Aim: What changes occurred in the United States after WW2?

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Aim What changes occurred in the United States
after WW2?
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Objective

• Student will be able to discuss postwar
  economics, politics and culture of the 1950s.

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4. Postwar Years at Home

• Now that the United States had won WW2, they
  faced problems not only in foreign relations, but
  in domestic affairs as well.
• After World War 2, the three main domestic
  questions were
• (1) How does the US switch from a wartime to a
  peacetime economy?
• (2)What role does the government play in postwar
  America?

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• (3) How does the US respond to the threat a new
  Red Scare?
• Harry Truman and the US Congress have to answer
  these questions now that the war is over.

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4.1 From War to Peace

• When the US returned from World War 2, the
  government had three points to address
• (1) The size of the military decreased after the
  end of WW2.
• (2) The economy went from depression to
  overproduction-now it must return to peacetime
  standards.
• (3) Now that the Depression is over-how does the
  government handle labor?

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Question 1

• What issues did the US government have to deal
  with in regards to the post-WW2 economy?

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The End of the War
Now the re-adjustment begins..
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• One of the first tasks of the government is to
  cut the size of the armed forces.
• The US Army after the end of World War 2 had
  nearly eight million men. By the time the Korean
  War starts in 1950, the number of men in the US
  military had shrunk to 600,000 men.
• The reduction of the military is tied to the 1944
  G-I Bill. This bill granted government money for
  education, business or vocational (job) training.

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The GI Bill of 1944
Passed in 1944, returning veterans received money
for college, business or vocational training.
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Question 2

• What did the GI Bill provide?

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• The United States also had to change industry
  over to peacetime production.
• To do this, the United States Government sold
  many of its war plants to private companies.
• Factories that were making military supplies
  returned to producing consumer goods.
• By the end of 1945, nearly 93 of all war plants
  had been closed or shut down.

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Question 3

• What steps did the government take to change the
  economy over to peacetime conditions?

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• One problem the United States faced after World
  War 2 is inflation.
• By the end of WW2, the US had saved over 130
  billion dollars and were eager to spend the
  money.
• After the war, goods were scarce and prices rose
  despite government regulating prices.
• Truman kept controls on the prices after the war,
  but in 1946, after political pressure, he lifted
  the controls.

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• Once he lifted the government controls, the
  prices of goods rose even higher.
• The problem was wages did not go up and this led
  to an increase in the costs of living in the
  United States.

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Question 4

• What economic problem developed after WW2?

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• Rising prices led to demands by labor for higher
  wages.
• After the war, the number of strikes increased.
• In these strikes, the companies met the demands
  of their labor unions, but to cover wages, the
  companies raised prices on goods. This led to an
  increase in the standard of living and more
  demands for higher wages.

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• The companies now demanded the government to
  impose stringer controls over labor.
• In 1947, the Taft-Hartley Act was passed. This
  act
• (1) Outlawed the closed shop-forcing men to join
  unions before they were hired.
• (2) Allowed the President to have an 80-day
  cooling-off period when a strike threatened the
  economy.

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• (3) Unions were now prohibited from giving money
  to political campaigns.
• The act alarmed many labor unions because it made
  it harder for them to attract new members.
• Even with the Taft-Hartley Act, union membership
  grew to 15,000,000 members by 1950.

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Question 5

• Why did a large number of labor strikes take
  place after WW2?

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Taft-Hartley Act
The original copy of the act, seen here, is on
display at Harry Trumans Presidential Library in
Independence, Missouri.
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4.2 Postwar Politics

• When Truman took office after the death of FDR,
  he wanted to continue the policies of the New
  Deal.
• However, the feelings of the American people were
  changing away from the idea of a big government
  that they had under the New Deal.
• In 1946, Truman watched as the Republicans won
  back the US House and Senate. This made it hard
  for Truman to pass his policies.

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• As the election of 1948 grew near, the
  Republicans grew more confident that they would
  win back the White House for the first time in 20
  years.
• The Democrats were not unified behind President
  Truman.
• (1) Southern Democrats were not behind the
  Democratic stance on civil rights, so they
  supported Governor Strom Thurmond for
• President.
• (2) Liberal Democrats created the Progressive
  Party and supported Henry Wallace

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• With no chance of winning, Truman refused to
  admit defeat. He traveled thousands of miles and
  gave thousands of speeches.
• The Republicans chose Governor Thomas E. Dewey,
  the governor of New York.
• In the election of 1948, Truman defeated Dewey,
  but some newspapers had it wrong.

