USA Topic Four - The Transformation of the USA 1945-1955 Flashcards
What was the USA like economically during WW2?
the USA dominated the economy during WW2
How many people did the USSR lose in WW2?
over 20 million
Why did technological advances continue to grow after WW2?
- the US economy continued to grow after 1945
- technological advances continued due to the Cold War
Why did the US remain in a state of military preparedness post-WW2?
- investment into defence industries continued
- events such as the Berlin Airlift Crisis and the Korean War kept demand high
- people feared the war heating up (Cold War 1947-1991)
- the economy was boosted
Which industry began to boom because of the growth of disposable income?
- disposable income created sustained demand
- the automobile industry began to boom
How did the Cycle of Prosperity begin to take ahold oh America post WW2?
- new job opportunities were created with the growth of new industries
- skilled workers would receive a higher wage
- more disposable income led to greater demand
- new technological advancements and jobs created to match demand
Why were more more women able to enter into employment?
- the growth of the clerical sector allowed for more women to get into employment
- the US retail sector expanded creating new jobs and further employment
What is the evidence that the US retail sector had grown?
1945: 8 shopping centres
1960: 4,000 shopping centres
What was the expansion of various industries fuelled by?
advertising
How did US advertising grow during the 1950s?
- advertising expenditure increased 1000%
What other two factors ensured the growth of advertising?
- the growth of TV allowed advertising to have a greater impact
- increased investment into advertising created new job opportunities allowing it to expand further
How did the aircraft industry develop in the 1950s?
- advancement in both military and passenger aircraft
- 1958: Boeing produced the 707
What impact did the growth of the aircraft industry have?
- lead to a decline in railways
- offered new jobs in the aircraft industry
When was the first general use computer developed?
1944
When did computers become a part of US business?
by the 1950s
How did white and blue collar work change throughout the 1950s?
- there was a major increase in white collar work
- white-collar workers outnumbered blue collar workers for the first time
- all of these new jobs favoured white men
How did the Federal Government aim to actively stimulate economic growth?
through spending on defence
What impact did the Cold War have on government spending?
it increased it
What led to the ‘Knowledge Revolution’ in the USA?
- government spending on research grew by 600%
- jobs in professional and technological work grew
What did the number of salaried middle class workers rise by between 1947-1957?
61%
How did the power in industry change in the 50s?
- the power was concentrated in the hands of a few giant corporations such as General Motors
- this limited the power of the trade unions
What % of the workforce were in trade unions in 1945?
35.5%
What act was passed to limit trade union rights?
- Taft Hartley Act
- The Republican controlled Congress passed the act after a number of strikes due to inflation
When was the GI Bill introduced, what did it do?
- 1944
- also called the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act
- it introduced a range of benefits for veterans
How did the GI Bill (Serviceman’s Readjustment Act) 1944 give veterans educational opportunities?
- just over 1/2 of the 7.8 million returning servicemen attended colleges through grants
How much did the GI Bill (Serviceman’s Readjustment Act) 1944 cost the government?
$14.5 billion
Between 1946 and 1954 how much did car production grow by?
car production quadrupled
in 1950, how many of the worlds’ cars and trucks did the USA produce?
2/3
How did short-term credit increase in the 1950s?
it grew to $45.6 billion in 1958
How did the motor industry promote credit and the suburban life?
- the boom in car ownership was fuelled by an increase in credit purchasing
- the growth in car ownership allowed for people to move to the suburbs
- a new system of inter-state highways were built due to a fear of the need for mass evacuation in the case of a nuclear attack
How many babies were born in 1946? What generation is this known as?
- 1946: 3.4 million babies
- the Baby Boom generation
Between 1946-1964 how many babies were born?
- 76.4 million born
- this formed 40% of the population
What did the number of people living in suburbs increase by due to growth in car ownership?
10%
What were Levittowns?
- areas of housing which was categorised by a white picket fence, fully equipped kitchens and green lawns
How much did houses in Levittowns in Pennsylvania originally sell for?
