chapter 26

what factors fueled the postwar american economic boom

• Expanding internal markets

• Heavy investment in research and development

• Federal military and domestic spending

• Acceptance of collective bargaining

pax americana

a period of US global economic and political dominance after WW2, modeled on the Roman Pax Romana

what was the bretton woods conference (1944)

an international meeting that created the World Bank and IMF to stabilize the postwar global economy

purpose of the world bank

to provide loans for rebuilding war-torn Europe and developing former colonies

purpose of the IMF

• stands for international monetary fund

• to stabilize currencies and promote predictable international trade using the US dollar as a benchmark

what was the GATT

• stands for general agreement on tariffs and trade

• an agreement establishing international trade rules and reducing tariffs

main goal of the bretton woods system

make cheap American capital available to nations that adopted free-market capitalism

what did eisenhower mean by the “military-industrial complex'“

the powerful alliance between the military and defense contractors influencing government policy

what competition drove technological innovation during the cold war

the arms race and the space race

what was the sputnik

• 1957

• the first artificial satellite, launched by the soviet union

what was the national defense education act

• 1958

• federal funding for science education and research after sputnik

what characterized postwar american capitalism

consolidation of economic power into large corporations

what happened to worker productivity from 1947-1975

worker productivity more than doubled

what was a consequence of automation

loss of high-wage manufacturing jobs and regional economic decline

the lonely crowd

• 1950

• sociologist david riesman mourned a lost masculinity and contrasted the independent businessmen and professionals of earlier years with the managerial class of the postwar world

how did GDP change after WW2

• $213B in 1945

• $500B in 1960

• $1T in 1970

what happened to income inequality

it decreased significantly between 1940 and 1960

what did “the affluent society” argue

• 1958

• argued that the middle class prospered while the poor were ignored

what did “the other america” argue

• 1962

• argued that poverty remained widespread and hidden

what was the GI bill

• provided WW2 veterans education, housing, healthcare, and business loans

• better education meant higher earning power, and higher earning power translated into consumer spending

how did the GI bill affect homeownership

financed 1 in 5 new homes built between WW2 and 1966

how did education affect the economy

created the world’s best-educated workforce and fueled consumer spending

what was the veterans administration (VA)

• a federal agency that assists former soldiers

• following WW2, the VA helped veterans purchase new homes with no down payment, sparking a building boom that created jobs in the construction industry and fueling consumer spending in home appliances and automobiles

what is collective bargaining

negotiation between unions and employers over wages and benefits

how did unions function as an alternative welfare state

they secured pensions, healthcare, higher wages, and leisure time

why was the labor-management accord fragile

anti-unionism, unorganized workers, and foreign competition

what drove postwar consumption

• homes

• cars

• children

• planned obsolescence (designing products to be replaced frequently)

why were baby boomers important consumers

they were targeted from infancy through adulthood

how did TV transform american life

revolutionized advertising, culture, and consumption

what values did 1950s TV promote

white, middle-class, suburban nuclear family ideals

examples of 1950s TV shows

• “father knows best” - father left home each morning wearing suit and carrying a briefcase while mother was a full-time housewife and stereotypical female

• “leave it to beaver” - popular series about suburban family life

• “ amos ‘n’ andy” - one of the only shows featuring black actors in major roles

what is a “teenager”

• term for a young adult

• a new postwar cultural category tied to consumer spending

how did hollywood shape teen culture

films targeted youth rebellion and shifted away from adults/families

what are the origins of rock ‘n’ roll

• african american rhythm and blues

• introduced by cleveland disc Alan Freed who introduced “race” records to white audiences

• many unhappy adults saw rock ‘n’ roll music as an invitation to interracial dating, rebellion, and a more flagrant sexuality

who were the beats

writers rejecting mainstream culture, celebrating freedom, drug use, spirituality, and spontaneity

who was miles davis

influential trumpeter who had a subdued “cool” sound

some examples of key beat works

• allen ginsberg: “howl” (1956)