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Dewey Defeats Truman
Given no chance of winning, Harry Truman pulled a
giant upset when he wins the Election of 1948
against Thomas Dewey and Strom Thurmond.
Thomas Dewey
Strom Thurmond
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Question 6

• Who was favored to win the election of 1948? Who
  won?

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• After his victory, Truman set a new plan of
  reform, known as the Fair Deal off to the US
  Congress.
• The Fair Deal was, in part, a continuation of the
  New Deal established by FDR. It called for new
  programs in education, health care, housing .
  Truman wanted to extend social security and end
  discrimination.

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• Republicans and southern Democrats united to kill
  most of Trumans programs in the Fair Deal.
• The two pieces of the Fair Deal accepted by the
  US Congress were the National Housing Act which
  built more public housing and the extension of
  social security to 10,000,000 workers.
• With problems at home and in Korea, Truman did
  not run for President in 1952

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Question 7

• What was the Fair Deal?

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Question 8

• Why did Harry Truman not run for President in
  1952?

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• In March 1952, Truman decided not to run for
  President.
• The Democrats nominated Governor Adlai Stevenson
  of Illinois and the Republicans nominated World
  War 2 General Dwight Eisenhower.
• Eisenhower wins the Election of 1952. He receives
  442 electoral votes to Stevensons 89.
• Eisenhower also receives some 34 million popular
  votes to Stevensons 28 million.
• The Republicans take back the White House for the
  first time since 1928.

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The Nominees in the Election of 1952
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The Election of 1952
Eisenhower wins the Election of 1952 in a
landslide against Adlai Stevenson. This gives
the Republicans the White House for the 1st time
since 1928.
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Question 9

• Who won the Election of 1952?

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4.3 Fear of Communism at Home

• As Eisenhower assumed the Presidency, a new fear
  of communism was sweeping the United States.
• Since the end of WW2, the United States had
  watched the Soviet Union take over Eastern
  Europe, did nothing to prevent the Communists
  from controlling China, allowed for other nations
  to receive our atomic secrets (including the
  Soviets) and arrested the Rosenbergs who gave the
  secrets to them.

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Threats Against Democracy Since 1945
The Soviets began liberating Eastern Europe in
1945. They promised free elections but
installed Communist governments. This was the
first breaking of the Allied powers alliance of
WW2.
In 1947, the Soviet Union blockaded Berlin. To
aid the citizens of Berlin, Truman began
the Berlin Airlift, in which the US/UK/ French
flew supplies into Berlin.
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In 1949, the Soviet Union was able to receive
secrets from Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. This
upped the ante of the Cold War. The Rosenbergs
were American citizens.
China became a communist nation in 1949 and
formed an alliance with the Soviet Union. They,
too, would also detonate an atomic weapon after
the Soviets.
The Korean War starts in 1950. This made
Americans fearful.
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Ethel and Julius Rosenberg
American citizens who spied for the Soviet Union.
They were accused, tried, convicted and then
executed for selling our atomic secrets to
the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union used their
secrets to detonate their first atomic bomb
in 1949.
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Question 10

• What events caused some Americans to begin
  questioning the loyalty of other Americans?

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• To stop the spread of communism, the US
  Government passed laws to defend itself.
• The nation was split over these laws. Some people
  were put at ease by the measures, however, others
  felt these laws to violate their civil liberties.
• The Smith Act (1940) made it illegal to support
  any group that wanted to overthrow the
  government.
• The McCarren Act (1950) forced Communist groups
  to register with the Attorney General.

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• The McCarren Act also stopped Communists from
  entering the United States. The McCarren Act also
  gave the President the right to jail Communist
  subversives (people who work to overthrow the
  government) in an national emergency.
• The McCarren-Walter Act (1952) allowed the
  Attorney General to deport people whose actions
  were thought to be against the interests of the
  United States.
• The Communist Control Act (1954) banned the
  Communist Party in the US.

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Senator Pat McCarran (D-NV)
One of the Senators who backed the US Government
in their attempts to stop the spread of Communism
in the United States. Responsible for the
McCarran Act, as well as the McCarran-Walter Act.
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• FDR, Truman and Eisenhower all screened
  government workers to see if they were
  Communists.
• The big step towards a Red Scare came in 1954,
  when Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin accused
  people of being communists in the State
  Department and in the army.
• McCarthy formed a Senate committee was formed to
  see if there were communists in the army.

