1945 1960 POSTWAR AMERICA Harry S Truman 1945

1945 -1960 POST-WAR AMERICA

Harry S Truman 1945 -1953 Harry S Truman-“accidental President” Average man from Missouri WWI artillery officer Failed as a haberdasher Protégé of a machine from Kansas City-the Pendergast family Rose from a county judgeship to the US Senate “The buck stops here” Critics said “to err is Truman”

Post-War economic anxieties Prices rose 33% as price controls disappeared 4. 6 million workers strike in 1946 Congress passes Taft-Hartley Act over Truman’s vetoed -“slave-labor” act Outlawed closed shop-union only Union leaders had to take a non-communist oath Unions had to give 80 days notice before strikes

GI Bill of Rights 14. 5 billion spent to send GIs to education and vocational training and to get loans to buy homes and start businesses

Economic Boom! 1950 -1970 -Tremendous economic growth in the US 1973 -US has 6% of world’s population and 40% of the wealth Growth of the middle class, cheap energy, productive workers, and a rising educated class End of the family farm and the rise of agribusiness

Growth of the suburbs 1940’s-rise of Levittown on Long Island

Post war baby boom-50 million babies born between 1945 -1960

Life in America

The Cold War 1945 -1990

Origins- Yalta Conference. Feb 1945 Final conference of the Big Three Assigned occupation zones to Germany Stalin pledges free and unfettered elections in Poland-never happened Plans for the UN-United Nations

Different visions of post war world Soviet desire for security and a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe US desire for a free democratic and demilitarized world guided by the UN 1946 -Churchill delivers Iron Curtain speech

Post War Germany Occupation zones for all 4 allies Berlin Blockade-1948

1949 -Formation of West and East Germany

Containment- George F Kennan State Department official and expert on Russia Doctrine of containment US should apply pressure to stop the spread of communism The roots of Soviet demise lay within its own system

Truman Doctrine 1947 -Soviets supporting Communist movements in Greece and Turkey Truman Doctrine-US sends $400 million to aid Greece and Turkey and would support all free peoples in their defense against “outside” pressure

The Marshall Plan 1947 -US SEC of State George Marshall proposes European Recovery Plan 12. 5 billion of aid to 16 countries Results: “economic Miracle in western Europe and Communist parties lost ground”

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty organization) Western based military alliance to counter the Soviet military threat Cornerstone of Cold War policy and American involvement in Europe

Nato and the Warsaw Pact

1948 -US recognizes the nation-state of Israel

The Election of 1948 Democrats-President Truman Republicans-Governor Dewey of New York Dixie-crats (State’s Rights Southern Dems)-J Strom Thurmond of SC Progressive Party (Liberal Dems who opposed Truman’s FP)-Henry Wallace

Major Candidates Democrats Republicans

Third parties State’s Rights-Dixiecrats Progressive Party

: Give ‘em hell! Harry! Dewey has huge lead over Truman “Gives’em hell” and travels around country giving 300 speeches Attacks the “Do-nothing” Congress Attacks Taft Hartley act, calls for civil rights, labor laws, and national health insurance Truman builds coalition of farmers, workers and blacks to win greatest upset in American history Dewey overconfident, wooden, arrogant

Results

The Fair Deal Improved housing assistance Civil rights-Federal anti-lynching law and Commission on Civil Rights Higher minimum wage Farm price supports Extension of social security Health Insurance

Us and Japan Occupation of post-war Japan 1945 -1952 Gen. Douglas Macarthur-reformed Japan and brought democracy and economic recovery

China 1945 -1949 Civil War in China-Won by communists in 1949 Nationalists China-Jiang jieshi-escaped to (Formosa)Taiwan in 1949 -Republic of China Communist China-Mao Zedong-est of People’s Republic of China Big debate in US-“Who lost China? ”-GOP denounces Truman and Dean Acheson Chinas not the US to win or lose

Soviets and the Bomb 1949 -Soviets detonate A-Bomb Truman orders US develop H-Bomb 1952 -Bikini Atoll-H Bomb test by US

Korea Post-war Korea 1945 -Korea divided into Soviet occupied Northern Zone, and an American occupied Southern zone, divided at the 38 th Parallel, eventually a pro-communist government was formed in the north and a pro-American government in the South, both forces withdraw

