POSTWAR AMERICAMr. White’s US History 2

OBJECTIVES

• Presidents Truman and Eisenhower led the nation through the social, economic, and political adjustments following World War II.

• After we finish this section, you should be able to answer these questions:– What types of social and economic problems did Americans face

after World War II?

– How did the desire for stability lead to new political choices?

– How did social unrest affect the country after the war?

– How did Truman and Eisenhower differ in their political policies?

PART I: RE-ADJUSTMENT AND RECOVERY

Americans sought to readjust to peacetime life and recover from World War II.

A WORLD WITHOUT WAR

Following the war, many Americans now faced the challenge of adjusting to peacetime life

Members of the armed forces came home, looking for jobs and trying to restart their lives

Families reunited and faced new problems Defense industries laid off defense workers

THE GI BILL

To help ease the return of veterans to civilian life, Congress passed the GI Bill Paid part of veteran’s college tuition Guaranteed a year’s worth of unemployment benefits Offered low-interest loans to returning service-men

The GI Bill helped many returning soldiers get on their feet

THE HOUSING CRISIS

• As veterans returned, the nation now faced housing shortages

• Developers like Henry Kaiser and William Levitt responded by using assembly-line methods to mass-produce houses– Levitt claimed he could build a house in sixteen minutes

• Kaiser and Levitt built large, mass-produced, and affordable developments in the suburbs

• Many Americans moved to these developments

CHANGES IN THE FAMILY STRUCTURE

• As men returned from the armed services, they came back to find a nation where gender roles were changing– Many women had been employed in war industry jobs; over 75% of

these women were married

– Enjoyed economic and social freedom

• This rise in economic independence for women led to an increase in the divorce rates, as well as many women putting off marriage to a later time in life

ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENTS

• During the war, the United States military and government had commissioned many defense contracts to provide for the war

• When the war ended, these contracts came to an end almost overnight– Millions of defense workers were instantly laid-off by the companies –

high unemployment immediately after the war

• The government had also instituted price controls, which were now removed– Prices rose rapidly, many people couldn’t afford

– Congress eventually stepped in and re-established the price controls

ECONOMIC RECOVERY

• Despite these problems, no recession followed, and the American economy hit a boom period

• During the war, consumer goods were heavily restricted, so after the war, many people wanted to buy these goods, and demand rose

• Production couldn’t keep up, so industry began to employ more and more Americans to build consumer goods – televisions, cars, household appliances

• Defense spending for the Cold War, foreign aid programs to Europe, and foreign markets helped the economy recover

PART II: MEETING ECONOMIC CHALLENGES

Despite recovery, Americans faced many economic problems following World War II.

TRUMAN’S CHALLENGES

Truman faced many challenges following the end of World War II

Rising threat of communism, both abroad and home Had to sort out the problems with the American economy

Truman’s main weakness was his lack of political experience

However, he was viewed by many people as honorable, down-to-earth, and self-confident

Truman was also willing to make difficult decisions and take responsibility for their outcome

STRIKES

Immediately after the war, rising costs and unemployment resulted in a general strike by steelworkers, coal miners, and railroad workers

Truman typically supported unions, but believed that this would negatively impact the country

Truman threatened to draft the striking workers into the armed forces; the strikers returned to work

PART III: SOCIAL UNRESTSocial unrest erupted, particularly in the American South.

TRUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS

Truman was committed to improving civil rights and equality in the United States

Truman supported: A federal anti-lynching law Abolition of the poll tax A permanent body to prevent racial discrimination in government

hiring Integration of the armed forces

Congress rejected all of these proposals

TRUMAN TAKES CONTROL

In spite of Congress’ reluctance to pass laws for civil rights, Truman used his power as president

Issued an executive order that integrated the armed forces Also ordered an end to discrimination in the hiring of government

employees

The Supreme Court under Truman also ruled that African Americans could not be barred from purchasing homes in neighborhoods

ELECTION OF 1948

In the election of 1948, new parties formed opposing Truman

Southerners who opposed Truman’s civil rights policies formed the States’ Rights Democratic Party – Dixiecrats

A Progressive Party formed that felt Truman was too conservative Republics nominated Thomas Dewey

Losing in the polls right before the election, Truman campaigned aggressively and narrowly won

SECOND TERM

In his second term, Truman proposed more social and economic programs to Congress

Mandatory health insurance (failed) Crop subsidies for farmers (failed)

Truman was able to pass some of his other ideas, such as: Raising the minimum wage Extending Social Security coverage to more Americans Initiating infrastructure improvements throughout the country

PART IV: REPUBLICANS TAKE THE MIDDLE ROAD

The Republican party capitalized on the threat of communism in the government and the appearance of Truman as a weak president.

I LIKE IKE

In 1952, Truman doesn’t get the Democratic nomination for president

Republicans nominated Dwight Eisenhower, general of the Allied armed forces in World War II

Pointed to the threat of communism at home and abroad Criticized the growing power of the federal government – bribery

and corruption

Eisenhower wins election convincingly

CHECKERS

During Eisenhower’s campaign to become president, he selected Richard Nixon as his vice presidential running mate

Nixon was accused of political corruption – using a campaign slush fund for his own uses

Nixon responded to these accusations on television in his famous Checkers address

This is the one of the first uses of the medium of television in American politics

EISENHOWER’S ADMINISTRATION

Eisenhower promised to follow dynamic conservatism – conservative on money, liberal on people

Eisenhower was relatively hands-off with civil rights Brown v. Topeka Board of Education – Supreme Court case that ruled

“separate but equal” as unconstitutional in public schools; must integrate

Rosa Parks’ civil disobedience and the Montgomery Bus Boycott took place

EISENHOWER’S ADMINISTRATION, CONTINUED

Eisenhower worked to balance the budget, cut taxes, and keep defense strong at the same time

Raised the minimum wage Extended Social Security and unemployment benefits Increased funding for public housing Backed and completed the construction of the Interstate highway system

Eisenhower’s administration shifted defense spending from conventional forces to cheaper nuclear forces – bombs, bombers

Eisenhower’s administration adopted the nuclear strategy of massive retaliation

THE BLITZ

Now get ready for the Blitz!

QUESTION #1

What did President Harry Truman do when 4.5 million discontented workers went on strike in 1946 as a result of rising prices and lower wages?A. Truman sent federal troops to ‘break’ the strikes

B. Truman called his mom for advice

C. Truman threatened to draft the striking workers and order them as soldiers to stay on the job

D. Truman asked Douglas MacArthur to do to the striking workers what he had done to the Bonus Army during Herbert Hoover’s administration.

QUESTION #2

President Harry Truman worked to secure equal rights for African Americans by:A. Issued an executive order for the

racial integration of the militaryB. Ruled that the “separate, but equal”

doctrine was unconstitutionalC. Passing the Civil Rights ActD. Freeing slaves in the southern states

QUESTION #3

Which of these forms of media grew the fastest immediately following World War II?

A.RadioB.Printed mediaC.TelevisionD.The internet

QUESTION #4

This act, signed into law by Dwight Eisenhower in 1956, authorized the building of a nationwide highway network, including 41,000 miles of expressway.

A.The Interstate Highway ActB.The Intrastate Highway ActC.The Streets and Turnpikes ActD.The National Roads Act

QUESTION #5

What new medium of communication was used to convey Richard Nixon’s “Checkers Speech”?

A.RadioB.television C.cable newsD.fireside chats

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Evaluate Eisenhower’s military strategy of increasing the nuclear armament to reduce expenses. Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not?

Evaluate Truman’s threat to draft strikers into the military to end the strike. Was this a fair treatment of the strikers? Explain why you feel this way.