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• As millions of Americans watched the hearings on
  television, many were fearful of the accusations.
• However, McCarthy was criticized for his way of
  treating witnesses. He also lost a majority of
  support when his charges were clearly false.
• The US Senate then condemned McCarthy for his
  actions.

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The McCarthy Hearings
Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-WI)
Senator Millard Tydings who tried to stop
McCarthy. He and his committee proved that
McCarthys charges were a hoax. McCarthy was
seen as a fraud and was laughed at by his
fellow Senators.
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The View of McCarthyism
After the failure of McCarthy to prove his point
regarding the allegations of Communists in the
State Department, McCarthyism seems to be a
particular issue that the Republican Party is not
going to endorse, as illustrated by the
GOP elephant refusing to move towards McCarthy.
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Criticized by the US Press
Edward R. Murrow, CBS Newscaster was responsible
for turning the American press and public opinion
against McCarthy between 1953-1954.
His primary achievement has been in confusing
the public mind, as between the internal and the
external threats of Communism. We must not
confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember
always that accusation is not proof and that
conviction depends upon evidence and due process
of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another.
We will not be driven by fear into an age of
unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our
doctrine, and remember that we are not descended
from fearful men. ... This is no time for men
who oppose Senator McCarthy's methods to keep
silent--or for those who approve...We proclaim
ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of
freedom--what's left of it--but we cannot defend
freedom abroad by deserting it at home. The
actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have
caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad
and given considerable comfort to our enemies.
And whose fault is that? Not really his. He
didn't create this situation of fear. He merely
exploited it, and rather successfully. Cassius
was right 'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our
stars but in ourselves.'
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Censured by the US Senate
Senator Ralph Flanders (R/VT)
Senator Arthur Watkins (R/UT)
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Question 11

• What did Senator Joseph McCarthy do?

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4.4 The Eisenhower Approach

• During his eight years in office, Eisenhowers
  presidency has been characterized as middle of
  the road.
• What that meant was that Eisenhower, at times,
  came to agreement with some Democratic ideas and
  bills, angering members of his party.
• Instead of finally ending New Deal programs,
  Eisenhower kept social security and low-cost
  housing programs. He did eliminate the government
  in business and favored private enterprise.

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• Eisenhower did get the Congress to help pass his
  Federal Highway Aid Act in 1956.
• This act set up a federal program of highway
  construction that would link the major cities of
  the United States.
• When it was completed in the 1990s, the US had
  constructed some 42,000 miles of highways.
• Many of the roads in and around NYC are built
  during this period of time.

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Federal Highway Aid Act (1956)
Signed in 1956 and finished in the 1990s, the US
constructed about 42,000 miles of interstate
highways in approximately forty years.
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Question 12

• What approach did Eisenhower take in dealing with
  issues?

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4.5 The Postwar Economic Boom

• Just as the 1920s were a period of prosperity,
  the 1950s also were a period of strong economic
  conditions in the United States.
• The United States became an affluent or wealthy
  society.
• Many Americans had more money for their needs
  such as food, clothing and shelter.
• One of the reasons for the growth in the economy
  was the growth in the population.

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• The population of the United States in 1950 was
  around 151 million people.
• By 1960, the population increased to around 180
  million people.
• There were two reasons for the growth. The first
  was great medical care that allowed for more
  Americans to live longer than the preceding
  generation.
• The second was a baby boom. Veterans of WW2
  returned home, got married and had large families.

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US Population Growth
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The Baby Boom 1940-1964
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US Life Expectancy
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Dr. Jonas Salk
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• Partly because of the baby boom, there was a
  shift in the population during the 1950s.
• As cities became more crowded, Americans began
  moving to the suburbs.
• By moving to the suburbs, people hoped to escape
  crime, high taxes, pollution and better schools
  for their children.
• In addition, more than one million farmers were
  moving to the suburbs.
• Suburban residents settled in rows of nearly
  identical houses, which were surrounded by
  shopping centers, schools, churches and parks.

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• Many of these suburbanites became commuters,
  traveling back and forth from the suburbs to
  their jobs in the cities.
• Between 1950 and 1960, the suburban population of
  the United States doubled.

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The Suburbs
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Question 13

• What were the people that moved to the suburbs
  hoped to escape?

