Unit 7 Lesson 1: The U.S. After World War Flashcards
What was the most immediate task after WWII
The most immediate task after World War II was the demobilization of the military and the reintegration of veterans into civilian life.
Why did Truman feel pressure to demoblize
Due to popular pressure and budget concerns, the United States sought to demobilize its armed forces as quickly as possible. Many servicemen threatened to vote Republican if they were not home by Christmas 1946. Understandably, this placed a great deal of pressure on President Truman to shrink the size of the U.S. military.
How did Truman resond to Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal and Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson’s arguemnt
While Truman agreed with their assessment, he felt powerless to put a halt to demobilization.
Adjustment to postwar life was difficult for the returning troops. Why?
U.S. Army officials estimated that as many of 20 percent of the army’s casualties were psychological. Although many service members eagerly awaited their return to civilian status, others feared that they would not be able to easily return to the life they had known before the war. Veterans also worried that they wouldn’t find work. Some felt that their wives and children would not welcome them. Those on the home front worried as well. Doctors warned loved ones that soldiers might return with psychological problems that would make them difficult to live with.
Demobilization
. Demobilization is the process of releasing soldiers from military duty.
Not everyone wanted the government to reduce U.S. military might, however. Two opponents of demobilization included Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal and Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson. What did they belive?
They warned Truman in October 1945 that demobilizing too quickly might jeopardize the nation’s strategic position in the world.
Demoblization of the military
The government reduced the size of the U.S. military from a high of 12 million in June 1945 to 1.5 million in June 1947—still more troops than the nation had ever had in arms during peacetime.
Increase in militray troops
In 1945, military personnel levels topped 12 million. By 1947, those levels had dropped to 1.5 million. However, by 1955 those levels were climbing again, and they stood closer to 3 million. Why might the total size of the military have expanded from 1.5 million in 1947 to closer to 3 million just eight years later?
how ddi the government effect the postwar econmny
As the government poured money into the defense industry and into universities conducting government research, the economy boomed.
Farm changes duing postwar econmy
Farming became more efficient, as farmers used the technology gains from the war to cultivate more land and raise more animals with less labor. In 1900, about 40% of the workforce in the U.S. worked in agriculture. By 1945, only 16% worked in agriculture, freeing that labor to be used in other industries.
What cuased the price of food to drop and what impact did this have
. The rapid mechanization caused the price of food to fall dramatically, allowing consumers to spend money previously spent on food on other consumer goods.
What impact did labor away from agricutlure ahve
The movement of labor away from agriculture and into other industries combined with the money diverted from food to other goods helped drive the economic growth of the postwar period.
Impact of consturction and automoble industires
The construction and automobile industries employed thousands, as did the businesses they relied on.
Impact of people moving into new homes
As people moved into new homes, their purchases of appliances, carpeting, furniture, and decorations spurred growth in other industries.
What was unempolyment like during post war
Unemployment was low, and wages for both the working and middle classes were high.
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Why was the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act/ G.I. Bill of Rights created?
Also known as the G.I. Bill of Rights
Passed in 1944 to ease veterans’ transition into civilian life
What did the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act/G.I. Bill of Rights do?
Provided for a year’s worth of unemployment compensation
Paid for tuition for college or vocational school and provided for a living stipend
Offered low-interest loans to purchase homes or start businesses
Outcome of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act/G.I. Bill of Rights do
- A dramatic increase in college enrollment among white males
- A jump in the percentage of American men with college degrees from 5.5% in 1940 to 7.3% in 1950
- A well-educated, skilled group of workers that bolstered the econom
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What was the 22nd amendment
- Passed in 1947 and ratified in 1951, an amendment setting presidential term limits
- An amendment in response to Franklin Roosevelt’s elected four terms in office
Fair Deal
President Truman’s ambitious program of social legislation intended to build on the promise of the New Deal and expand social welfare. Proposed a federal minimum wage, expanded Social Security and public housing, and prohibited child labor
Congress and the Fair deal
Congress refused to pass the more “radical” parts of Truman’s Fair Deal, including national health care, making lynching a federal crime, outlawing poll taxes, and prohibiting racial discrimination against government contractors. Congress overrode a presidential veto to pass the Taft-Hartley Act, which limited the power of unions
Waht was Truman’s Labor Policy
President Truman promised to continue wartime price controls while also allowing unions to negotiate higher wages.
Truman’s Labor Policy during stikes
In the face of the strikes, Truman suggested that mediation and arbitration be mandatory in such cases. When that didn’t work, he took a harder line, threatening to draft striking workers. He even sued one union to force members back to work.
outcoems of Truman’s Labor Policy
- Employers were reluctant to agree to higher wages without corresponding price hikes, so frustrated workers in essential industries went out on strike.
