Domestic politics (1945-75) Flashcards
(117 cards)
5
Describe the policy platforms of all Presidents from 1945-74
- Truman - Fair Deal
- Ike - dynamic conservatism
- JFK - New Frontier
- LBJ - Great Society, ‘war on poverty’
- Nixon - New Federalism (federal powers shifted to states)
4
Describe issues facing Truman in 1945
- Shadow of FDR who had reshaped role of state intervention, international involvement and Democrat Party
- Impact of WW2
- Labour relations
- 1946 mid-terms
4
List Truman domestic policy
- Full Employment Bill 1945
- Rapid reconversion
- Labour relations
- Fair Deal
3
Describe the impact of the 1946 mid-terms
- Republican majorities in both houses
- Caused Presidential/Congressional gridlock
- Truman nicknamed it the ‘Do Nothing Congress’
4
Describe Truman’s Full Employment Bill 1945
- Bill declared full employment to be a right
- Required government to ensure jobs were available
- Bill included increased social security payments, higher minimum wage, farm price support and public works programmes
- Formed Employment Act 1946
3
Describe limits to the Employment Act 1946
- Republicans/Conservative Democrats opposed to socialist measures of bill
- wording of bill watered down to remove federal committment to ‘full employment’
- opposed to wider proposals to extend FEPC, initiate national health insurance and expand social security system
FEPC - Fair Employment Practices Commission
2
Describe labour relations by 1945
- Unions gain considerable power in WW2
- Full employment meant strikebreakers couldn’t be brought in
3
Describe rapid reconversion under Truman
- Truman called for quick military demobilisation
- Inevitably floundered due to difficulty of objectives
- Aimed to maintain full employment, increase production of consumer goods, initiate cordial industrial relations in short term
4
Describe progressive labour relations under Truman
- Aug 1945, announced he would maintain price controls but relaxed rules to allow unions to pursue higher wages
- Nov 1945, called special labour-management conference in attempt to deter any further stike action
- Vetoed Taft-Harley Act 1947
- Called 1948 special session of Congress to pass various ND-style measures (though failed)
5
Describe restrictive labour relations under Truman
- April 1945, United Mine Workers announced strike for pay increase
- Railroad strike
- Recommended compulsory arbitration after series of strike in steel, coal, automobile and railroad industries across 1945-46
- Inc 750k steel workers, 93k meat packers
- Failed to prevent passage of Taft-Harley Act 1947
5
Describe the railroad strike 1945
- May 1945, railroads went on strike
- Truman announced he would conscript striking railroad workers and have army operate railroad
- Threatened to introduce legislation to impose severe penalties for breaking trade union laws
- Rail strike called off after sizeable increase to railroad workforce
- Yet demonstrated continued hostility to trade unions
3
Describe the Taft Harley Act 1947 (Labour Management Relations Act)
- Red wave (congressional) in 1946
- Act prohibited wildcat strikes, secondary boycotts, mass picketing, closed shops, etc
- Truman veto overturned by Congress after significant congressional Democrat support
2
Describe increased opposition in the 1948 Presidential election
- Henry Wallace, Truman’s predecessor as VP, set up Progressive Party
- Strom Thurmond, conservative democrat Governor of SC, set up ‘Dixiecrat’ party opposed to Truman’s push for civil rights
3
Describe Truman in the 1948 Presidential Campaign
- Went on 30k mile whistle-stop tour of USA
- Promised ND-style measures (Fair Deal)
- Criticsied ‘do nothing’ Republican Congress
3
Describe the results of the 1948 Presidential election
- Opinion polls predicted easy victory for Dewey (Gov of NY)
- Chicago Daily printed ‘Dewey defeats Truman’ headline
- Truman easily defeated Dewey with 2m najority in pop vote
3
Describe the Fair Deal 1949
- Now equipped with electoral mandate
- Wide programme to expand welfare support
- declared ‘every segment of our population and every individual has right to expect from our government a fair deal’
3
Describe the success of the Fair Deal
- Moderately effective public housing and slum-clearing bill in 1949
- 1949, minimum wage raised from 40c to 75c an hour
- 1950, significant expansion of Social Security - extended insurance coverage to 10m additional individuals
3
Describe the failures of the Fair Deal
- National Health Insurance and repeal of Taft-Harley resisted by conservative Congress
- Southern Democrats fillibustered civil rights legislation
- ‘Brannan Plan’ to provide income support to small farmers replaced by less effective program to continue price supports
3
Describe ‘dynamic conservativism’
- Eisenhower middle-way ideology
- Economically conservative, socially liberal
- Small state - possible due to rising prosperity
4
Describe praise of Eisenhower’s political style
- Embodied strong military leadership in face of rising Communist threat
- Let experienced cabinet ministers dictate much policy
- Co-operated well with Congress controlled by Democrats for 6/8 years of Presidency to achieve numerous legislative victories
- Left office with net 31% approval, far above Truman’s -24% approval
2
Describe criticism of Eisenhower’s political style
- seen as ‘do nothing’ President that preferred to play golf
- 3 Cabinet Ministers were car industry millionaires
7
Describe legislative successes under Eisenhower
- Ended wage/price controls, reduced farm subsidies
- Created NASA in 1958 following Soviet launch of first space satellite, Sputnik, in 1957
- Atomic Energy Act 1954 to encourage peaceful use of nuclear power
- continued most ND/FD programmes
- 1956, raised minimum wage from 75c to $1
- Created Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1953
- Federal-Aid Highway Act 1956
both expanded and shrank state
FD - Fair Deal
5
Describe failures under Eisenhower
- Accussed of overly-representing Big Business
- Military-industrial complex only grew despite Eisenhower’s warnings
- Spending policies permitted by rising prosperity of time
- Showed little sympathy for civil rights (though supported SC ruling in Brown v Board of Education 1954)
- Criticism of Federal-Aid Highway Act 1956
2
Describe road construction under Eisenhower
- Federal-Aid Highway Act 1956
- Large sums spent on completion of St Lawrence Seaway (linked Great Lakes to Atlantic)