• jack kerouac: “on the road” (1957)

what was Norman Vincent Peale known for

• “The Power of Positive Thinking” (1952)

• Embodied the therapeutic use of religion as an antidote to life’s trials and tribulations

what was billy graham’s message

• supported Christian conversion

• migrated onto the radio and TV airwaves, using tech to reach even wider audiences

• used the cold war to shape his message, telling americans that “godless communism” was an inferior system, but that democracy in america required belief in God and a constant struggle against “sin”

what is companionate marriage

marriage based on love and friendship, not equality

what were 2 noteworthy things about families formed after WW2

1. marriages were remarkably stable. not until the mid-1960s did divorce rates begin to rise sharply

2. married couples were intent on having babies

causes of the baby boom

• younger marriage age

• delayed childbearing during the depression

• 1945-1965

who was benjamin spock

• pediatrician who promoted flexible child-rearing

• urged mothers to abandon the rigid feeding and baby-care schedules of an earlier generation

• believed if mothers were too protective, they might hamper with their children’s preparation for adult life

impacts of the baby boom

• the labor market became tight as baby boomers competed from jobs during the 1970s

• birthrate jumped when career-oriented baby boomers began having children in the 1980s

• as baby boomers nowadays begin retiring, huge funding problems threaten to engulf social security and medicare

• baby boom children benefited from a host of important advances in public health and medical practice in the postwar years

who was dr. jonas salk

perfected a polio vaccine in 1954 and became a national hero as a result

what 2 powerful forces shaped women’s relationships to work and family in the postwar decades

1. the middle-class ideal in which women were expected to raise children, attend to other duties in the home, and devote themselves to their husband’s happiness

2. job market: most working-class women had to earn a paycheck to help their family, but many professions were dominated by men and often closed to them

what was occupational segregation

women concentrated in low-status “female” jobs

what was the wage gap in 1963

women earned about 60% of men’s wages

what did griswold v connecticut (1965) establish

right to privacy for married couples using contraception

who was alfred kinsey

• researcher who studied American sexual behavior

• became known as “the sex doctor” and documented the full range of sexual experiences of thousands of Americans

• broke numerous taboos, discussing topics such as homosexuality and marital infidelity 

• criticized by statisticians because his samples were not randomly selected 

• condemned by religious leaders, who charged him with encouraging promiscuity and adultery

what were “homophiles”

• small but determined collection of activists who sought equal rights for gays and lesbians

• sought to change American attitudes about same-sex love

• cultivated a respectable, middle-class image

• members were encouraged to avoid bars and nightclubs, dress in conservative shirts/ties and modest shirts/blouses, and to seek out professional psychologists who would attest to their “normalcy”

what was the first gay rights organization

mattachine society (1951)

what was the first lesbian organization

daughters of bilitis (1955)

what was “playboy”

• created by Hugh Hefner in 1953

• a magazine that created a counter-morality to domesticity: a fictional world populated by “hip” bachelor men and sexually available women

• became powerful sellers of sex in the media

why did suburbs grow rapidly after WW2

affordable housing, cars, highways, and government-backed mortgages

who created levittown

• william j. levitt

• was a building contractor who revolutionized suburban housing by applying mass-production techniques and turning out new homes at a fast speed

• levittowns contained very few elderly people and unmarried adults

• consisted of racially restrictive covenants

what was Shelley v Kramer

banned enforcement of housing covenants

what was the interstate highway act (1956)

funded 42,000 miles of highways for defense and suburban growth

what is the sunbelt

rapidly growing South and Southwest

why did the sunbelt grow

defense industries, low taxes, warm climate

what was the urban crisis

poverty, segregation, job loss, and housing decay in cities

what was urban renewal

government programs demolishing “blighted” neighborhoods

kerner commission (1968) warning?

america was becoming “two societies, one black, one white”

displaced persons act (1948)

allowed european refugees into the US

bracero program

brought mexican laborers during WW2 and the Korean War

why did puerto ricans migrate

mechanization destroyed island jobs

cuban refugees settled mainly where?

miami