The changing quality of life Flashcards
What was leisure and travel like from 1945-61 (1945-61) (7)
-TV watching became a favoured activity for over half of Americans
-Tourism grew in the 50s, due to increased leisure time and transport
-Car owning culture continued rising (by 1960, 80% of families owned a car)
-Growth of suburbs led to facilities such as shopping malls and bowling allies
-Baby boom led to family leisure activities, as Disneyland opened in 1955
-Increased leisure time and money led to growth of spectator sports
-Dramatic rise in passenger air travel
How did living standards change/not change following WW2 (1945-61) (8)
-Real median household income grew 74%
-Average GDP growth in the 3 decades following WW2 was 3.8%
-People went from rationing and recycling to spending recklessly
-In 1940 there were 2.6million births, 4.1million in 1955
-Production rose from $213 billion in 1945 to $284 billion by 1950
-White life expectancy (70.3) 7 years more than that of Black life expectancy (63.3)
-White people on average earned $10,000 more than black and Hispanic people
-A gender pay gap of $1 - $0.70 remained
What evidence is there that living standards did improve from the 40s to the 60s (1945-61) (6)
-By 1949, US GDP per capita was nearly 2x that of other prosperous nations
-Unemployment remained under 4%
-8 million veterans gained opportunities through the GI bill of rights
-The US became an archetypal consumer society, buying cars and LSD’s which improved the standard of living (between 1939-1948, home appliance sales rose 500%)
-In 1950, teenagers spent $1.5 billion on entertainment
-Home ownership rose from 43% in 1940 to 62% by 1960
Why did the 1950s boom happen, and sustain a consumer society (1945-61) (7)
-The war created mass employment, as output/business grew
-The US came out of the war a world leader in technological innovation
-War production and loans meant national debt massively decreased
-Demand for consumer goods immediately rose after WW2, allowing an easier transition for manufacturers
-The baby boom (1955-65 = 40mill babies), the teenage market and increased wages all contributed to creating a long term consumer society
-Advertising targeted specific groups and encouraged spending
-Manufacturers produced a variety of goods with built in obsolescence
What were some factors which led to a post war boom (1945-61) (6)
-WW2 led to a post war boom since production and loans meant the US received interest back
-The baby boom led to a post war boom since it led to increased childcare spending, increased government spending on school and a future market
-Cheap oil led to a post war boom since it led to cheaper transport and cheaper costs of production
-Low interest rates led to a post war boom as they encouraged spending and investment
-Consumer confidence, wages and demand all rising led to a post war boom as they increased consumption
-Adverts and a consumer society led to a post war boom as they ensured people spent the money they had, leading to increased GDP
What evidence is there of living standards not improving in the post war boom (1945-61) (4)
-There were massive disparities of wealth, between both rich and poor and different races
-over 25% of Americans still lived in poverty
-Some, such as John Galbraith, felt that consumerism led to Americans becoming grossly materialistic, and many felt it led to standardised, bland suburbs
-Truman’s fair deal legislation was rejected by congress, being deemed as too socialist
What were the pros and cons of JFK’s new frontier (1961-68) (8)
-Put poverty firmly on the national legislative agenda
-Food stamp programme fed 240,000
-Focus of government spending was on areas with high unemployment
-Continued Eisenhower’s school lunch and milk programme, feeding 700,000 kids
-1961 housing act provided federal loans for low cost housing in areas of low home ownership
-None of JFK’s major legislative ideas passed by congress
-1961 housing act aimed to get the US out of recession, helping democrats and developers more than people in need
-Had to cater what he wanted to do to the upcoming election
What were the successes of Johnsons war on poverty (1961-68) (10)
-3.9% unemployment in 1967 was a 13 year low
-In 1964, the economic opportunity act created the office of economic opportunity, with a $960mill budget, to coordinate Johnsons war on poverty
-The 1965 social security act created Medicare and Medicaid
-Medicare(old) and Medicaid(poor) helped 19mill in 1966, as 1/5 of the American population had benefitted by 1976