$6,990
How were Levittowns racially segregated, and up until when?
- William Levitt ensured his homes were only sold to white people
- this policy of racial segregation was declared illegal in the 1960s
When was the USA seen as the world’s first consumer society?
by 1955
Why was the USA seen as a consumer society?
- good housing
- TVs
- Cars
- easy credit
- America seen as an affluent society
How did Suburban dwellers benefit from the consumer society?
- they earned more than anyone else
- able to afford luxury items and pursuits such as boats, swimming pools and foreign holidays
How did cars increase the growth of the consumer society?
- they led to greater mobility
- this encouraged the development of drive in restaurants, drive in movie theatres and out of town shopping centres
When was the first McDonald’s opened?
1945
How did the focus of the consumer society change?
the USA became a society which had a great focus on recreation
What were the limitations to the Consumer Society?
- in 1960: nearly 40 million Americans (22%) lived below the poverty line
- the inner cities, which the middle class had left, fell into economic decline and became associated with crime and poverty
How far did technology lead to the post-war economic boom in the 1950s?
- technology was given a boost during WW2 with high levels of investment
- technological development created more jobs
How far did industry lead to the post-war economic boom in the 1950s?
- the construction industry received a boost with the building of suburbs
- the USA produced half the world’s manufactured goods by 1947
- by the end of the 1950s over 30% of Americans lived in the suburbs
How far did the baby boom lead to the post-war economic boom in the 1950s?
- the baby boom encouraged the devlopment of a dynamic juvenile market
How far did WW2 lead to the post-war economic boom in the 1950s?
- the war forced a growth in government spending and, therefore, the boom
- 1948: $36.5 billion
- pre-war: $9.4 billion
How far did federal governemnt spending lead to the post-war economic boom in the 1950s?
- the federal government built more highways
- spending on roads increased from:
- 1946: $79 million
- 1960: $2.6 billion
How did attitudes towards communism develop after 1945?
- there was still a fear of Soviet worldwide conspiracy
- it was believed that communist attempts to spread its influence to America had to be contained
- these fears emerged as the Cold War (Communism V Capitalism)
What did people fear during the second red scare?
- people were scared that Communists were aiming to take over America and that there were Communist spies within society
How many Soviet agents were in the USA in 1941?
221 - they were reporting to the NKVD
When was the HUAC founded?
1938
What does the HUAC stand for?
The House Un American Activities Committee
What was the HUAC initially set up to do?
deal with subversion by Nazi sympathisers
Which President changed the priorities of the HUAC?
- President Truman
- changed the priorities of the HUAC to Communist subversion
- the investigations were stepped up
How was Hollywood used during WW2?
- used as a propaganda tool
- films were made with subliminal messages to encourage Americans to fear Russians
What was the cultural significance of the HUAC?
the HUAC severely limited the cultural development in this period
What order established Federal Loyalty Boards, when?
- Executive Order 9835
- March 1947
What did the Federal Loyalty Boards do?
- forced federal employees to prove their loyalty to the government
Why were Federal Loyalty Boards created?
- fears that Communists were trying to infiltrate
- the government wanted to weed out spies
What did the existence of Federal Loyalty Boards lead to?
- scruitnising of the personal lives and political beliefs of government employees
- the investigators only had to find ‘reasonable ground’ to suspect individuals
Between 1947 and 1951 how many government employees were forced to resign?
over 3,000
How many states passed their own anti-subversion laws?
- 39 states
- this encouraged the Red Scare
What was the reality of the Red Scare?
- most people were just slightly left wing in their ideologies
What are the key events of the second Red Scare?
- 1938: The House Un-American Activities Committee established to investigate subversive behaviour and un-american behaviour across the US
- 1940: The Alien Registration Act passed to undermine Communism in America
- 1950: Joseph McCarthy clamied to know of 205 in the State Department that were Communists
- 1952: McCarthy’s campaign helped the Republican candidate Dwight Eisenhower to win the presidental election
- 1954: McCarthy loses chairmanship of the Government Committee on Operations of the Senate after his tactics were televised and exposed to the public
How was Hollywood affected by the Cold War?
