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United States History. Chapter 29: Society After World War II. Demobilization. With so many returning home from war, there were many concerns with the American economy GI Bill of Rights (1944): passed to give veterans pensions, loans for homes and businesses, and money for college
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United States History Chapter 29: Society After World War II
Demobilization • With so many returning home from war, there were many concerns with the American economy • GI Bill of Rights (1944): passed to give veterans pensions, loans for homes and businesses, and money for college • Employment Act of 1946: gov’t would help economy switch to peacetime production • A depression never came, mostly because companies began to make consumer goods again • However, employers favored vets, so many women and non-veterans lost their jobs • Inflation rose sharply, especially after price controls were lifted
Labor Strikes • Unhappy with working conditions, many workers went on strike after the war • President Harry S. Truman feared strikes would cripple the economy • Threatened intervention, or even an army draft, to those that went on strike in critical industries • Taft-Hartley Act: allowed the gov’t to end some strikes, limited political contributions of unions • Although limited, unions began to gain strength • Began to include benefits like pensions and insurance into union contracts with employers
Election of 1948 • Even though approval was low, Truman took stands on tough issues • Committee on Civil Rights created in 1946 • Designed to address racial issues that plagued the nation • Suggested that the nation end segregation and discrimination • Eventually, Truman issued orders to end segregation in the military and companies with government contracts • Democrats were split on civil rights • Nominated Truman for reelection • The “Dixiecrats”, southern white Democrats nominated Strom Thurmond • Republicans nominated Thomas Dewey and was expected to win • Truman pulled off the upset, even with some newspapers reporting his loss
The Fair Deal • Truman wanted to expand New Deal programs • Higher minimum wage • National health insurance • Aid to the poor • Employment aid • Republicans and some Democrats were against the program • Some programs were passed • Expansion of social security • Minimum wage to $0.75/hr • Overall, people wanted a smaller government, peace and stability
1950s Society • After “Ike” was elected in 1952, he promised to cut the government and reduce spending • However, welfare programs, education, and military spending cut into his promises of a balance budget • His attitude towards the government and its role in society were “conservative when it comes to money, liberal when it comes to human beings” • This attitude became known as Modern Republicanism • The national debt increased to $291 billion dollars under his administration
1950s Society • Automation ruled industry, taking manufacturing jobs away • However, a need for white collar jobs skyrocketed during the decade • Unions grew in popularity • The AFL and CIO merged into one • However, support dwindled in the late 1950s after charges of corruption in unions • Suburbs exploded outside of cities • People could afford cars to drive to work from farther away • Planned communities, such as Levitttowns, were built, looking almost exactly alike • The Highway Act of 1956 built an interstate highway system
Suburban Life • After the war, people moved to the suburbs • Marriage rates boomed • Birthrates soared, creating a baby boom generation • An emphasis on child rearing and family became apparent • Dr. Benjamin Spock’s The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care guided many parents • Advertising continued to encourage people to buy • Family activities, church, and other social activities became common • Television, the newest mass medium, made its debut in many homes of the 1950s • I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Ed Sullivan Show, etc entertained families every night of the week
Pop Culture of the 1950s • Rebelling against the ideals of their parents, teenagers expressed themselves openly • MAD Magazine • The Catcher in the Rye • James Dean (Rebel Without a Cause) • The creation of rock ‘n’ roll was the definition of all that is 1950s • Variation of rhythm and blues • Plugged in guitars and used “obscene” lyrics • Termed coined by Alan Freed, a Cleveland DJ that marketed the new “black” music to white suburban kids • Rock stars traveled the nation, playing before screaming crowds and producing hits still popular today • Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis, to name a few • Adults despised rock for the obscenity of lyrics and stage presence • Also helped to break down color barriers
Civil Rights Stirrings… • In 1896, Plessyv. Ferguson legalized segregation in the United States • In 1954, this was challenged in the court case Brown v. Board of Education • Linda Brown, a young black girl in Topeka, KS, challenged the school board • She claimed that she should be able to attend the neighboring white school, instead of going to a school farther away • Her lawyer was future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall • On May 17, the court struck down Plessy and ordered all American schools to desegregate • The struggle for equality would be long and hard, however
Civil Rights Stirrings… • Little Rock Central High School • 9 black students volunteered to attend the all white school in 1957 • Governor OrvalFaubus ordered the AR National Guard to the school to prevent the students from enrolling for 3 weeks • President Eisenhower ordered the US Army to Little Rock to force desegregation • Known today as the Little Rock Nine • Montgomery Bus Boycott • Began when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing her front seat to a white man in 1955 • Led by Dr. Martin Luther King, black residents of the city boycotted the busses for over a year • Led to the passage of desegregation of the busses and the Civil Rights Act of 1957
Beyond Black and White • Discrimination affected other racial groups during the 1950s as well • Hispanics: most notable incident involved a Mexican American veteran and a funeral home’s refusal to conduct a service for him • League of United Latin American Citizens and the American GI Forum • Several court cases involving school segregation • Asians did not fit the profile of the “ideal American” • Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed, allowing for more to immigrate • Native Americans were pressured to abandon reservations • Relocation Act of 1956 encouraged Natives to move to cities and cut funding for reservations • However, gov’t backed down from the policy of termination in 1958
Questioning Conformity and Society • Many felt that discrimination and conformity were signs of serious problems in America • Authors such as Ralph Ellison (The Invisible Man) depicted lives of those that lived in discrimination and poverty • The beats (and supporters called beatniks) challenged the lifestyle of the middle class • Most famous was Jack Kerouac, author of On the Road • Original copy of On the Road was written in 3 weeks on one continuous piece of paper • Farmers and inner city dwellers continued to suffer from poverty • Production increased on farms, but prices dropped due to increased production in Europe and the use of new equipment like tractors • City poor often lived in substandard housing and discrimination prevented people from moving up into better housing • The urban renewal program destroyed old dilapidated units and built “projects” but those also fell into disrepair