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American History > 1945-1975 > Flashcards

1945-1975 Flashcards

(75 cards)

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1
Q

Truman’s Domestic Policies

A

Largely followed Roosevelt’s plans for post-war reconstruction

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2
Q

Economic Bill of Rights (1944)

A

Legislation to promote employment appeared unnecessary
USA maintained full levels of employment but faced problems in terms of labour relations

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3
Q

Post war period

A

Inflation in food prices rose 25% (1945-47)
Wartime restrictions on wage rises slow to be repealed

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4
Q

Period of Unrest (1946)

A

General Motors employees demanded 35% wage rise
Coal strike in April 1946 - threatened post-war recovery; May, freight loading fell by 75%, many factories stopped production (strike called off due to White House intervention)

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5
Q

Taft-Hartley Act (1947)

A

Outlawed union practices (e.g. closed shop, secondary strikes)
Made union leaders swear they were non-communist
80 day cooling-off period before strike could take place
Unions required to make financial statements available for scrutiny

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6
Q

Fair Deal (1945)

A

Increased minimum wage to 75c/hr
Increased social security benefits
More public sector housing

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7
Q

Eisenhower

A

Immensely popular due to wartime service
Moderate Republican
Main aim was a balanced budget
Did not believe in minimal government
Increased minimum wage from 75c to $1
Matched the mood of American prosperity that didn’t need extensive government legislation

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8
Q

Department of Health, Education and Welfare (1953)

A

Set up to oversee these areas

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9
Q

Highways Act (1956)

A

Construction of 41,000 miles of roads to connect the country

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10
Q

Kennedy

A

Democrat
Planned to improve people’s lives through ‘New Frontier’ programme (included urban renewal, medical care for elderly, high minimum wage)
Increased minimum wage to $1.25/hr
Undertook public work schemes costing $900m
Extended social security benefits

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11
Q

Manpower and Training Act (1962)

A

Helped retrain unemployed so they could work again

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12
Q

Johnson

A

The ‘Great Society’
Declared war on poverty

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13
Q

Objectives of the Great Society

A

To give poorer people the capability to improve their lives
To provide them with direct help where necessary

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14
Q

Economic Opportunity Act (1964)

A

Created various programmes (e.g. Job Corps) to work on community projects
Funded by federal government

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15
Q

Medicare (1965)

A

Healthcare provision paid for out of taxes and by federal government
Provided care for the elderly, funded in part from their taxes
Medicaid - provided healthcare cover for the poor

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16
Q

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965)

A

Marked first time federal authorities became involved in funding public education
Aimed to ensure provision was equal across the USA

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17
Q

Failings of the Great Society

A

Comprehensive but results disappointing
Money designated for its provision was diverted towards the Vietnam war
States diverted funds themselves away from provisions (e.g. education)
Costs of provisions too high - coverage less than anticipated

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18
Q

Nixon

A

Republican
More interested in foreign affairs than domestic
Wanted to reduce the role of government
Maintained many great society programs but the economy suffered inflation

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19
Q

Nixon’s New Economic Policy

A

Aimed to reduce borrowing by forcing up interest rates
Failed in 1971 - introduced 90 day prices and wages freeze; created Pay Board and Price Commission to oversee
Inflation slowed and 7.9% devaluation of $ made US goods more competitive abroad

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20
Q

Watergate (1972)

A

Burglar discovered in democratic party headquarters in Watergate building during election campaign
Found to have been sent by Nixon’s campaign managers to bug the offices
Nixon denied this
Investigation of scandal progressed to presidential level and Nixon forced to resign in 1974

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21
Q

Impact of Watergate

A

Ford angered people with his pardoning of Nixon in Sept 1974
Many Americans believed he should have been held to account

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22
Q

Economic change in the post-war period

A

Never-before-seen prosperity in range and longevity
1945 - US had 42% of the world’s wealth (only had 7% of the population)
Income per capita was $1450 - twice as high as Britain
GNP risen 35% since 1945
Economic expansion led to greater employment opportunities for more of the population - huge growth in consumerism

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23
Q

Bill of Rights (1944)

A

Offered grants to ex-servicemen for education or business enterprise
8 million took up offer
Provisions to be administered by Veterans Association
One provision - largely unnecessary, Vietnam veterans awarded $20 per week while looking for work, less than 20% of money allocated was distributed because work was readily available

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24
Q

Provision of Mortgages for veterans

A

GI Bill offered home loans to facilitate home ownership
Offered mortgages of up to 90% of the costs
Interest rates as low as 4%
2.4 million veterans took advantage
Significant factor in development of home ownership

