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American history > Post-War America > Flashcards

Post-War America Flashcards

1
Q

Why did relations with the USSR begin to deteriorate?

A
  • No longer had a common enemy
  • Stalin began to create a buffer zone around USSR (for protection) - believed to be the spread of communism
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2
Q

How did Trumans Treatment of Stalin differ from Roosevelts?

A

Roosevelt - Was sympathetic
Truman - More Critical

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3
Q

What did the US public feel about the War-time relationship?

A
  • 50% wanted it to continue
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4
Q

What was Churchill’s idea about communism?

A
  • The Iron Curtain
  • An imaginary line between communist West and non-communist East
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5
Q

What did Truman believe Stalin wanted to do?

A
  • Take over the whole of Europe
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6
Q

What was the Truman Doctrine?

A

1947
- US support for European countries to prevent communism
- Policy of Containment

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7
Q

What was Marshall Aid?

A
  • $13 Billion Packages to help European Countries
  • Was mainly to boost prosperity in order to prevent communism
  • USSR (and its buffer zone) refused
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8
Q

What was OEEC?

A

Organisation of European Economic Cooperation
- 16 western countries
- To spend marshal aid money

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9
Q

When and What was the Westerns Zone’s introduction of a common Currency?

A

June 1948
- Deutschmark

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10
Q

What did Stalin do in retaliation of the Deutschmark?

A
  • Ordered that all transport links in Berlin to the West was cut
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11
Q

What did the US and UK do because of Stalin blockade?

A

Airlifted in supplies

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12
Q

How many tones of supplies did the allies airlift in March?

A

8,000 tonnes a day

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13
Q

When did Stalin call off the Blockade?

A

9th of May 1949

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14
Q

What and when was NATO?

A

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
- April 1949
- Defensive Alliance - mainly to prevent the spread of communism

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15
Q

Why was there a Civil War in Korea?

A

Communist North
South was supported by the US

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16
Q

When did North Korean Invade the South?

A

March 1950
- UN sent in forces to stop invasion

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17
Q

When did North Korean Invade the South?

A

March 1950
- UN sent in forces to stop invasion

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18
Q

What did the UN forces do in Korea?

A
  • Liberated the South
  • Then invaded the North (ordered by General MacArthur)
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19
Q

How did Truman respond to the invasion of the North of Korea?

A
  • Fired MacArthur
  • Troops left the North
  • Made him seem soft on Communism
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20
Q

What did China do in the Korean War?

A

Sent thousands of troops to the north
- increased hostility

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21
Q

What were the casualties of the Korean War

A
  • US lost 27,000 troops
  • 1 million Korean Civilians
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22
Q

How did the Korean War End?

A
  • There was a stalemate
  • By 1953 there was a peace agreed
  • Korea remained divided
  • US and Chinese relations worsened
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23
Q

What was the Domino Theory?

A
  • By Eisenhower
  • The belief that is one country fell to communism it’s neighbours would follow
  • Used to justify its intervention in Vietnam
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24
Q

What was Eisenhowers belief on the Cold War and Communism?

A

Seen as “Cold Warriors”
- Believed Truman was too soft

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25
Q

Who replaced Stalin in 1955?

A
  • Nikita Khrushchev
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26
Q

What did the USSR create in 1955?

A

The Warsaw Pact
- To counter the threat of NATO
- Made of 8 nations

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27
Q

What are three example of Khrushchev making positive changes?

A
  • Returned a Naval base to Finland
  • Agreed to make talks on peaceful use of atomic energy
  • Austrian Peace Treaty 1955
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28
Q

What happened in Hungary in 1956?

A
  • Imra Nagy Threatened to leave the Warsaw Pact
  • Khrushchev sent in military to shoot him and stop rebellion
  • Was replaced with Janos Kadar
  • US did not get involved
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29
Q

What did the US and UK use Western Berlin for?

A
  • Espionage and Sabotage
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30
Q

What did Khrushchev threaten the Western Alliance with?

A
  • Gave them an ultimatum (Nov 1958) to leave Berlin in 6 months
  • By March he backed down
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31
Q

When did Eisenhower and Khrushchev have their first summit?

A

September 1959
- no progress was made

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32
Q

What happened at the Paris Summit in May 1960?

A
  • Before the Summit the USSR shot down 2 U-2 American Spy Planes
  • Khrushchev refused to attended the summit
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33
Q

What happened in Suez 1956?

A
  • UK, France and Israel invaded Suez ( As Nassar nationalised Canal)
  • US was not informed and threatened financial sanctions if they did not leave
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34
Q

What was the Eisenhower Doctrine?

