Unit 9 the 1950 S and 60 S (Chapters 19+20)

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Unit 8

Unit 8 – The 1950’s and 60’s

The Postwar Boom

I.  Postwar America

Readjustment and Recovery

1.  The Impact of the GI Bill or (Servicemen’s Readjustment Act) - 1944

ü  In addition to encouraging veterans to get an education; vets got a year’s worth of unemployment benefits and low interest loans (for what?)

2.  Housing Crisis

ü  There was a severe housing shortage in 1945-46 and this led to the suburbs.

ü  IDENTIFY William Levitt

3.  Economic Readjustment

ü  After WW II, the US converted from a wartime to a peacetime economy

ü  There were several problems that occurred:

1.  Unemployment

2.  Inflation

4.  Remarkable Recovery

ü  Economists had predicated another Depression, but they were wrong

ü  Americans had saved around $135 billion and were ready to spend.

ü  How did the Cold War contribute to the “Booming Economy”?

Meeting Economic Challenges

1.  Truman as President – Domestic Problems

ü  Taking over for FDR was not easy - “THE BUCK STOPS HERE!!”

ü  Facing Strikes

-  4.5 million workers in a variety of industries went on strike for better wages, but Truman refused to let the strikers cripple the nation

-  What did Truman do to prevent this?

ü  Americans were ready for a change, and in 1946 the Republican Party won control of both of houses of Congress for the 1st time since 1928.

Social Unrest Persists

Ø  After WW II, a wave of racial violence erupted in the South and African-Americans began to demand their rights as citizens.

1.  Truman Supports Civil Rights

ü  In July 1948, he issued and executive order that called for the integration of the armed forces

2.  The 1948 Election

ü  DEFINE Dixiecrats

ü  Democrats were split amongst several candidates, so many predicted that the Republican candidate (Thomas Dewey) would win

ü  Truman used the “do-nothing” Congress as a campaign tool. EXPLAIN

ü  In a stunning upset, Truman won without support from the Solid South.

3.  The Fair Deal

ü  Truman’s ambitious economic program that was an extension of FDR’s New Deal

ü  IDENTIFY 1 success and 1 failure of the Fair Deal

Republicans Take the Middle Road

Ø  Truman decides not to run in 1952 because of the continuing stalemate in Korea and the rising tide of McCarthyism

Ø  Democrats choose Adlai Stevenson (governor Illinois) and Republicans choose General Dwight D. Eisenhower

1.  I like Ike!

ü  Republicans hammered away at the Communist successes under the Democrats

ü  What was the “Checkers Speech’?

ü  Eisenhower wins easily in 1952 and Republicans controlled Congress.

2.  Walking the Middle of the Road

ü  Goes to Korea and ends the conflict there.

ü  Ike tried to avoid many controversial issues, but the growing civil rights issue gained national attention - Ike for the most part stayed away from the issue

II.  The American Dream in the Fifties

Ø  After WW II ended, Americans turned their attention to their families and job as the economy prospered – The AMERICAN DREAM of a happy and successful life seemed within the reach of many people.

The Organization and the Organization Man

Ø  By 1956 the majority of American no longer held blue-collar jobs, instead more people worked in white-collar positions.

1.  Conglomerates

ü  A major corporation that includes a number of smaller companies in unrelated industries – EXAMPLE

2.  Franchises

ü  A company that offers similar products or services in many locations; another meaning is selling the rights to name and system that the parent company developed – best example is McDonald’s.

3.  Social Conformity

ü  Employees were beginning to conform or “fit in” into the corporate culture and this was often criticized because of the loss of individuality.

The Suburban Lifestyle

Ø  Most Americans worked in cities, but fewer and fewer of them lived there.

Ø  What were some reasons for this?

1.  The Baby Boom

ü  During the late 40’s and through the early 60’s the birthrate in the United States soared. The result was the largest generation in US history.

ü  What were some reasons for this “Boom”?

2.  Women’s Roles

ü  Media portrayed women as happy homemakers, but there were many women who felt unhappy with their suburban existence.

3.  Leisure in the 50’s

ü  Most Americans had more leisure time due to the 40-hour workweek and laborsaving devices such as washing machines, dishwashers, etc.

