Period 8: 1945 - 1980 Flashcards
Post WWII economy, GI Bill of Rights
fear of economic collapse bc of jobs and depression, GI Bill of Rights to assist veterans in schools and homes, U.S. economic boom bc only leading superpower
Truman Administration
first president who uses powers of President to challenge racial discrimination: Committee on Civil Rights, desegregated armed forces
Taft-Hartley Act
setback for unions, made closed shops illegal, Republicans wanted to reduce the growing power of unions
Election of 1948
liberal Democrats supported Henry Wallace, S. Democrats support Strom Thurmond of the Dixiecrats, Truman was expected to lose but then he wins (pic of him holding newspaper)
Truman’s Fair Deal
reform program that called on extending programs and progress of New Deal; wanted to extend S.S., increase minimum wage, national health insurance; conservatives in Congress blocked most of it and the only thing that was actually passed was increase in minimum wage
America Post WWII
no longer isolationist, joins the U.N., key player in stable global economy like the IMF and the World Bank created at Bretton Woods
Cold War (1945-1991)
ideological, political and military struggle between the U.S. and the Soviet Union
Causes of the Cold War
Prior to WWII: ideological conflict between capitalism and communism (Bolshevik Revolution), Stalin was brutal dictator
During WWII: Stan mad over delays in opening 2nd front, Soviets not included in bomb development, U.S. and Soviets had different visions for E. Europe
Yalta Conference (1945)
Big 3 meeting in Yalta
- FDR and Churchill think Stalin agrees to allow representative gov.
- FDR wanted Stalin to agree to help out in war against Japan
Buffer zone
Stalin wants countries surrounding Russia to be Communist so he refused to remove the “red army” from E. Europe and brought pro-Soviet puppet gov.’s to power (Iron Curtain)
Containment, Iron Curtain, George Kennan, Long Telegram
Churchill does Iron Curtain speech where he says he wants W. Democratic nations to stop Soviet expansion; George Kennan and the “Long Telegram” developed idea of containment and said that the U.S. should work to stop Soviet expansion; containment is U.S. foreign policy throughout Cold War
Truman Doctrine
U.S. would provide military and economic aid to help prevent Greece and Turkey from falling to communism, no troops just $
Marshall Plan
provide billions of dollars to aid European recovery to stop spread of communism, huge success and W. Europe does rebuild, Soviets reject aid bc condition was they had to turn democrat
Crisis in Germany post WWII`
after WWII Germany was divided into 4 territories but Stalin wanted a weakened Germany and for them to pay reparations so he starts to form German Democratic state then blockades Berlin in 1948; Truman doesn’t want to look week so the Berlin Airlift happens; after Germany still stays divided
Military buildup post WWII, National Security Act (1997)
U.S. joins NATO (“an attack on one is an attack on all”), National Security Act (1947) est. dept. of defense, the NSC and the CIA, arms race between U.S. and soviets
NSC-68
called for massive military buildup and was a more violent approach to communism,
Cold War in China
China was in a Civil War between Nationalist Chiang Kai-shek vs. Communists under Mao Zedong, Mao declared China as communist and the U.S. doesn’t acknowledge China; Republicans blame Truman for the “loss of China” to communism; contributes to growing domestic fear over communism
2nd Red Scare, Smith Act, Federal Employees Loyalty Program, HUAC
fear of communism influence and infiltration on American life
- Smith Act (1940): made it illegal to belong to an org. that advocated the overthrow of the gov. by force
- Federal Employee Loyalty Program (1947): investigated background of federal employees
- House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC): search and try ppl for communist sentiments esp. influence in Hollywood
Korean War
after WWII Korea is divided at the 38th parallel w/ Soviets in the N. and the U.S. in the S., communist N. Korea invades the S. and in order of containment the U.S. jumps in and Douglas MacArthur fucks up bc he wants to defeat communists by brutal force and Truman fires him; Eisenhower ends up ending the war bc of his massive retaliation but nothing is changed and Korea still divided at 38th parallel
Espionage Cases
Alger Hiss, Rosenberg case
Eisenhower
moderate Republican w/ Nixon as vice, allows many New Deal programs to remain but doesn’t push that much domestic reform
Interstate Highway Act
under Eisenhower, largest public works project, building of 42,000 miles for interstate highways, justified bc of national defense and fleeing from communist attack, leads to homogeneous culture
1950’s economy
economic prosperity and rise of middle class, white collar workers outnumber blue collar workers
1950’s society
move to suburbs, Levittowns, baby boom, credit cards lead to more consumerism, television contributed to standardization of American culture
Early TV
TV led to questions regarding national morals and politics, glamorized suburban life w/ father working and mom at home so reinforcing the cult of domesticity
Betty Friedan
wrote “The Feminine Mystique” which questioned the status of women in society; org .the NOW and campaigned for the ERA
Beatniks
counterculture of the decade which criticized the conformity of the 1950s like Jack Kerouac, similar to the Lost Generation of the 1920s
Civil Rights Movement
after Reconstruction civil rights was slow bc of Jim Crow in the S. and de facto discrimination in the N. ; CORE and NAACP and desegregation of military inspire more action
Brown v. Board of Education (1945), Little Rock 9
overturns Plessy as unconstitutional and ruled that schools must be desegregated -> S. resistance through “Southern Manifesto” and Little Rock Nine (Orval Faubus!) Ike sends troops
Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King
Bus boycott and I have a Dream