A
  • An extension of containment in the Middle East
  • But due to Suez Egypt and Syria sided more with the USSR
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35
Q

What was the Eisenhower Doctrine?

A
  • An extension of containment in the Middle East
  • But due to Suez Egypt and Syria sided more with the USSR
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36
Q

What were the two sides of the Chinese Civil War?

A
  • Chiang Kai-Shek and the Nationalists (supported by US)
  • Mao and The Chinese Communist Party
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37
Q

What was the result of the Chinese Civil War?

A
  • Mao succeeded (the US refused to recognise The Peoples Republic of China)
  • The nationalist retreated to Taiwan
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38
Q

Why did the US - Chinese relations remain cool during the Korean War?

A
  • US was convinced Beijing was Moscows puppet
  • Mao hated the capitalist nature of the US
  • US saw China’s involvement in the Korean War as it sponsoring communism
  • China saw the US as aggressive (US threaten nuclear retaliation so Mao backed down)
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39
Q

How did relations between China and the US deteriorate after the Korean War?

A
  • US put a trade embargo on China
  • US-Taiwan Defence Treaty 1954 - Mao did not like this
  • Mao shelled 2 Chinese nationalist nations
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40
Q

When did the USSR copy the Atomic Bomb?

A

1949
- Partly due to soviet spies

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41
Q

When did the US test its hydrogen bomb?

A
  • March 1954
  • Bikini Atoll
  • USSR matched it in a year
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42
Q

What are 2 more examples of the arms race?

A
  • USSR completed the ICBM before the US
  • 1954 US developed the first Nuclear Propelled Submarine
43
Q

What was the US Military spending at in the 1950’s?

A

Between $40 and $50 billion

44
Q

What % of foreign aid to US allies went to military spending?

A

90%

45
Q

What did increased military spending also do for the US?

A
  • ## Advanced the technology
46
Q

By 1945, how much has GNP risen by since 1941?

A

35 %

47
Q

By 1945, how much of the global income did the USA possess

A

42% - with only 7% of the worlds population

48
Q

What was per capita income at in post war America?

A

$1,450 (nearly twice as high as the UK)

49
Q

What had government spending change from between 1939 and 1948?

A

1939 - $9.4 billion
1948 - $36.5 Billion

50
Q

What 3 things did economic expansion in post war America create?

A
  • Greater employment opportunities
  • Migration to centres of plentiful employment
  • Processed foods increased
51
Q

What was consumerism like in post war America?

A
  • People saved at first
  • But by late 1940’s it became apparent that prosperity would continue - so consumerism rose
52
Q

By 1947, what % of houses lacked running water?

A

33%
(40% couldn’t flush toilets)

53
Q

What areas did not feel the economic prosperity?

A
  • The south
  • Poor areas of cities
54
Q

When did homeownership actually begin to rise?

A

1960’s
- went from 55% in 1950 to 62%

55
Q

What was the GI Bill of Rights?

A
  • Offered grants to veterans
  • To improve education, set up businesses and buy homes
56
Q

How much did car sales change by from 1945 to 1950?

A

1945 - 69,500
1950 - 6.7 million

57
Q

Who were the “big three” of the car industry?

A
  • Ford
  • General Motors
  • Chrysler
58
Q

How were cars paid for?

A
  • Credit
59
Q

What did the growth in the car industry produce?

A
  • Increase in suburbs - due to increased mobility
  • Number of families with 2 cars doubled from 1951 - 1958
  • Road side facilities ( motels, gas stations, garages)
60
Q

What was the Interstate Highway Act?

A

1956
- Boosted federal subsidies for road building
- created the 41,000-mile system

61
Q

When did the first McDonalds open?

A

April 1955
- by 1960 had $37 million in annual sales

62
Q

What was a reason in the increase of highways?

A
  • For a a quick evacuation in case of a nuclear attack
  • For the fast transport of weapons
63
Q

How did an increase in the car industry affect the railroad industry?

A
  • lost an average of $700 million per year by mid-1950’s
64
Q

How many new family homes were built in 1944 compared to 1950?

A

1944 - 114,000
1950 - 1.7 million

65
Q

How did most people buy their houses?

A
  • Morgan’s with low interest rates
  • From the Federal Housing Administration to the Veterans Administartions
  • were up 90% with as low as 4% interest rates
66
Q

How did the amount of people living in suburbs change from 1920 - 1960?

A

1920 - 17%
1960 - 33%

67
Q

What did an increase of suburbs cause?