-13 million students gained from education legislation
-By 1970, 25% of college students received financial aid from the higher education act
-From 1965-70, the % of Americans in poverty fell from 17% to 11%
-The 1968 housing act provided assistance with rent, as well as $8billion to create low-moderate income housing
-44 states had anti-poverty programmes in 1965
-Many non-white citizens could now advance in professions such as law
What were the failures of Johnsons war on poverty (1961-68) (10)
-The Vietnam war drained the budget (1966 = $1.2billion on poverty, $22billion on war)
-Gaps in Medicaid and Medicare coverage (no glasses)
-Medicaid and Medicare were more expensive than planned, and Medicaid funding ended up being double that of federal funding for healthcare for the poor
-Income inequality had still risen from the WW2
-The 1968 fair housing act, which aimed to eliminate housing discrimination, was scrapped due to white opposition
-Programmes were hastily planned, and underfunded/coordinated
-Non-white poverty remained at 1/3
-1966 demonstration cities were a failure (6-150 cities were going to be planned with cheap housing, facilities and slum clearances)
-Many thought affirmative action increased resentment
-Liberals thought there wasn’t enough spending, conservatives thought there was too much
What did Nixon try to do to deal with poverty (1961-68) (3)
-Nixon’s poverty efforts were concentrated at the working poor, elderly, children and disabled
-Nixon wanted an emphasis on ‘workfare’, welfare based around getting people in work
-In 1970 Nixon began dismantling the office of economic opportunity, to reduce welfare payments
What was the impact of TV (1961-68) (8)
-Created a homogenised American culture
-Became a favoured leisure activity for many
-Promoted consumerism through adverts
-Had an impact on how politicians were viewed
-People could now be aware of the world they lived in
-People could be aware of new perspectives
-Some thought there was a link between TV and violence/mental passiveness
-Some thought it led to decreasing educational test scores
Why was/wasn’t the US economy in the 1960s good (1961-68) (5,5)
-Economic growth was 19% under Eisenhower, 39% during JFK and LBJ
-per capita income rose from $2,157 to $3,050
-The 60s saw the longest period of uninterrupted US economic growth in history
-% of people in poverty fell from 22% to 12%
-American industry was technologically innovative
-The USA lost its place as the worlds leading exporter
-A trade deficit in 17/18 previous years, but 1967 $4billion deficit 3x that of the year prior
-Vietnam war drained government finances
-A $10billion budget deficit with 4.5% inflation led to 60% of the population fearing cost of living
-Gap between the gold reserves and the money supply was increasingly getting bigger
What problems did Americans face in the 60s, and what was Johnsons great society (1961-68) (3,5)
-Poverty was often invisible in the midst of affluence
-There were structural imbalances in the ownership and access to wealth
-Rural and deprived inner cities vs affluent suburbs
-Johnsons great society aimed to redistribute societies wealth, giving the poor more wealth and opportunities
-The 1965 medical care act created Medicaid and Medicare
-The 1965 higher education act provided federal funding for post-secondary education
-The 1964 urban mass transportation act provided federal aid for cities with high poverty concentrations
-The 1965 air and water quality act set tougher standards and brought quality control
What was JFK’s new frontier, and what did he actually achieve (1961-68) (3,3,3)
-The new frontier was a combination of foreign and domestic policies
-JFK believed the US should aggressively contain communism
-He wanted a united, equal society at home
-He demonstrated his decision making at Cuba
-He continued to expand social welfare, raising the minimum wage by 9%
-He promised a civil rights bill, which eventually was passed under LBJ
-However, he lacked Johnsons skills in getting things through congress
-His policy making was affected by considerations for the 1964 election
-Some thought his advisors lacked variety, all being liberal elites
What long term processes led to the 1970s economic crisis (1968-80) (3,6)
-The USA always had a strong currency, being linked to the gold, leading to stability but low exports
-Nixon, in an attempt to improve the US’ foreign position, took the US off the gold standard
-However foreign economies were more productive, innovative and had cheaper costs of production, so the US still couldn’t compete
