Post-War Promise Flashcards
What % of world’s weath does U.S. make up in 1950s?
50%
Wealth disparity in 1950s in US?
At its most even
what % of income was paid to the federal government in the top income tax bracket?
90%
What was the US considered the standard bearer for in 1950s?
Liberty and freedom
What was the industrial output during WW2?
90%
What % of GDP went to US military during Cold War Era?
3.5% to 5%
What % of Soviet GDP was spent on military during Cold War?
25%
Income parity
Working-class and middle-class came out of WW2 with better income than before
What % of US workers could claim to be middle-class in the 50s?
40%
What annual income was considered to be middle-class?
$5,000
What caused the post-war recession?
- Soldiers coming home and refusing to spend their money due to growing up in the Great Depression
- Many companies had converted factories to build war materiels
Levittowns
Homes built in sections that were cheaper and faster to manufacture.
Who invented levittowns?
William Levitt
Where did the “cookie-cutter” idea of Levittowns originate from?
Building Liberty Ships in sections and then welding the sections together.
How did the invention of new housekeeping electronics and tools impact housekeeping?
Women spent more time cleaning to maintain a facade.
What was considered the “new segregation” in the 50s?
Suburbias
Federal Highway Act of 1956
Federal govt. built interstate highways using the stockpile of money being saved for the Social Security program
What did America see a surge of in the 1950s?
Juvenile deliquencies
What did parents blame juvenile deliquency on?
Hollywood and movies
House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
Congressional committee that was tasked with rooting out the facism and communism in America.
When was HUAC created?
1930s
What did HUAC shift its focus to in 1950s?
Communism in Hollywood
How did HUAC impact Hollywood?
Resulted in a lot of actors, directors, and writers blacklisted and shunned from the Hollywood industry
Joseph McCarthy
Senator of Wisconsin from 1950-1954
How did McCarthy capitalize on the communism scare in the US?
Argued that he had a list of names of the communists in the US department of State, who were influencing US foreign policy
McCarthy upped his tactics by going from speeches to…
televised hearings and interviews
How many Americans lost their jobs due to McCarthy’s actions?
hundreds to thousands
Who did McCarthy target that led to Americans finally questioning him?
The Army
