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History American Dream > Truman And Post War America > Flashcards

Truman And Post War America Flashcards

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1
Q

What was the legacy of war outside the USA?

A

-A war that included mass destruction,massive casualties huge social destruction and serious economic hardship ; Bombings,food shortages, rationing and occupation by foreign armies

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2
Q

Why was wwii regarded as a “good war” for America ?

A
  • no foreign soldier set foot on American soil
  • American pride was enhanced by size and success of the war effort
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3
Q

Define American exceptionalism

A

-the idea that America is unique or exceptional which has become a popular part of American thinking.

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4
Q

What was the percentage population to income ratio by 1945?

A
  • a mere 7% of the global population possessing 42% of the worlds income
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5
Q

Percentage of oil ?

A

62% of discovered oil.

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6
Q

Percentage of manufacturing output ?

A

50%

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7
Q

Percentage of cars ?

A
  • 80%
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8
Q

How many people owned a radio?

A

33 million ( potential point - broadcasting was widely available insights for public on Americas stance)

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9
Q

By 1945 what was the impact of the GD?

A

The economy had recovered strongly from the GD (partly due to war spending - strong sense of national unity )

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10
Q

How was Roosevelt viewed at this point ?

A
  • He was very popular and there was little criticism of political system.
    ( possible point to think about - what does this mean for Truman to come)
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11
Q

How was Roosevelt viewed at this point ?

A
  • He was very popular and there was little criticism of political system.
    ( possible point to think about - what does this mean for Truman to come)
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12
Q

What was the date of Roosevelts death ?

A

12th April 1945 - longest serving US president

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13
Q

What 2 major incidents did RSV face ?

A
  • GD followed by the Wall Street Crash 1929
  • World War 2
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14
Q

What was his approval rating at the time of his death ?

A
  • 70% never fell below 48%
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15
Q

Who was his successor ? What issues was he set to face ?

A

Harry S Truman
- had a difficult act to follow - Euro and Pacific wars were still occurring
- viewed by the public as a compromise and not up to the job

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16
Q

What did Eleanor RSV say when Truman offered his consolations ?

A
  • “ is there anything we can do for you ? For you are the one in trouble now “
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17
Q

What is the American political systems concept of “ checks and balances”

A
  • President is prevented from having too much power by a congress that can refuse to co-operate and a Supreme Court ( SC) that can rule the Presidents actions as unconstitutional.
  • President can veto congressional propositions for laws and gets to appoint new members of SC.
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18
Q

Where does congressional power derive from ?

A
  • the ability to to propose laws
  • controlling budget
  • approve or disapprove of presidential nomination for SC
  • impeach ( to charge the holder of public office) the president if he is accused of a crime.
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19
Q

What did Truman lack in comparison to RSV ?

A

Political Capital due to the complicated set up of the US political system that could leave a weak president susceptible to uncooperative congress, SC and individual states.

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20
Q

Define Political Capital ?

A
  • the trust and influence a politician has with the public and other politicians which forms a kind of currency that politicians can ‘spend’ to get things done.
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21
Q

What was this system created to do ?

A
  • prevent dictatorships from forming.
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22
Q

What could the simultaneous election of the house of representativeness and senate along with president lead to.

A
  • A democratic president with a Republican controlled congress and vis versa
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23
Q

What could this lead to ( dem pres rep congress vis versa)

A
  • lead to intransigence ( refusal to change one’s view about something) in the passing of legislation with both president and congress blaming each other.
24
Q

What were the 2 main political parties in America ?

A

Democratic Party and Republican Party ( all but 8 members of HOR and senate were of these 2 parties)

25
Q

What was the first and most important impact of the war ?

A
  • Restoring US economy
26
Q

What was the state of unemployment in 1940?

A
  • 8 million
27
Q

What was the state of unemployment during the war ?

A
  • full employment and even some shortages of workers in certain areas of the economy esp agriculture
28
Q

What was the new deal (brief)

A
  • a series of domestic programmes introduced by RSV to kick start the economy and provide jobs for the unemployed.
29
Q

During RSV time in office what was the GDP growth ?

A
  • 8.5% highest growth rate in the history of any industrialised country.
30
Q

What was the state of the American rivals ?

A
  • whilst the US emerged as a prosperous nation its rivals the British Empire, Germany, Japan, France and the Soviet Union has been badly damaged by the war.
31
Q

How did this benefit the US (the state of its rivals)

A
  • Other countries needed raw materials and goods to help rebuild and the USA was in apposition to supply them - benefitted US trade and economy.
32
Q

How did the USA benefit from the repayment of loans. (Example)

A
  • the usa benefited from loans it made to the allied powers and the reparations it had received in the post-war settlements.
  • patents of German inventions such as the soft drink Fanta
33
Q

How did the flourishing economy benefit workers rights ?

A
  • There was a growth in major trade union organisation during the war - American Federation of Labour (AFL) and even more so the Congress of Industrial Organisations (CIO) had defended workers rights and campaigned for pay rises - which were difficult to turn down during the war years.
34
Q

What was the the NE region like ?