-At the turn of the 20th century, the US was a world leader in technological innovation
-However, by the 50s other countries such as Japan and Germany had caught up
-The US’ hold on manufactured exports fell from 29% in 1953 to 13% by 1973, as the US entered a trade deficit in 1971
-Higher business taxes led to decreased profits and reinvestment
-Lower reinvestment lead to less innovation, and a worsening of the US current account
-All this led to stagflation, and a rise in unemployment
How did the oil shocks put the 1970s economy in crisis (1968-80) (10)
-In 1973, OPEC put up oil prices 70% and embargoed Oil to the US, due to the US’ support of Israel in the Arab-Israeli war
-By 1974, oil prices were 4x that of pre crisis
-Inflation reached 10% as unemployment doubled to 9% in 1975
-There was a recession from 1974-75 as people feared spending
-Real wages from 1973 did not rise for 20 years
-Carter tried to decrease regulation in airline and trucking, as well as raising interest rates and lowering government spending, to deal with inflation
-However people disliked this, and support for conservative low tax, regulation and spending grew
-Carter addressed the nation, talking about austerity and the crisis of confidence, but this was unpopular
-In 1979 a second oil crisis hit, following the Iranian revolution
-All this under mimed Keynesian economics, and led the way to a new economic system
What was the legislation/action in response to the 70s economic crisis (1968-80) (6)
-The 1970 economic stabilization act gave the president the control over wages, price, interest rates, and suspended the dollar gold link
-In 1971, prices and wages were frozen for nearly 1,000 days
-The 1972 Social Security act was amended twice, one to raise benefits 20% in line with inflation, than to make them CPI linked
-In 1979 the Fed put restrictions on the increase in the money supply
-In 1979 Carter had 2 fireside chats on the crisis of confidence in the economy, but these did little to raise consumption
-In 1980 Carter took on inflation-curbing methods, but these did little
What were reasons for increased leisure time from 1917-30 (1917-33) (2,2,3,1,1)
-1938 fair labour standards act created a minimum wage and a 40hr work week
-This act led to increased wages, increased spare time, and therefore increased leisure time
-Entrepreneurs responded rapidly to fads
-MLB owners created a new baseball, in order to boost the amount of home runs
-Continued growth of car owning culture led to a rise in leisure and travel
-People being able to drive to work accelerated the growth of suburbs
-People were able to travel more for leisure/tourism
-Growth of radios provided a simple cheap leisure activity for many
-Prohibition (18th amendment) led to the creation of speakeasies
What were the reasons for changes to leisure time from 1930-80 (1933-80) (2,6)
-The depression led to a shift in some of the leisure activities consumed, as people preferred cheap accessible content in the struggle
-Rationing in WW2 (petrol, sugar, coffee) led to a decrease in the ability to have leisure activities, although many yet again shifted what they did
-Post war boom meant a lot more people were affluent, and therefore could afford more leisure opportunities
-Baby boom lead to a growth in family leisure time, as Disneyland opened in 1955
-Increase of car ownership yet again meant that people could travel more, and live in suburbs
-Spectator sports continued to rise
-Dramatic rise in passenger air travel, due to government subsidies and provision of weather/traffic control, lead to rises in business and tourism opportunities
-Mass media emphasised consumer goods as essential to the American dream
How did spectator sports grow from 1917-45 (1917-33) (5,2,2)
-Baseball was the most popular spectator sport
-Millions watched the sport, or listened to it on the radio
-Babe Ruth’s ability to hit home runs captivated many
-In 1920, the MLB redesigned the baseball, in order to make exciting home runs easier to hit
-The NY Yankees increased the size of their stadium from 35,000 to 53,000, portraying the rise in popularity
-Many people increased popularity for college American football, such as red grange
-Red grange signed for a professional American college football team in 1925, increasing popularity of that
-Boxing was legalised in NYC in 1920
-Huge crowds of up to 100,000 went to watch boxing matches
How did spectator sports grow from 1945-80 (1968-80) (1,3,4)
-By 1980, all sports were desegregated