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25
Home Ownership
Expanded rapidly 1944 - 114,000 family homes built 1950 - 15 million Many new suburbs built on outskirts of urban areas % of Americans owning homes rose from 50% to 60% 1950-60 Americans gained space in homes for gardens and privacy - symbolised what it meant to be an ordinary American
26
Rise in Consumerism
Rapid expansion in consumer spending fuelled buy advertising on TV Staying at home watching TV - development of frozen & convenience food Convenience led to polaroid cameras and synthetic fibres
27
Number of TVs by 1960
50 million
28
% of families with fridges 1951
90%
29
% of families with washing machines & telephones 1951
75%
30
Debt increased from ______ to ______ in 1960 due to goods being purchased on credit
$5.7 billion $56.1 billion
31
Post-war baby boom
4m babies born between 1954-64
32
Oil Crisis 1973
Oil cost $2-3 a barrel 1976 - risen to $12
33
1974 Recession
Unemployment grew and inflation reached 9% Ford agreed to tax cuts to stimulate spending but opposed public work schemes Government favoured voluntary schemes to improve the economy
34
Divisions In Society 1940s-50s
Divisions greatened in 1950s by communist witch-hunts and the CRM
35
McCarthyism
1950 - McCarthy accused State Department of being infested with 200 Communist spies No evidence to support but he initiated 'witch-hunt' against public officials One tactic was to make accusations so complex it was difficult to refute them coherently
36
Support for McCarthyism
Conservatives who were suspicious of new ideas Church groups who associated communism with work of the devil Less well educated and affluent members of society who were susceptible to conspiracy theories
37
Loss of support for McCarthyism
Lost credibility when hearing were televised - viewers saw drunken bullying tactics Many thought he had gone too far when he investigated the army for communist infiltration Became implicated in scandal in deferring military conscription for own staff members Criticised by Eisenhower for attack on army
38
1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Supreme court ruled 'separate but equal' should not apply to schools Set important precedent for desegregation of schools - set no deadline and many areas in the south were slow to apply it 1957 - 240,000 African American children remained in segregated schools in the South
39
Little Rock, Arkansas 1957
Eisenhower had to send National Guard to protect African American students as they attended newly desegregated high school
40
Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955)
African Americans boycotted public transport to stop segregation of seating
41
Nov 1956 Supreme Court ruling
Ruled segregation was unconstitutional
42
Youth Culture 1950s
1950 - 24% population under 24 Many teenagers had jobs and surplus income with a market that catered to their interests Had discrete fashions, music, films Many older people feared breakdown of authority - young people seen as antisocial
43
Civil Rights 1960s
Mass marches and protests about segregation MLK - leading figure in this Laws not always obeyed Many African Americans impatient with non-violent protests - Black Power Assassination of MLK in 1968 led to unrest
44
Freedom Rides (Early 1960s)
Organised by CORE Volunteers sat in white only areas on public transport and rest stops Met by arrests
45
1965 March to Alabama
MLK, marched from Selma to Alabama to present petition demanding voting rights to be upheld Met with brutality
46
Civil Rights Act 1964
Banned discrimination in public places
47
Voting Rights Act 1965
Ensure voting procedures were carried out fairly and no one entitled to vote could refuse
48
Youth Culture 1960s
Opposed to conservative society 'Hippies' - alternative lifestyles, lived in communes, recognisable by long hair, alt clothes Opposition to Vietnam war Some advocated for violent revolution Resent authority with liberal attitude to illicit drugs Came into conflict with police
49
Student Protests
Youth protests associated with students and universities Organised 'sit ins' and protests Supported civil rights and greater economic equality Opposed military expansion in Vietnam 1969 - 700,000 students marched on Washington to protest against war
50
Impact of Youth Protests
Shocked older people could not understand rejection of comfortable lifestyles Portests recieved wider media coverage Media fascinated by hippies and lifestyles Vietnam influenced government thinking
51
Kent State 1970
National guard fired on protests at Kent State University, Ohio Killed 4 students, 2 million students went on strike to protest
52
Divisions in Youth Opinion
Rebellion against authority was a phase for most teens Tensions between those who supported US lifestyle and Vietnam saw hippies as unpatriotic and traitors Most young people obeyed the draft to fight in Vietnam - resented those who did not
53
Amnesty 1970s