War! June 1950 -Heavily armed North Korean forces invade the South over the 38 th Parallel, takes the US by surprise Truman brings the issue to the UN Security Council, called for Collective Security Commanded the American 7 th Fleet to defend Taiwan Ordered American air and naval support for South Korea as well as ground troops 16 Member nations send troops under UN command to defend South Korea UN Supreme Commander-General Douglas Mac. Arthur

Korean War Stage 1 North Korean troops sweep south to Pusan Perimeter, UN sets up defense Perimeter and stops advance with Naval and air support. Mac. Arthur senses North’s supply lines stretched

Korean War Stage 2 Sept 1950 -Mac. Arthur launches amphibious invasion at Inchon, invades enemy lines from behind and cuts off their supply lines, counterattack from Pusan, North Korean invaders flee back across the 38 th Parallel, drive North towards Yalu River-border of China, Mac. Arthur assures Truman China will stay out, and assures that the troops will be “home by Christmas”

Stage 2

Korean War Stage 3 Chinese troops pour across the border and attack US troops with 300000 “volunteers” Macarthur orders retreat, 1 st Marine division surrounded and cut off in Chosen, US troops withdraw back towards 38 th parallel, Macarthur wants to open up a 2 nd front, Mac states “There is no substitute for Victory” Wants to drop 25 atomic bombs on China, and invade China from Taiwan using Jiang’s forces, Truman fires MAC for insubordination, General Matt Ridgeway takes over

Stage 3

Korean War Stage 4 War drags on for 2 more years, peace talks start, no end in sight, Eisenhower becomes Pres and threatens Nukes, truce signed in 1953, dividing Korea at the 38 th Parallel, 34000 Americans dead, 103, 000 wounded

Traitors in our midst? Loyalty Review Board-investigated 3 million federal employees-1947 Truman indicated that he expected all federal workers to demonstrate “complete and unswerving loyalty” the United States. Anything less, he declared, “constitutes a threat to our democratic processes. ”

HUAC and the Alger Hiss Case House Committee on Un-American Activities(HUAC) Richard Nixon accuses Alger Hiss of being a Soviet Spy-celebrated case(1948) Alger Hiss-US state Dept official who had been with FDR at Yalta

Congress passes Mc. Carran Internal Security Act over Truman’s veto (1950) protect the United States against certain un. American and subversive activities by requiring registration of Communist organizations

The Rosenberg Case Julius and Ethyl Rosenberg convicted of espionage(1951) and executed in 1953 Convicted of passing top secret documents about the A-bomb to Soviets

The Mc. Carthy Era Senator Joseph Mccarthy-1950 -54 denounced the US State Dept and Army as being riddled with Communist spies Army-Mc. Carthy Hearing-1954 Mc. Carthyism

1952 Election Truman decided not to run for the 3 rd Term GOP-Draft Eisenhower Campaign Democrats-Adalai Stevenson-Illinois governor-2 time Candidate for President Rep VP-Richard Nixon of California-gave famous “Checkers” speech Republicans ran on 4 “Cs” Communists-Truman coddling Communists China—Who lost it? Corruption-Mess in Washington Corea-Ike said “I will go to Korea”

1950’s-The Eisenhower Era The economy of the 1950 s Post war economic boom Science and technology boom-transistor radios and TV sets White collar professional jobs and service industries

Women Cult of domesticity for women at home Rise of women as mothers and workers 1963 -Betty Friedan-The Feminist Mystiquetried to convince women that their roles as mothers and housewives had not provided them full and meaningful lives

Culture Rise of TV and decline of movies Rise of “Rock and Roll” and fast food Protest movements-Jack Kerouac and the Beatniks

Race and America 1947 -Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier 1955 Emmett Till lynched in Mississippi 1954 -Brown v Board of Education-SCOTUS ends segregation in the public schools 1955 -Rosa Parks and MLK launch the Montgomery Bus Boycott 1957 -Little Rock Crisis-Ike sends in the 101 st Airborne to allow 9 black students to attend Little Rock High School 1960 -Formation of SNCC-Student-Non-violent Coordinating Committee

Eisenhower Republicanism Liberal or dynamic Republicanism Tried to slow down defense spending Did not try to end new deal programs of SS, unemployment insurance, minimum wage Federal Highway Act of 1956 -$27 billion

The Eisenhower Interstate HW