-In 1947, the MLB had its first black player (J. Robinson), as all teams had a black player by 1960
-During the 50s, the NY giants and Brooklyn dodgers moved to California for financial gains
-In the 70s, teams discovered Latin Americans as a source of talent
-American football became more exciting and followed, partially due to television
-Establishment of the American football league in 1960 encouraged the NFL to expand from just the Midwest
-Leagues merged in 1966
-First superbowl in 1967
How did cars impact leisure time (1968-80) (7)
-Cheaper petrol prices meant travelling and tourism was easier
-Cars represented freedom of mobility and individual choice
-Cars enabled Americans to tour their country
-People could go to the cinema/church in their cars
-Large areas or rural America covered with roads, motels, shops and adverts
-Cars had the newest technology (air con, heating etc) with built in obsolescence
-By 1960, 80% of families had a car
How did planes impact leisure time, and how did they develop (1968-80) (6,5)
-Planes became quicker and able to hold more people
-Rapid growth of planes reflected rapid economic growth
-In 1955, more than 38mill used domestic planes, the first time more people used planes than railways
-Number of passengers carried grew from 56mill in 1960 to 159mill in 1970
-Jet aircraft led to foreign travel being more accessible
-Appearance of jumbo jets, such as the Boeing 747, helped increase supply
-Oil crisis quadrupled fuel prices
-1978 air deregulation act ended government control on routes and fares
-The 80s witnessed many bankruptcies and mergers
-Reagan fired 11,000 workers in 1981 for illegal striking as air traffic control, the industry took a while to recover
-By the mid 60s, 50% of passengers flew for leisure rather than business
What were some factors which caused the wall street crash (1917-33) (7)
-Too many shares being bought on credit meant no one actually had money (LT)
-Media reportage of share prices fuelled the panic selling (ST)
-Businesses and firms overproducing led to wasted output (LT)
-Prices falling meant firms earned less incomes (Fuelling factor)
-Rising unemployment led to less spending in the economy (FF)
-The actual crash itself kickstarted the depression (ST)
-Laissez faire policies allowed the economy to become this fragile (LT+FF)
What were some issues caused by the 1920s boom (1917-33) (4)
-Overproduction of food brought prices down, leading to farmers struggling
-Overusage of credit lead to people buying shares without the money (buying on the margin)
-Banks used peoples deposits and credit to buy shares
-Americas tariffs led to low exports
Why did the US economy boom in the 1920s (1917-33) (9)
-Laissez-faire: little/no government intervention
-Assembly line: mass production and low cost (car ownership = 4.7m 1917, 23m 1929)
-Credit: allows people to buy stuff W/O money
-Knowledge: new technology
-Position of USA in war: Supplied loans + no damage
-Advertisement: increased consumer demand
-New consumer goods: Labour saving devices (cars, fridges etc)
-Tariffs: Fordney Mccumber 1922
-Share confidence: increased share confidence led to increased share price
(LACKPANTS)
What were some good & bad features of the 1920s (1917-33) (4,4)
-19th amendment gave women the right to vote
-workers wages rose as production doubled from 1919-1929
-Cheaper consumer good due to mass production and mass markets (by 1927, 75% of households had electricity)
-America had no war debts to pay, and was recieving interest on loans given out
-Black people killed by lynch mobs in the south
-Richest 1% earned 19% of all incomes
-Anarchist bombings, red scare, palmer raids = political unrest
-Post war closing of factories, decreased food demand and soldiers returning = increased unemployment
What were some indicators of economic growth in the 1920s (1917-33) (4)
Indicator: 1920->1930
-GDP: $74bill -> $104b
-Credit: $45b -> $73b
-Workers wages: $1,308 -> $1,716
-Industrial output rose 40%
How did TV develop in the 1960s (1961-68) (4,3)
-1949 =2.3% of households watching TV, 56% in 1954, 90% in 1962
-Governments gave media business tax breaks to develop and sell TV’s, loosening regulations post WW2
-As a result, TVs developed rapidly
-Many shows were beginning to be prerecorded, meaning their message could be shaped
-During the 1960s, a split in TV occured
-There were news shows which prevented the brutal reality of the Vietnam war, but there were escapist programmes
-Sitcoms such as the Beverly Hillbillies provided a diversion from real life, whereas channels as NBC expanded their news broadcasts