- Strikers eventually returned to work and even negotiated higher wagers, but labor’s support for Truman crumbled due to his hard line stance.
Social Security Disability Insurance (1956)
- A bill that expanded the Social Security Act by providing monthly benefits to disabled workers between ages 50 and 64
- Expanded benefits available to disabled dependent children
Did the G.I. Bill help everyone
While most veterans received assistance to help them adjust to postwar life, others returned home to an uncertain future without the promise of government aid. Not all veterans were able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill.
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G.I Bill for African Americans
African American veterans could use their educational benefits only to attend schools that accepted African American students.
G.I Bill for Mexicans
Benefits for some Mexican American veterans, mainly in Texas, were also denied or delayed.
G.I Bill for the gays and lesibians
The approximately 9,000 men and women who were dishonorably discharged from the service because they were gay or lesbian were ineligible for G.I. Bill benefits.
Gap between white and Black people
Following World War II, the majority of white Americans were members of the middle class, based on such criteria as education, income, and home ownership. Even most working class families could afford such elements of a middle-class lifestyle as new cars, suburban homes, and regular vacations. Most African Americans, however, were not members of the middle class, and income inequality between white families and black families persisted.
Japanese Americans from the West Coast who had been interned during the war also confronted the task of rebuilding their lives. Shortly after Japan surrendered and the war ended, internees were free to return to their homes. What was it like for them when they got out
In many areas, however, neighbors clung to their prejudices. People of Japanese descent were still viewed as disloyal and dangerous. Facing such animosity, many Japanese American families chose to start over elsewhere. Those who did return home often found that in their absence, “friends” and neighbors had sold the possessions left with them for safekeeping. Many homes had been vandalized and farms destroyed. When Japanese Americans reopened their businesses, former customers sometimes boycotted them.
Following World War II, young men and women married in record numbers and gave birth to the
baby boomers, the largest generation in U.S. history to date.
Many of these homes were in the new suburban areas that began to encircle American cities after the war. Increase in suburbanixation
. Suburbanization accelerated rapidly after World War II; between 1950 and 1960, the suburbs grew by 46 percent.
Suburbanization accelerated rapidly after World War II; between 1950 and 1960, the suburbs grew by 46 percent. Several factors contributed to this development, including:
- The end to the housing shortage during World War II
- Availability of unused land outside of American cities
- Low-interest mortgages offered by the G.I. Bill
- The use of prefabricated construction techniques
Migratory patterns of African Americans continued after World War II
Migratory patterns of African Americans continued after World War II, with African American populations increasing in the North, Midwest, and West between 1940 and 1970. Other areas of the country, namely the Sunbelt, saw increased migration from people of all races and ethnic backgrounds. This was due to the region’s milder climate and availability of jobs.
Suburbanization had numerous effects on the United States.
Families began to rely increasingly on the automobile for transportation. Suburban workers drove to their jobs in nearby cities rather than taking public transportation, often because it was not available or convenient.
Cities and states rushed to build additional roadways and ease congestion. To help finance these massive construction efforts, states began taxing gasoline, and the federal government provided hundreds of thousands of dollars for the construction of the interstate highway system through the
National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956
What did National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956 have to do with nuclear boms
In 1954, Vice President Richard Nixon gave a speech in which he connected the “appalling inadequacies” of the transportation infrastructure in the United States to the threat of nuclear war. Although the interstate system was built primarily for civilian use, Congress added the words “and Defense” to the name of the legislation in 1956 to emphasize the importance of an interstate highway system to national security.
What efforts did the U.S. government make to help veterans return to civilian life after World War II?
The U.S. government enacted the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, also known as the G.I. Bill of Rights, which provided many examples of economic and educational assistance to veterans returning from overseas.
What changes did the United States undergo in the years after World War II?
The United States experienced numerous changes after World War II. The G.I. Bill extended educational benefits to returning veterans, which dramatically raised college enrollment. Increased government spending in various industries kept unemployment low. Truman’s Fair Deal and Social Security Disability Insurance expanded social welfare to citizens.
How did economic prosperity in the postwar years differ from group to group?
Though blue-collar and middle-class white families experienced more prosperity and economic mobility, the same was not necessarily true for their black counterparts. Income discrepancies remained high between whites and minority groups. Japanese Americans also faced discrimination when resettling, and many experienced boycotts after reopening their businesses.
What factors led to demographic changes in the United States? What was one effect of these changes?
Numerous factors led to demographic changes in the United States, including the baby boom and suburbanization as well as pursuit of economic opportunity, which contributed to the Second Great Migration and general migration into the Sunbelt. One effect of these changes was increased dependence on cars as people moved farther and farther away from urban areas.