- the cold war led to a ‘communist outbreak’ within Hollywood
Why did Hollywood experience strikes after 1945?
It faced serious labour problems
When did the HUAC investigate Hollywood?
1947
Who were the Hollywood Ten, and why were they significant?
- a group of ten screenwriters who refused to co-operate with the HUAC investigations
How did the HUAC hearings impact Hollywood?
the HUAC hearings greatly damaged Hollywood as they led to the end of many careers
Who had the power to give commercial licenses to TV stations?
The Federal Communications Commission
How many TV stations did the Federal Communications Commission give commercial licenses in 1946?
6
By 1956 how many TV stations had received commercial licenses from The Federal Communications Commission?
442
In 1945, how many TV sets were there in America?
69,000
In 1948, what % of homes had TV sets?
only 2.9%
By 1955, what % of homes had a TV set?
76%
What were some impacts of the rising power of TV?
- average attendance at movies fell
- diets changed with the introduction of the Tv dinner
- TV began to dominate the industry
How were women presented in TV and film?
as subordinate, loyal partners to middle-class husbands
Who was an example of a woman in TV?
Lucille Ball from ‘I love Lucy’
How were ethnic minorities portrayed in TV?
They were almost always portrayed in roles of domestic service
Why was TV criticised?
- For being low-brow
- for distracting students from their studies
How did teenagers’ roles change financially?
Teenagers now had financial power to take part in the economic boom
Why did teenagers have more free time available?
They were granted independence by their parents
What sort of music was teenage culture associated with?
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Who published ‘Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male’?
Alfred Kinsey
When was ‘Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male’ published?
1948
What did Alfred Kinsey’s ‘Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male’ reveal?
that 95% of males had been sexually active by the age of 15
What did Truman initially do to openly aid black Americans?
Very little
In July 1948 what did President Harold Truman call for?
The desegregation of the armed forces
What Executive Order ended segregation of the armed forces?
- Executive Order 9981
- Passed in July 1948
What executive order ended the segregation of the armed forces and when?
- Executive Order 9981
- In July 1948
Why was Truman criticised for his work to support black Americans?
people said that Truman only wanted to gain black votes
In the 1948 election what proportion of the black vote did Truman receive?
2/3
Why was Jesse Owens important in the changing status of minorities?
- in 1936 he won the 100m and the long jump at the Olympics
- When he returned to the USA, FDR refused to welcome him to the Whitehouse
How were black players limited in sports?
they would face racist abuse from white spectators
What does the NAACP stand for and when was it founded?
- The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People
- founded in 1909
How did the NAACP support the African American working class?
- supported voter registration
- joined with trade unions
Who did the NAACP work with to fight for black American rights?
other civil rights groups
What was the magazine that the NAACP published called?
‘The Crisis’
When did the US Supreme Court declare school segregation unconstitutional?
17th May 1954
When and where was the Brown v Board of Education case?
- 1954
- Topeka, Kansas
In 1954 how did southern black schools differ from southern white schools?
- southern black schools received only 60% of the per-pupil funding as southern white school
- this was increased from 45% in 1940
What did the Brown v Board of Education case rule?
Ruled the ‘Plessy v Ferguson’ decision of separate but equal as unconstitutional
Why was the Brown v Board of Education case limited?
The Supreme Court included no guidance on how to actually implement desegregation
In 1955 what began?
The Modern Civil Rights Movement
What two events had been major steps in the right direction and had encouraged more black Americans to take a stand?
- the desegregation of the armed forces
- the Brown case
By 1955 how had segregation laws changed?
- all segregated public schools were still segregated
- a variety of public facilities such as toilets, park benches, fountains and public transport were still segregated
What was an event that showed America still had a lot of progress to make?
‘The Southern Manifesto’ - 100 congressmen signed in 1955 to say that the Brown Case was an abuse of judicial power