ü  Americans spent $30 billion on leisure goods and activities

§  Sports (participated and watched) and reading

The Automobile Culture

Ø  New car sales from 6.7 million in 1950, to 7.9 million in 1955

1.  Automania

ü  Suburban living made owning a car a necessity because there was no public transportation and most things were not in walking distance like the cities.

2.  The Interstate Highway Act - 1956

ü  Eisenhower signed and authorized the building of a nationwide highway network – 41,000 miles of expressways

ü  Led to increase in trucking/decrease in railroads; also growth of suburbs

ü  IDENTIFY military reasons for this act.

3.  Mobility Takes its Toll

ü  What were the positive and negative aspects of the automobile industry?

Consumerism (buying of material goods ) Unbound

1.  New Products

ü  One product after another appeared in the marketplace, as various industries responded to consumer demand.

2.  Planned Obsolescence

ü  Manufacturers purposely designed products to become obsolete in a short period of time. Consumers would have to purchase more goods.

3.  Buy Now, Pay Later

ü  Many consumers made their purchases on credit and therefore did not have to pay for them right away.

ü  What was the 1st credit card that was issued?

4.  The Advertising Age

ü  Ads were everywhere, in newspapers and magazines, on radio and TV, and on billboards along the highways.

ü  Advertisers appealed to people’s desire for status and “belongingness” and strived to associate their products with those values.

III.  Popular Culture

New Era of the Mass Media

Ø  Compared with other mass media – means of communication that reach large audiences – television developed with lightning speed (by 1960, 90% in homes)

1.  The Rise of Television

ü  Early TV only reached part of the East Coast and played about 2 hours of programs, innovations such as microwave relays sent the industry soaring.

ü  IDENTIFY the FCC

ü  Types of programs; comedy; news; westerns, sports events

2.  Stereotypes and Gunslingers

ü  Critics of TV objected to its effects on children and its stereotypical portrayal of women and minorities.

ü  What were some specific complaints?

3.  Radio and Movies – did survive the onslaught of TV

ü  What did radio do to survive?

ü  What did movies do to survive?

A Subculture Emerges

Ø  The “beat” movement clashed with the tidy suburban view of life and led to the counterculture movement of the late 1960’s.

1.  The Beat Movement

ü  Centered in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York’s Greenwich village, this movement expressed the social and literary nonconformity of the time.

ü  Beatniks tended to shun regular work and lived alternative lifestyles.

ü  Famous beatniks – Alan Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac

ü  Where did the beat movement find many followers?

African Americans and Rock-n-Roll

Ø  Who was the first Disc Jockey to play Rock-n-Roll music?

1.  Rock-n-Roll

ü  Early stars were Richard Penniman, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and Elvis Presley – the “King of Rock-n-Roll”

ü  What was the concern of adults during this time?

IV.  The Other America

Ø  About 40 million people lived in poverty, untouched by the economic boom.

The Urban Poor

1.  White Flight

ü  In the 1950’s, millions of middle-class white Americans left the cities for the suburbs and the rural poor migrated to the inner cities.

ü  What was the direct impact of this?

2.  The Inner Cities

ü  Poverty was growing rapidly in the decaying inner cities.

ü  Other America: Poverty in the United States by M. Harrington

The New Frontier and the Great Society

I.  Kennedy and the Cold War

The Election of 1960

Ø  Richard M. Nixon (R) vs. John F. Kennedy (D) had similar positions on policy issues, but factors put Kennedy over the top: TV and civil rights

1.  The Televised Debate Affects Votes

ü  Problems that JFK was confronted by; his age (43) and his Catholic faith.

ü  Nixon and Kennedy agreed to take part in the 1st televised debate between presidential candidates. What was the result of the televised debate?

2.  Kennedy and Civil Rights

ü  Martin Luther King had been arrested and sentenced to months of hard labor for a minor incident, JFK called his wife and his brother, Robert, arranged to get King released. What was the significance of this?

Ø  Election outcome: JKF wins by fewer than 119,000 votes

The Camelot Years

Ø  JFK’s inauguration set the tone for a new era in the White House; one of grace, elegance and wit.

1.  The Kennedy Mystique

ü  Critics argued that Kennedy’s presidency lacked substance.

ü  It seemed, however, that the nation could not get enough of the Kennedy family: Jackie’s eye for fashion, kids playing in the White House, etc.

