truman Flashcards
year he became president
1945
context of his presidency
- followed on from FDR (high expectations to follow but strong government to rely on)
- federal intervention was common
- public on good terms w government
- economy regulated (profited from war)
- lack of knowledge (eg atomics bombs)
branches of government
legislative - congress
executive - president
judicial - Supreme Court
global population made up by US
7%
global income made up by US
42%
FDRs approval rating
70% (never stood below 48%)
new deal
socio-economic policies from 1933-39 - slowly solved problems of the Great Depression
relief, recovery, and reform
problem of atomic bomb
- only tested in ocean
- truman wasn’t previously aware but as president had to decide whether to drop or not
military men
12 million soldiers left in WW2 and jobs were taken by other soliders
truman as vp
only appointed in january and made president in march - lacked experience in both role and politics
congress
mainly republican and thinks president has too much power
democrats
not a united party (splinter group)
- new deal liberals
- dixiecrats
Wall Street crash
1929
- 25% unemployment by 1933
- Keynesian economics led to shift in political ideology (supported stronger federal involvements in economy)
McCarran Walter act
1952
‘immigration and nationality act’
- made immigration from Asia easier, from 300,000 in 1950 to 3.5 million in 1980 (30 years)
- enabled asians to become citizens
east coast of US
- home of manufacturing
- wealth of raw materials
south
- traditional and conservative
- legacy of slavery still apparent
- de jure segregation
west
- oil rich
- population explosion
- more liberal, relaxed, and glamorous
- less political influence
midwest
- sparsely populated, few major cities
- rich agricultural land, produced wheat, corn and rice
- profited from food exports
north east
- political, financial, and educational powerhouse
- more sophisticated
- responsible for US success
GI bill of rights
1944 gave education grants
- black soldiers attended college in record number, increasing economic opportunity
women
1920 given right to vote
traditional home minder view remained
- 63% didn’t approve of women working
- 19.3 million worked in war (temporarily)
native americans
1944 national congress of American Indians - included all tribes and protected their rights
forced to assimilate and people sought segregation from them
25,000 fought in army and 50,000 defence industry worker
hispanics
puerto ricans classed as citizens - gravitated to US
mexicans seen as uncivilised
1942 programme - meant workers under government contract could stay in southwest
african americans
segregated in south and discriminated
- legalised by Jim Crow laws (de jure segregation)
1945 some given right to vote
- literacy tests and poll taxes made it difficult
- only represented by white democrats
menial, low paid jobs
asian americans
chinese immigration stopped in 1882, japanese 1907, and rest 1917
- McCarran Walter act
- racial hostility after pearl harbour
segregation
de jure - by law, in south
de facto - by matter of fact, in North (less income and more ghettos)
outlawed in 1964
Plessy v Ferguson
1896 Supreme Court case that ruled segregation legal as long as facilities were of the same quality (separate but equal)
NAACP
national association for the advancement of coloured people
legal defence fund
1939, raised money to take on cases that would challenge principle of plessy vs ferguson
Smith v Allwright
1944 allowed Americans in Texas to vote in primaries (votes to decide party candidate)
Morgan v Virginia
1946 declared segregation on buses as illegal
Shelley v Kramer
1948 ruled estate agents could no longer refuse to show and sell houses to black clients (supported by Truman)
McLaurin v Oklahoma
1950 allowed George McLaurin to enter university of Oklahoma but was segregated from other students
Sweatt v Painter
successfully challenged separate but equal doctrine in Texas
containment
US foreign policy of stopping the spread of communism, first established in Truman Doctrine
USSR
union of soviet socialist republics
Kennans long telegram
22nd February 1946
- US diplomat in Moscow (expert on USSR)
- before Yalta conference Kennan supported idea of dividing Europe into spheres of influence
- asserted Stalin wanted to replace fear of Germany and Japan with fear of soviets and communism
- reccomended a proactive approach and to use force when necessary, stated urgency and that the US should act quickly
- believed negotiation and compromise with Stalin was futile (pointless) and force was only message he’d understand
Iron curtain speech
Churchill delivered speech in Missouri 5th March 1946
- praised US as a global powerhouse and called for stronger relationship between the two countries
- stated there was a great divide (iron curtain) between communism and capitalism in Europe
- called for the issue to be dealt with strong force, message was received warmly by Truman and US officials
Iran Crisis
1946 (Azerbaijan crisis)
- sparked by refusal of soviet union to relinquish occupied Iranian territory
greek crisis
1947 Greece was one of few eastern European countries that wasn’t communist
- British army had prevented this but wanted to pull soldiers out (could no longer afford them)
- truman was increasingly alarmed by soviet growth so stepped in to take over
Turkey
- WWII turkey remained neutral but were pressured by soviets to allow shipping to flow freely through Turkish straits (connecting Black Sea to Mediterranean)
- issue brought up at Potsdam but Truman claimed it was a domestic political issue for Turkey and USSR
- Dean Acheson telegram states ‘we cannot permit turkey to become the object of soviet aggression’
- US gave $100 million in economic and defence aid
Truman Doctrine
- address to congress (who were hostile and mainly republicans) 12th march 1947 outlining policy of containment
- ‘support free peoples who are resisting subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures’
- approved Marshall aid/plan
Marshall plan
- money given to European countries to purchase goods from US, raise individual production, and create employment to help them resist communism and be less likely to seize territory
- over $12bn in 4 years and $400mil to turkey and greece
- helps American economy rebuild as captive market increases their income
- USSR rejected offer of joining and created molotov plan
Molotov plan
1947 introduced to prevent eastern European countries from joining Marshall plan, and remaining under soviet sphere of influence
Berlin blockade
- Germany began to reindustrilize and rebuild their economy
- 24th June 1948 Stalin prevented food, materials and supplies from arriving in West Berlin
- US, Britain, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and several other countries began the massive ‘Berlin airlift’ to supply West Berlin with food and materials
- after two months the Airlift was succeeding and daily operations flew more than 1,500 flights a day, delivering more than 4,500 tons of cargo
- May 1949 Stalin backed down and lifted the blockade
NSC 68
the Council recommended heavy increases in military funding to help contain the Soviets 1950
NATO
North Atlantic treaty organisation 1949
NSA
national security agency 1952
CIA
central intelligence agency 1947
UNSC
United Nations security council resolution 82
- 1950 condemned armed attack on Republic of Korea from north korea (wanted north to withdraw)
