key flashcards
why did roosevelt increase presidential power
- to get country out of great depression
- to lead country in ww2 - country in state of emergency
two reasons why usa was richest nation in 1945
- rich in natural rescources such as coal and iron
- economic boom as factories worked to produce war material
how much of the world income did usa have in 1949
42%
why had the war decreased regionalism in usa
- 10% had left for training camps - most served overseas
- 13% had changed country of residence
- 8 mil located to diff state
where was mass migration from
agricultural south to industrial north
what are the two types of segreation
de jure
de facto
what demonstrated tensions between rich and poor in 1946
when 4.6 milion workers went on strike
what increased social mobility (when was this passed)
GI bill of rights passed in 1944 by congress
what did GI bill of rights offer
aid to returning military personnel through free vocational training and higher education
low interest loans for home buying and new businesses
impact pf GI bill of rights (3)
- number of college education grew so greater economic opportunities
- more homeowners
- american dream belief confirmed
when did truman become president
month and year
April 1945
when did ww2 end
year+month
sept 1945
why was truman at a disadvantage as president
- was excluded by FDR from military and fp discussions
- had a more combative personality
what was trumans most pressing foriegn policy issue when he became president
USSR - uneasy relationship - first communist state
- were allies in ww2 but still tense
- diff rules in their liberated countries from nazi rule
what were the issues and tensions in poland
british and usa wanted free elections in poland wheras stalin ensured they had a communist govt
apart from poland, what was ‘the elephant in the room’ in discussions with russia
development of atomic bomb that ussr knew about from spies
when was potsdam conference
month + year
july 1945
what was discussed at potsdam conferece
germany to be divided into 4 zones (usa, british, soviet and french)
berlin in soviet soviet zone but western half of city under control of other 3
– still disagreed over polands political system and us atomic bomb was tested at this time
what did stalin recognise had changed world balance of power, soviet need to defeat japan, and also increased tensions and hostility
atomic bomb
why were no post war treaties made despite council of foriegn ministers meeting throughout 1945-7
developing cold war between usa and ussr
in 1946 what 3 landmarks signalled development of cold war
- stalin speech on inevitable communist capitalist conflict
- disagreements ovet germany because soviets made their zones communist (democracy in 3 others)
- truman gave sympathetic hearing to george kennans long telegram speech
what was the long telegram speech
when, who, what
1946 george kennan
urged us containment of soviet expanisonism
how much aid did truman request in 1947 to prevent communist expansion in greece and turkey
400 million
why was the truman doctrine significant (4)
- virtual declaration of cold war
- very little american criticism
- demonstrated gaining american support often required excessive simplicity in us foriegn policy
- affected and dominated us foriegn policy for 50 years
how much aid was given under the marshall plan in 1947
13 billion
what type of countries did the marshall plan aid target
important trading partners and potential allies in western europe
when was berlin blockade (month and year)
june 1948
when did the berlin blockade start and when did stalin concede
june 1948
may 1949
when did china become a communist nation
autumn 1949
who was communist leader of china
mao zedong
who was Mao’s opponent that truman did not give sufficient aid to
nationalist Chiang Kai-Shek
who did he give aid to in 1950
gave french financial aid against communist nationalist insurgents in vietnam colony
why did truman feel he had to contrain korea (4)
- events in 1948-50 suggested communism was expansionist
- Korea was close to Japan
- american public was anxious about national safety due to spy scandals
- already accused of losing china + forthcoming ccongressional elections
length of korean war
from june 1950 - july 1953
how long was truman president
1945-53
trumans attempt to reunify the korean peninsula failed when
china intervened to protect north korea
how many demobilised veterans returned
12 million
result of demobilisation
- factories switched to consumer goods to meet demand
- gi bill of rights
- post war baby boom - increased demand for homes and goods
why was there inflation in 1945 (3)
- consumer good shortages
- fed govt budget deficits
- weakened office of price administration
what did inflation hit by 1945-6
25%
when was taft hartley act passed
1947
what did truman threaten striking railroad workers with
conscirption - success
aim of taft hartley act
decrease union power
due to taft hartley act, what could the president order
80 day cooling off period before strikes
what did truman do with strikers in 1952 that accused him of exceeding executive authority
seizing control of steel mills (was legal) because their strie jepordized munitions production during korean war
how many congressional bills did he veto
250
what reforming legislation did he want (4)
- free healthcare
- full employment
- education
- civil rights
why were relations with congress poor (5)
- felt he had too much power (roosevelt)
- tired of new deal style policies
- republicans in congress for first time since 1928
- truman criticised by lib dems for lack of reform passed
- too liberal
how many federally subsidised houses did housing act promise, how many were made
810,000 vs 156,000
when was the housing act
1949
what was minimum wage raised to in 1950
$0.75
when was HUAC set up - what was its aim
1930s to investiagte ideological threats
what did truman do to HUAC in 1945
- made it permanent
- increased its power
what is an example of HUAC pursuing communists in the entertainment industy
Hollywood 10
where did Alger Hiss work
state department
how did truman exacerbate the red scare (3)
- truman doctrine speech
- investigation into loyalty of federal employees in 1947
- justice dept and J edgar hoover to investigate hundreds of thousands of suspected communists
when did Mcarrthy give his speech about communists in state dept
feb 1950
what soviet activity helped mcarthy have such an impact (2)
- soviet bomb test
- high profile spy scandals that were communicating to soviets (rosenburg)
why did repubs support mcacrthy
- accusing democrats of laxity/failure was a vote winner
mccarthysim destoryed a politician with a fake photograph showing…
Millard Tydings with communist party leader Browder (cost him re election)
ww2 impact on black americans (3)
- migrated to north for freedom from de jure segregation
- black veterans had opportunities thru GI bill of rights
- greater black consciousness due to close proximity led to increased black activism
how much did NAACP grow during ww2
50,000 to 450,000
NAACP stands for
national advancement of coloured people
who estb CORE
james farmer
what was the ‘seperate but equal’ ruling passed in 1896
plessy v ferguson
in 1950 NAACP won supreme court victories against
segregation on railroad dining cars and univiersities
how did truman attempt to help civil rights
repeatedly and unsuccessfully requested civil rights legislation from congress
truman established the liberal committee on civil rights - what did this do
called for federal gov to end segreagation, lynching, poll tax and monitor civil rights
what executive orders in 1948 did truman issue (civil rights)
- end discrimination in armed forces and guarantee fair empolyment in federal bureaucracy
how many states had legislation against forms of racial discrimination by 1952
19
what helped black americans through rulings that eroded constitutional foundations of jim crow
supreme court
