Post - War And American Society Flashcards
When did Roosevelt die?
April 1945
What did Truman mainly want?
Get rid of poverty, and racial inequality
What changes of Truman did congress agree to in 1948?
- hourly wage increased from 40 - 74 cents
- slums were cleared to make room for affordable housing
- old age benefits extended to 10,000 people
What didn’t congress let Truman change?
African American rights
By the end of the 1950s, what fraction of housing had:
- cars
- TVs
- phones
- washing machines
- 8/10 had cars
- 9/10 has TVs
- 8/10 had phones
- 7/10 had a washing machine
By how much did population increase after the war?
40%
How were people able to buy TVs, washing machines, e,t,c after the war?
Buy now pay later persuaded many and luxury goods were being produced at prices millions could afford
What did the GI bill do?
Helped veterans at the end of WWII
How did the GI Bill’s unemployment compensation programme help?
Between 1944 - 1949, almost 9 million veterans got around $4 billion
What did the Veteran’s administration offer?
Insured loans that totalled over 50 billion until 1962
Up to when did the education training provisions exists and how many veterans did it help?
Up to 1956 helping 10 million veterans
What was the GI Bill able to establish?
Cheap hospitals, made cheap home loans available and offered grants to pay for ex soldiers to get an education and provide a living wage
Why did America have a good economy in the 1950s?
It was undamaged by the war
How much did a home cost in the 1950s?
$100 and came with a fridge, stove and washing machine
How was average American income different to that of a British and an Italian?
The income of an American was 2x higher than a British worker and 4x higher than an Italian
How common were cars in the 1950s and give a reason for this.
In 1955 there was 1 car to every 3 Americans, one reason is fuel was cheap and mass production was very high
How long did people used to have to work for a living before what?
Before mass production people used to need to work 69hrs a week
What is consumerism?
Steadily increasing the buying of goods, enduring economic growth
In the 1950s, what caused the gross national product to increase by what?
Shopping being a recreational activity caused the GNP to almost double
What could make the American dream a reality?
In 1960, American standard of living was 3x that of an average Briton
Give three examples showing the American dream was a myth
- 25% of the pop. were considered to be living in (poverty many being black )
- in the 1960s over 60% of families had to try to live off >$2000 a year
- after the war, women’s wages in factories which had risen to 66% of those earned by men fell back to 53% of men’s wages during the 1950s
Was the American dream overall a myth or a reality?
A myth
What was the average factory income in the 1950s?
$4000
How were the lives of young people changing during the 1950s?
Teenagers began to forms gangs, more young people would get education and a lot of teenagers got pocket money and drove cars
To what extent was there a major clamp down on suspected communists in America?
Around 6000 were arrested across 33 cities
What was macCarthism?
The period of time where Joseph McCarthy spread rumours about communists
Who was accused of spying for the SU?
- Alger Hiss (member if the Us government)
- Ethel and Julius Rosenberg (American citizens accused with providing the SU information about atomic bombs
What would cause someone to be suspected of being a communist sympathiser?
By not displaying so-called American virtues of patriotism, freedom and enterprise from the 1940s onwards
What was HUAC?
House of Representatives Un - American Activities Committee was set up by congress to investigate communist involvement in government, education and the film industry
What happened to many Americans investigated by HUAC and the loyalty programmes between what years?
1947 - 1950, million lost jobs despite not actually found guilty of spying
How did senator Joe McCarthy scare people with communism?
By campaigning against possible communists using half-truths, rumours and lies
How many suspects did the FBI keep files on during what period?
McCarthy period of late 1940s-1950s, FBI kept files on 1 million suspects
When did McCarthy go to far?
When he started accusing some officers in the US army
How was McCarthy getting across his anti communist headlines?
Through newspapers, TVs and radios
What was influencing young people in the 1950s?
Advertising, tv and music
How did rock n roll on tv affect the population ?
In 1956 Elvis Presley’s tv performance was watched by 82 % of the population
What kind of adverts were aimed at teenagers?
Cigarette, sweets and toothpaste adverts which mainly featured females
How did the number of households with TVs change?
In 1949 only 0.8% of homes had a TV but by 1958 83.7% of homes had a tv
Name a film that influence teen audiences
’Rebel without a cause’ which was about a rebellious young man
What dominated the TV in 1950s and what was this for?
Commercial sponsors that tried to encourage spending in consumer society
How did people see rock n roll?
It was linked to teen crime and was dangerous, older generations didn’t like it and lyrics contained sexual references that appealed to teenagers
How was Elvis Presley famous?
He has at least 170 hit singles and over 80 top selling albums
