Lecture 15-The 1950s: Prosperity and Panic

Pres Harry Truman

• pre pres life: Kansas city, MO, WWI vet, failed business owner, served as county judge, US senator

• shock at becoming pres

  • 1944 VP for FDR’s 4th term

  • became pres on FDR’s death

  • overcame initial fear & became confident

Korean War

• Korea former Japanese colony

  • Soviets joined US in fighting Japan once surrender was imminent

  • Soviets agreed to temporary occupation of land above 38th parallel

• soviets est. satellite gov in N Korea

  • took over instead, refused free elections

  • N Korea (w Soviet/Chinese support) invaded S Korea

• Truman sent US troops (1950-53)

  • S Korea independent republic trying to resist communism, requested US assistance

  • support from UN

Containment in Korea

• Gen MacArthur led troops, told not to go past 38th parallel into N Korea

  • still took land past border, also proposed bombing China

• Truman ordered him to go back

  • goal: containment, not liberation of Soviet Satellite

  • avoid starting WWIII

  • MacArthur fired for insubordination & overstepping his authority

  • many angry w Truman

The Red Scare

• fear of communists in US gov—investigated many on scanty evidence

• Sen. Joseph McCarthy, WI—zealously led investigations, often slandered innocent gov workers, stirring speeches against communist infiltration, considered emotionally unbalanced today, was obsessive

• many politicians disgusted (afraid to silence him tho)

Results of Red Scare

• many innocent gov officials lost jobs, others embarrassed but acquitted

• hollywood targeted

  • more communists in Hollywood than elsewhere, actors and directors blacklisted for Communist beliefs or movie plots

• screen actor’s guild defended Hollywood’s accused

  • Ronald Reagan: actor, guild pres

  • against communism but supported free speech

• red scare died down—US returned to united front

Pres Eisenhower

• Ike wildly popular after WWII role

  • courted by Rep and Dem parties

• 1952—ran for pres on rep ticket

  • VP rich nixon

  • won by landslide

  • ended Korean war, preserved S Korea traditional gov

• Ike Domino Theory

  • if certain strategic nations fell to communism other nearby nations would become communist as well

  • reason for Vietname war

Interstate Highway System

• 1920—Ike traveled nation w army, bad road conditions, hindered travel & commerce

• 1956 created modern interstate system

  • finished 1961, linked major cities of continguous US together

  • boost to economy, drastically shortened times for American travel

Cultural Phenomenon

• subdivisions

  • Levittown: 17,000 homes on Long Island, houses mass produced & identical

  • popular w middle classes, similar housing across US

• fear of nuclear war

  • some built bomb shelters in case of nuclear attack

• teen culture

  • sweaters, poodle skirts, jeans

  • sports, fast food, rock music

  • elvis

  • teen rebellion scared parents

Fam Culture

• marriage rates skyrocketed

  • many waited during WWII

• 1946-64: Baby Boom

  • approx 4 mill babies/yr

• GI Bill

  • 2 mill soldiers attended college free

  • 1940 15% of Americans attended college

  • 1960 over 40% attending

• economy excellent

  • consumer goods craze

  • 60% of Americans had middle class income or higher

Women’s Role

• men took WWII women’s jobs

  • women encouraged to be wives/mothers

  • 1945-60 fewer women attended college or worked

• 1958 Barbie invented

  • symbol of 1950s feminine ideal

  • fem clothing/hair

• cult of domesticity or “domestic goddess”

  • supportive wife, excellent mother, home/decor/food perfect, great hostess

TV

• emerged in 1947

  • 1960—80% in US owned TV

• 1950s shows

  • I Love Lucy: Zany Lucy tries to outwit husband Ricky

  • Leave it to Beaver: Father solves fam’s problems

  • The Honeymooners: NYC working class

• 1960: 1st televised pres debate

  • Nixon (R) & Kennedy (D) close in polls

  • Kennedy better looking, more poised

  • JFK won by small margin & gave credit to TV

  • others said he won bc of voter fraud

JFK Years

• pres 1961-63

  • 44yo, Boston elite, wife Jackie Kennedy

• 1962 Cuban Missle Crisis

  • nearly resulted in WWIII

  • Castro’s communist Cuba 90 mi S of FL

  • soviet missles discovered there

  • JFK sent force to invade Cuba

  • force was too small, quickly repelled

  • ended w compromise

    • soviets removed bombs from Cuba

    • US promised not to invade Cuba “w/o direct provocation”

The Assassination

• 1963—JFK assassination

  • speech in Dallas TX

  • Lee Harvey Oswald, soviet sympathizer, shot JFK

  • JFK assassination Museum in Dallas—no proof exists but soviets may have been involved

  • nation mourned young pres

  • Lyndon B Johnson became pres

• assassination mystery