2.  The Best and the Brightest

ü  Kennedy surrounded himself with a team of advisers that one journalist called the “best and brightest”.

A New Military Policy

Ø  JFK thought the Eisenhower administration had not done enough about the Soviet threat – especially in 3rd world nations.

Ø  JFK and his team developed a policy of “flexible response”

-  moved away from Ike’s policy of massive retaliation.

-  What were some of the key points of this program?

Crisis over Cuba

Ø  Cuba had become communist under the revolutionary Fidel Castro.

1.  The Cuban Dilemma

ü  Castro had gained power with the promise of democracy in 1959.

ü  Castro began seizing American businesses and the US erected a trade embargo against Cuba (especially sugar)

ü  What was Castro like as a leader?

2.  The Bay of Pigs - April 17, 1961

ü  Cuban exiles were trained and armed by the CIA and attempted to invade Cuba and start another revolution to overthrow Castro. What happened?

3.  The Cuban Missile Crisis – October 1962

ü  Cuban began receiving aid from the USSR – some of this aid included nuclear missiles – JFK warned that this could lead to all out war.

ü  JFK went on TV and told the American people what was going on and it seemed like the world was headed for WW III. What happened?

4.  Kennedy and Khrushchev take the heat

ü  Both superpower leaders were criticized for their handling of this affair – it was the closest the world ever came to WW III.

Crisis over Berlin

Ø  In 1961, Berlin was a city in great turmoil; almost 3 million East Germans had fled into West Berlin in the years following the Berlin Airlift.

Ø  Why was this a problem for Khrushchev and communism?

Ø  There was a summit in Vienna, Austria that did not go well and Kennedy went home and addressed the American people about a possible crisis over Berlin.

Ø  How was the crisis “avoided”?

Searching for Ways to Ease Tensions

Ø  Both leaders realized that these showdowns were dangerous and could have lead to nuclear disaster. They agreed on two ways to work together:

1. hot line – a direct line between the Kremlin and the White House

2. Limited Test Ban Treaty – barred nuclear testing in the atmosphere.

II.  The New Frontier

Ø  On May 5, 1961 Alan Shepard became the 1st American in space.

The Promise of Progress

Ø  JFK set out to transform his broad vision of progress into what he called the “New Frontier”.

Ø  What were the major obstacles (2) in the way of this progress?

1.

2.

1.  Stimulating the Economy

ü  Increased government spending and cut taxes

ü  Increased minimum wage to $1.25

2.  Addressing Poverty Abroad

ü  JKF created the Peace Corps – a program of volunteer assistance to the developing nations of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Was successful

ü  Another program, Alliance for Progress, offered economic and technical assistance Latin American countries ($12 billion). Was not successful.

3.  Race to the Moon

ü  On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space – JFK said we would surpass the Soviets by going to the moon 1st.

ü  In 1969, on July 20, Astronaut Neil Armstrong took the 1st steps on the moon.

ü  What was the impact of the space program on the US?

4.  Addressing Domestic Problems

ü  Worked to end poverty because of the number of poor and civil rights (segregation) injustices (although many Americans did not support on this)

Tragedy in Dallas

Ø  John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963

1.  Four Days in November

ü  JFK was visiting Texas to mend fences with the state’s Democratic Party and was surprised to receive such a warm reception.

ü  JFK was shot in the head as his motorcade proceeded through Dallas

ü  At a nearby hospital, doctors tried to revive the President, but could not.

ü  Lyndon Johnson took the oath of office aboard Airforce 1, the plane that was caring the JFK’s body.

ü  The authorities tool Lee Harvey Oswald into custody and charged him with the President’s murder. Who then killed Oswald?

2.  Unanswered Questions

ü  The bizarre chain of events made some people wonder if Oswald was part of a conspiracy.

ü  What was the Warren Commission?

ü  What Americans did learn from the Kennedy assassination was that their system of government is remarkably sturdy. EXPLAIN.

III.  The Great Society

Ø  Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) drove through Congress the most ambitious domestic legislative package(the Great Society) since the New Deal

LBJ’s Path to the Power

1.  From the Texas Hills to Capitol Hill

ü  LBJ entered politics (House of Reps) in 1937 and caught the eye of the president, Franklin Roosevelt

ü  LBJ won a bitterly fought senatorial race in 1948.