increase by?
25%
how many Americans were employed by 1953 and what did it mean?
62 million
poverty reduced
how many veterans took advantage of the GI bill?
7.8 million
when did Joseph McCarthy claim there were communists in the Government?
Jan 1950
why was there fear of USSR & Chinese armies?
USSR successful atomic bomb test Aug 1949
how many members did the US communist party have?
80,000
what economic fear was amongst the rich?
the consequences of communism
what did Executive Order 9835 establish?
Federal loyalty boards designed to root out communist sympathisers
how many communists did McCarthy say there were in the government?
205
what did McCarthy exploit amongst the public?
fear of nuclear war
what did Truman attempt to veto in 1952?
Internal Security Act, which allowed communists to be denied passports
when were units segregated?
before 1940
where were black soldiers mainly stationed?
logistics
why were soldiers segregated?
because of in fights
why couldn’t black soldiers donate blood?
Red Cross would not except it
what did the demand on wartime economy lead to?
‘Great Migration’ into north
what increased political awareness in rural areas and what did it lead to?
black newspapers
rise of membership of NAACP
when was NAACP created?
1909
what does NAACP stand for?
National Association of the Advancement of Coloured People
what did CORE focus on?
North and peaceful approach to CR
when was CORE created?
1942
what does CORE stand for?
Congress of Racial Equality
what was it like for African Americans in the South?
they lived in small rural areas
worked agricultural jobs
Jim Crow laws
education was segregated
threat of violence and harraddment
de jure
what was it like for African Americans in the North?
segregation not enforced
lived in small apartments
political power grew
jobs available but badly paid
relations with white people tense
police violence
economic segregation
de facto
who was the most successful civil rights group?
NAACP
what was the NAACP’s tactic?
challenging segregation through courts
what did the NAACP focus on?
undermining the court decision from supreme court decision from 1896 ‘Plessy v Ferguson’ ‘separate but equal’
what was said at ‘Plessy v Ferguson’?
plessy had not been discriminated when told to sit in coloured section of train
what cases did NAACP win from 1944 to 1950?
1944 ‘Smith v Allwright’
1946 ‘Morgan v Virginia
1948 ‘Shelley vb Kramer’
1950 ‘Henderson v US
1950 ‘McLaurin v Oklahoma state’
1950 ‘Sweatt v ~Painter’
when was Brown v Board of Education?
1954
when was ‘The Presidents Committee on Civil Rights’ and why was it created?
1946
Truman wanted Bill of Rights to become a Reality
when was ‘To Secure These Rights’?
1947
what was ‘To Secure These Rights’?
scathing attack on all aspects of discrimination; citing education, housing, public facilities and voting
what was the response?
civil rights speech to Congress (Feb 1948) asking them to support measures
what are Dixiecrats?
segregationist Democrats
who opposed ‘To Secure These Rights’?
extreme racists
southern politicians