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• In the 1950s, Americans had many popular
  pastimes.
• With new technology and greater prosperity,
  Americans had more leisure time than ever before.
• Television became a main source of entertainment.
• Developed in the 1930s, television became
  available to the general public in the late
  1940s.
• In 1950, about 3,200,000 people owned a
  television. By 1960, 50,000,000 people owned a
  television.

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Inventor of Television
Philo T. Farnsworth is credited with inventing
the 1st electronic television, a working
electronic pickup device and the first to
demonstrate the electronic television. He did
this between 1928 and 1934.
1948 Admiral Television
1959 Zenith Television
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Early Television Stars

• The development of television programming was
  established during the 1950s.
• Sid Caesar was the star of Your Shows of Shows.
• Lucille Ball was the star of I Love Lucy.
• Milton Berle was the star of Texaco Star
  Theater.
• The Honeymooners, starring Jackie Gleason, was
  a popular show.

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• Sporting events and athletes were also helped by
  the development of television.
• (1) Baseball had stars in Willie Mays, Mickey
  Mantle and Hank Aaron.
• (2) Football had stars in Jim Brown and Johnny
  Unitas.
• (3) Slowly, games were being broadcasted live on
  television.
• Americans also became interested in pursuing
  individualized sports such as golf and tennis

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Baseball Players of the 1950s

Henry Hank Aaron (755 HRs), Willie Mays (660
HRs) and Mickey Mantle (536 HRs) were the heroes
of the baseball diamond during the 1950s. The
Yankees won eight World Series during the 1950s
and the Giants and Dodgers played in Manhattan
and Brooklyn until the two teams moved west
following the 1957 season.
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Football Players of the 1950s
Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns was the most
dominating running back of the late 1950s and
early 1960s. Johnny Unitas was the most prolific
passer of the 1950s and 1960s.
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1958 NFL Championship Game
The NFL Championship Game of 1958 was between the
NY Giants and the Baltimore Colts. The Colts won
the game, but it cemented football and television
as at tradition for most Americans. Football gets
the best ratings on television.
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• Many Americans also began to enjoy cultural
  activities such as Broadway, art museums, science
  museums and concerts.
• Here are some of the Broadway plays people
  enjoyed during the 1950s. Many of them have been
  turned into plays and are enjoying a comeback
  across many American cities.

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Broadway Shows of the 1950s
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Movies of the 1950s
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Movie Stars of the 1950s
Marilyn Monroe
Grace Kelly
Natalie Wood
Elizabeth Taylor
Marlon Brando
Jimmy Stewart
Tony Curtis
Jack Lemmon
James Dean
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• In the 1950s, a new form of music called rock and
  roll was developed from combining jazz, rhythm
  and blues, country, and pop music.
• Rock and roll music had a strong beat and was the
  first style of music to use electrified
  instruments.
• Major stars included Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry,
  the Coasters, Little Richard and the Everly
  Brothers sold millions of records.
• Television was a place for teenagers to see their
  stars perform. Shows like American Bandstand was
  a predecessor to MTV, VH1, BET and American Idol.

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Music of the 1950s
Jackie Wilson
Ricky Nelson
Ray Charles
Clyde McPhatter
Elvis Presley
Buddy Holly
The Coasters
Sam Cooke
Chuck Berry
Jerry Lee Lewis
Roy Orbison
Little Richard
Dion
Bill Haley
The Everly Brothers
Fats Domino
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Important Figures in Music
Dick Clark created American Bandstand. A
television that showed performances of the top
musical acts of the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and
today. His show was instrumental in that some of
his performers became celebrities and big musical
stars much like American Idol. You see him every
New Years Eve.
Leo Fender (Left)/Les Paul (Right) were crucial
in that both men pioneered the development of the
electric guitar.
Allan Freed was a Cleveland DJ who coined the
term rock and roll. Freed was responsible for the
birth of rock and roll and rock and roll concerts.
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• Some works of literature in the 1950s were about
  World War II. Many of the novels dealt with the
  theme of peoples helplessness in the face of
  such a horrific event.

Norman Mailer The Naked and the Dead
Herman Wouk The Caine Mutiny
James Jones From Here to Eternity
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• Another group of authors were called the Beat
  Movement
• There were beat movements in New York, New
  Orleans and San Francisco.
• Some of the biggest beat writers included poet
  Alan Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs

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• Other novels such as Carson McCullers Member of
  the Wedding and J.D. Salingers The Catcher in
  the Rye dealt with ordinary people caught up in
  the problems of modern life.