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1950s

1950s. POSTWAR AMERICA. BABY BOOM. 1. Explosion of Marriages and Births 2. 50 million babies between 1945-1960 3. Women focused on raising children and homemaking 4. By 1960, 1/3 of all married women worked outside of home. SUBURBAN GROWTH. 1. Construction Boom

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1950s

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  1. 1950s

  2. POSTWARAMERICA

  3. BABY BOOM • 1. Explosion of Marriages and Births • 2. 50 million babies between 1945-1960 • 3. Women focused on raising children and homemaking • 4. By 1960, 1/3 of all married women worked outside of home

  4. SUBURBAN GROWTH • 1. Construction Boom • 2. William Levitt-led growth with ”Levittown” development, 17,000 low priced, mass produced homes on Long Island, NY • 3. Low interest rates • 4. Large cities became poor and racially divided

  5. RISE OF THE SUNBELT • 1. States in the South and West • 2. Popular due to; climate, lower taxes, economic opportunities and defense-related industries • 3. Shifts political power from Northeast and Midwest to South and West

  6. GI BILL • 1. Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 • 2. 15 million veterans in peacetime economy • 3. Gave money to those who wanted to attend college-increase in higher education • 4. Gave loans to buy homes, farms, or start businesses

  7. ELECTION OF 1952 • A. Republican nominee-Dwight D. Eisenhower-war hero; running mate-Richard Nixon-Senator from California • B. Democratic nominee-Adlai Stevenson-Governor of Illinois

  8. CAMPAIGN • 1. Eisenhower-spotless record • 2. Nixon-accused of using campaign funds for personal use-”Checkers Speech” • 3. Eisenhower vows to end war in Korea • 4. IKE won 55% of popular vote and 442 to 89 in the Electoral College

  9. EISENHOWER’S DOMESTIC POLICY

  10. MODERN REPUBLICANISM • 1. First priority to balance budget • 2. Expanded social security, raised minimum wage, and added to public housing • 3. New cabinet position-Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare • 4. Opposed federal health care and aid to education

  11. INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM • 1. Highway Act of 1956-authorized the construction of 42,000 miles of interstate highways linking all the nation’s major cities • 2. Hurt railroad industry • 3. Little attention paid to public transportation

  12. PROSPERITY • 1. Between 1945-1960, American’s disposable income tripled • 2. By 1955, average family had twice the income of a family during the 1920s • 3. Highest standard of living in the world

  13. ELECTION OF 1956 • 1. Eisenhower suffers heart attack in 1955 • 2. More popular-renominated by Republicans • 3. Democrats renominate Stevenson • 4. Eisenhower wins by bigger margin than in 1952 • 5. Democrats retained control of Congress

  14. EISENHOWER&THE COLD WAR

  15. DULLES’ DIPLOMACY • 1. Secretary of State-John Foster Dulles • 2. “Brinkmanship”-idea of pushing Communist powers to the brink of war, knowing they would back down due to our nuclear capabilities • 3. Eisenhower kept Dulles from going to the extreme

  16. DULLES’ DIPLOMACY • 4. “More bang for the buck”-spend more money on nuclear weapons then conventional weapons • 5. 1953-Developed the hydrogen bomb • 6. 1954-Soviet’s develop their own nuclear bomb • 7. Massive retaliation= massive extinction

  17. ASIA • End of the Korean War-March 1953, Korea remained divided at the 38th parallel-no treaty • Indochina • French Imperialism v. Communist Forces • Truman gives aid to France-but does not send troops • Geneva Conference (1954) • France gave up Indochina • Divided into three independent nations; Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam

  18. ASIA • Vietnam • Divided at the 17th parallel • N. Vietnam-Communist-led by Ho Chi Minh • S. Vietnam-Democratic-led by Ngo Dinh Diem • 1955-1961-US sent one billion dollars to support S. Vietnam to avoid Eisenhower’s “domino theory”

  19. ASIA • Southeast Asia Treaty Organization • Also Known as SEATO • Created in 1954 with 8 nations • Objective-to prevent S. Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from becoming Communist nations

  20. MIDDLE EAST • 1. Eisenhower Doctrine (1957)-gave economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism. First country-Lebannon (1958) • 2. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran form The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1960

  21. SOVIET UNION • 1. Stalin dies in 1953, is replaced by Bulganin, and in 1961he is replaced by Nikita Khrushchev • 2. Khrushchev supported “peaceful coexistence” with the US-first “thawing” of the Cold War • 3. Sputnik (1957)-USSR surprised the world by launching the first satellite into orbit • 4. US responds with the National Defense and Education Act which gave millions of dollars to schools for science and foreign language education • 5. Created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-to direct efforts to build missiles and explore space

  22. SOVIET UNION • 6. U-2 Incident • Eisenhower and Khrushchev planned to meet in Paris for a peace summit • Two weeks before the summit was to happen, the Russians shoot down a US spy plane over the Soviet Union • The plane was taking infra red pictures of Missile sites • Eisenhower takes full responsibilities and Khruschev calls off the summit

  23. CUBA • 1959-Revolution led by Fidel Castro • Eisenhower cuts off trade with Castro-”Embargo” • Castro sets up a communist government with the support of the Soviet Union • Eisenhower authorized the CIA to train Cuban exiles in order to retake the island

  24. EISENHOWER’S FAREWELL ADDRESS • Warned against the influence of the military • Beware an arms race

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