Ford offered pardons to draft dodgers and deserters if they would agree to 2 year public service Many resented presidential pardon
54
Social Cohesion 1970s
Vietnam - continued to divide Americans Still divisions between generations and ethnic groups West and South still felt grievances against Snort (S still coming to terms with changes in race relations Many Americans continued to enjoy prosperity (48% households had 1 car, 80% had a TV) People more tolerant 1970s - divorce up 66% 1975 - 1 million marriages ended in divorce Rise in religious belief and televised evangelism Growing awarenes of environmentalism
55
National Environmental Policy Act 1969
Committed governments to improving the environment
56
Environmental Protection Agency 1970
Budget exceeded $2.5 billion by 1973
57
Role of Women
1960s - more aggressive feminist movement Roe v Wade 1973 86% colllege educated women in workforce More women joined professions and expected to be equal partners 1970-74 - numbers in medical, law and business school doubled
58
National Orgaisation of Women (NOW)
Mainly white middle class women formed in 1966 to combat discrimination Early 70s - membership 40,000, involved in high court cases concerning women's rights
59
Second Wave of Feminism
Supportes participated in demonstrations and actions to promite women's issues Too broad to be sucessful Embraced change of views
60
Extreme feminists
Society for Cutting Up Men
61
Limitations of role of women 1970s
Most states refused to ratify Equal Rights Amendment 1973 1975 - Women stil earned oinly 73% of a man's wage despite doing same job
62
Position of African Americans by 1970s
Civil rights legislation passed, but not enough for many 1960s - development of Black Power, advocated for separatism of whites and blacks Black Panthers beiefly took over policing of AA committees Many faced discrimination despite legal changes 1975 - unemployment 50% of blacks, average income lower than whites Growing black American middle class - far more employed in professions 1980s - 18 AAs in Congress
63
Cold War (1940s-50s)
USA worried of increasing expansion and influence of USSR - 1945-47 forced countries in E.Europe to become Communist, sought to extend influence to entire world - 1949 - USSR successfully detonated first nuclear weapon
64
The Berlin Airlift (1948-49)
Post war Germany had been divided Russians tried to take over the whole of Berlin through a blockade in 1948 Airlift organised to fly in supplies
65
NATO
Formed after Berlin crisis 1948-49 Alliance of western European nations (+ USA)
66
Korean War (1950-53)
Korea divided between Communist North and Capitalist South N. invaded S. in June 1950 - UN sent force dominated by US military to defeat them War escalated with involvement of China - 200,000 troops in Oct 1950 Peace agreed before USSR became directly involved
67
Relations with USSR (1940s-50s)
Stalin died 1953 - relations improved with US with the thaw
68
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
USSR built nuclear missile sites on Cuba 90m off the coast of USA Kennedy imposed blockade Nuclear confrontation seemed likely Last minute settlements reached Partial Test Ban Treaty 1963 trued to reduce amounts of nuclear weapons, but tensions remained
69
The Thaw & Khruschev
More reasonable - met Eisenhower and Kennedy in summits Space race developed and nuclear arsenals continued to grow Berlin became flashpoint - Berlin Wall (1961) Cuban Missile Crisis threatened all-out-war
70
Relations with China (1960s-70s)
Communist 1949 Fought against US in Korea Poor relations with USSR Late 1960s - Nixon realised could exploit this to reduce cold war tensions 1971 - USA improved relations with China, lifted trade embargo Direct talks to Peking by Nixon USSR feared alliance between USA and China, so USSR sought to improve relations too Détente
71
Détente
SALT (1971) - first formal agreement to limit number of nuclear weapons held by USA and USSR Helsinki Agreements (1975) - guaranteed basic civil rights and eliminated cold war flashpoints in Europe (agreements between E. and W. Berlin)
72
Full Scale US involvement in Vietnam
Johnson told S.Vietnam would not survive without whole scale US military involvement Aug 1964 - used naval attack on US destroyer in Gulf of Tonkin to persuade congress to agree to full scale deployment of US troops (Gulf of Tonkin Resolution) 1965 - Agreed to large scale bombing of North Vietnam (Operation Rolling Thunder)
73
Response to increased US involvement
Communist forces continued to gain USA became divided as to support/oppose war Many young people opposed it while others enlisted readily More people disillusioned as war dragged on & US deaths reached 50,000
74
Reasons for lack of US success in Vietnam
Difficult for regular troops to fight guerrillas US troops became bitter and frustrated (My Lai 1968, fragging)
75
Role of Mass Media in the turn against Vietnam
1st full scale war fully televised

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