A
  • traditional, political, financial, educational powerhouse
  • D.C NYC and Boston.
  • saw itself as more sophisticated than the rest of the country
  • responsible for the success of 18/32 presidents.
    -eastern states and northern cities of Chicago and Detroit - sophisticated industry esp automobile in Detroit supplied by the raw materials of pennsylvania and the Carolina’s.
35
Q

What was the Midwest like ? ( Population density, influence)

A
  • sparsely populated lacked major cities - reduced influence in national politics
  • agricultural riches stretching from Ohio to the Rocky Mountains - producing sufficient wheat corn and even rice to feed population as well as export.
36
Q

What was the South like ? ( stances influence politics)

A
  • more traditional
  • segregation was still embraced
  • rural communities focused on plantation crops such as cotton, sugar and tobacco which dominated.
  • legacy of slavery and defeat in civil war influenced its political attitudes towards the rest of the country.
37
Q

What was the border like? ( states, population)

A
  • on the border with Mexico were the hot dry stats of New Mexico, Arizona and South Carolina.
  • oil rich and population expanding due to the influx of Hispanic immigrants and white Americans that were moving towards the north.
38
Q

What was the West coast like ?

A
  • giant state of California, permanently associated with the American Dream
  • LA, San Francisco-
  • saw itself as more liberal relaxed glamorous than the traditional east coast
  • resented for its lack of political influence.
39
Q

Quote at the base of the Statue of Liberty

A
  • give me your tired, your poor / your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. - huddled masses coming to US for over 200 years.
40
Q

White Population

A
  • In 1945 dominated the population with over 130 million people.
    -many still identified themselves with origins of ancestors- Irish polish and Italian Americans.
  • German Americans declined in proudness during the war years.
41
Q

Asian Americans ? (Population,racism)

A
  • smaller part of the population - 250,000 in 1940 census and 320,000 by 1950
    -immigration and nationality act of 1952 ( McCarran-Walter Act) made immigration easier for Asians
  • Japanese Americans made up a smaller group and yet were subject to racism
  • any Americans conflicted with the national myth about al, kinds of ppl becoming Americans in the melting point of integration (key feature of American exceptionalism)
42
Q

AA ( population , migration , racism , industry )

A
  • AA were the largest ethnic group after whites amounting to 14 million ppl - 10% of the population.
  • concentrated in the South owing to the legacy of slavey and plantation work.
  • yet they had been moving to the North and West in a demographic shift known as the Great Migration
  • most moved to industrial cities like Detroit and LA driven by the injustice of Jim Crow laws increased mechanisation of agriculture in the south
  • lured of higher wages in service sector and industry bolstered by the war and RSV FEPC.
43
Q

What is the fair employment practices commission (FEPC)?
+limitation

A

-established by an executive order by RSV
- monitored hiring practices of any company that held a governmental contract and required them not to discriminate based on race or religion.
- lacked sufficient funding to be truly effective.

44
Q

What did the period of the Wall Street crash - Second World War generate in terms of society.

A
  • levelled many of the inequalities in US society due to the toll and reduction of wealth for the m/c generated a culture of hard work and thrift.
45
Q

What were their impacts ?

A
  • rich survived crash and depression , rest of society had little difference in terms of earth between managerial professions and blue collar workers.
46
Q

Who protected the rights of blue collar labourers?

A
  • Trade unions - known as organised labour.
47
Q

Whose rights + state were not protected ?

A

The socially equitable situation excluded the ethnic minorities
- AA and indigenous ppl were at the bottom of the social and economic hierarchy and were far more likely to live in poverty and lack good quality education, healthcare and housing.
- deemed less able to to achieve the American Dream - like Hispanic Americans

48
Q

Who were their ranks joined with ?

A
  • that of poor White Americans , who lived in rural areas and Midwest + south.
49
Q

Define social mobility how did it come about ?

A
  • the war had led to an increase in social mobility - people’s ability to move between classes within society.
50
Q

How did the war increase social mobility ?

A
  • those young men who served in the armed forces had left vacancies in jobs for agriculture for other groups included women and AA.
  • many women were employed in munition industries and parts of the economy that were previously dominated by men
51
Q

How did the war increase social mobility ?

A
  • those young men who served in the armed forces had left vacancies in jobs for agriculture for other groups included women and AA.
  • many women were employed in munition industries and parts of the economy that were previously dominated by men
52
Q

By 1944 what percentage of the workforce was female ?

A
  • 36%
53
Q

What social changes caused by the war pose a threat ?

A
  • 12 million American soldiers returned from Europe and pacific expecting jobs, meaning women liberated by war faced exclusion from workforce
  • AA in segregated units in war against a racist power returned to find Jim Crow prevailed in south and GI bill was not applied equally to them.
  • a threat of communism , Stalin’s armies were encamped in Europe
  • fear of communism began to grow and any figure or group suspected of leaning to the left became a source of suspicion (trade unions seen as the first stirrings to communism.
54
Q

By 1946 how many AA that had applied for the educational fund receive it ?

A
  • 1/5 of the 100,000 that applied
55
Q

By 1946 how many AA that had applied for the educational fund receive it ?

A
  • 1/5 of the 100,000 that applied
56
Q

What would Truman dedicate mulch of the rest of his presidency towards ?

A
  • communist threat at home and abroad.

History American Dream (2 decks)

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