A
  • Lack of business in cities
  • Lack of business for small shops
  • Deterioration of areas in inner cities (mainly where ethnic minorities lived)
68
Q

By 1953, what was the average family income?

A

$4,011
- disposable income rose by 17%

69
Q

What fuelled the consumerism boom?

A
  • Increase in advertising
70
Q

By 1960, how many TV were owned?

A

50 million

71
Q

How many babies were boom each year from 1954 and 1964?

A

Four Million

72
Q

Why did the Nuclear Family Increase?

A
  • Baby boom
  • Decrease in divorce rates
  • Decrease in average age of marriage
73
Q

How did divorce rates decrease from 1946 - 1953?

A

1946 - 17.9 per 1000
1953 - 9.6 per 1000

74
Q

By 1951, what % of families owned fridges and washing machines?

A

Fridges - 90%
Washing machine - 75%

75
Q

How did debt increase from 1945 to 1960?

A

1945 - $5.7 Billion
1960 - $ 56.1 Billion

76
Q

What is an example of consumption increasing?

A
  • Consumption of hot dogs increased from 750 million in 1950 to 2 billion in 1960
77
Q

What affected stereotypes for women?

A
  • The Media
  • Actively promoted traditional housewives (even blaming career women for problems in society)
    E.g Ladies Home Journal and McCall’s
78
Q

What change was there for women in the 1950’s?

A
  • Labour force increased from 33.8% at the start of the decade to 37.8%
79
Q

What made it hard for women to get jobs?

A
  • Lack of opportunities for advancements
  • Unions generally did not support them
  • Were treated sceptically
80
Q

How did women’s marriages change from 1940 to 1960?

A

1940 - 36%
1960 - 60%

81
Q

How did women at university change from 1950 - 1960?

A

1950 - 721,000
1960 - 1.3 Million

82
Q

How was there the beginning of change for women in 1960?

A
  • Many housewives and middle class women were getting bored of their roles
  • Female teenagers spread ideas of greater freedoms
83
Q

What was cinema like in the 1950’s?

A
  • Decreased a bit in popularity from the inter-war years
  • But drive in cinemas increased in popularity
84
Q

How ere drive in cinema’s viewed?

A

“Passion Pits”
- Had an immoral reputation

85
Q

What theme grew in Hollywood during the 1950’s?

A

The Anti- Hero
- Paul Newman and Marlon Brando

86
Q

How had the number of TV’s grown from 1947 to 1955?

A

1947 - 60,000
1955 - 37 million

87
Q

Give an example of a popular TV program in the 1950’s

A

I love Lucy
- regular audience of 50 million

88
Q

What did TV programs also help to push?

A
  • Traditional Family values
89
Q

What % of the population were under 24 from 1950 compared to 1960?

A

1950 - 41.6%
1960 - 44.5%

90
Q

What 4 factors led to a change in teenage culture?

A
  • They had more money (products were targeted to them)
  • New Genre of youth films (Rebel Without a Cause)
  • Rock and Roll music developed - 1956 Elvis
  • TV influenced their actions
91
Q

How much more did Teens have to spend in the 1950’s compared to 1940?

A

1957 - $10 - $15
1940 - $1- $2

92
Q

In 1956, how did the amount of murders carried out by teenagers in New York change?

A

Rose by 26%

93
Q

What was “The Seduction of Innocence”?

A
  • Book by Frederick Wertham
  • Exposed the violence
94
Q

What did people blame for young people being out of control?

A
  • Media
  • Parents that always worked
95
Q

Who became president after FDR?

A

Harry S. Truman - April 1945 - 1952

96
Q

What was the Full Employment Bill?

A

1945
- Declared employment was a right
- Required Government to make Jobs available
- Higher Minimum wage
- Farm Prices to be supported
- Public work programs

97
Q

What happened due to inflation?

A
  • Number of strikes increased
98
Q

What are two strikes that took place in 1945?

A

April - United Mine Workers
May - Railroads

99
Q

How did Truman respond to the strikes?

A

At First
- Set up a Special Labour Management Conference in 1945 (failed
After
- Announced he would conscript strikers
- Restrict the right to strike against the government and Increase severe penalties

100
Q

What was predicted to happen in the 1948 Election?

A
  • Truman would loose
101
Q

What actually happened in the 1948 election?

A
  • Truman won by 2 million votes
  • Regained a Democratic Congress
102
Q

What was the “Fair Deal”?

A
  • Truman’s ambition that everyone should get a fair deal by the government - welfare measures
  • But congress blocked many of his proposals
103
Q

Who became president after Truman?

A

Eisenhower 1952 - 1960

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