Aice U.S. History A-level

Aerospace Development

Jet engines, space race advancements, and industry leaders

Petrochemical Industry

Utilized new oil fields, refining tech, and plastic production

Agricultural Modernization

Improved farming methods, education, and technology adoption

Consumerism Growth

Expanded credit, post-war prosperity, and technological advancements

Pragmatic Spending

Investing in modern home appliances for practical use

Suburban Expansion

Growth outside cities for better living conditions

Examples of consumer spending

Home Appliances Boom, Automobile Ownership,Credit Expansion

Changing American Landscape

Impact of cars on infrastructure, shopping centers, and advertisement

Credit Expansion

Introduction of credit cards, longer loan terms, and easier access to loans

Advertising Growth

Significant increase in advertising spending and influence

Labor Organization Shift

Transition to service and white-collar jobs with automation

GI Bill of Rights

Provided benefits to returning soldiers for economic stimulation

Inflation Post-WWII

Causes and consequences of inflation after the war

Taft-Hartley Act

Regulation of labor relations and union membership in response to strikes

Economic Cooperation Act

Initiative aiding Western Europe

National Security Council Paper NSC-68

Report advocating military build-up

How did the Truman Administration spend on defense?

Tripled spending percentage from previous administration

Federal Highway Act of 1956

Legislation for national highways

Truman's Fair Deal

Social reform proposals: included proposals for national health insurance, an increase in the minimum wage, and expanded social security benefits.

The initiative aimed to address economic disparities exacerbated by the post-war economic boom, seeking to ensure that all Americans shared in prosperity.

How did Congress react to the fair deal?

While some elements of the Fair Deal were enacted, many faced strong opposition from Congress, particularly from Southern Democrats and Republicans.

Civil Rights and the Fair Deal

The Fair Deal's emphasis on civil rights marked a significant shift in U.S. policy, with Truman advocating for anti-lynching laws and desegregation of the military.

Eisenhower's Balanced budget

Maintaining financial equilibrium

Full Employment Act of 1946

Government commitment to prevent unemployment

Women's Role in the Home

Idealized domestic responsibilities

Baby Boom

Significant increase in birth rate

G.I. Bill of Rights

Legislation aiding veterans' education

Suburbanization

Shift to suburban living

White flight

Migration of white residents from cities

Levittown

Mass-produced suburb

Conformity

Adherence to societal norms

Car Culture in Teenagers

Source of freedom from parents

Drive-in Culture

Movies, diners. Popular with teens

Teen Mass Culture in late 60s

Rock and Roll, dancing, fashion and style, teen magazines, television

Rock and Roll in the 60s

Genre of music associated with black and youth culture, popularized by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley

Dancing

Popular dances among teenagers such as the jitterbug and the twist

Fashion and Style

Distinctive clothing styles for male and female teenagers

Teen Magazines

Magazines catering to teenage readers, such as Seventeen

Television

American Bandstand, a popular TV show featuring teenage dancers

Teen Subcultures

Distinct subcultures among teenagers, including greasers, rockabillies, beatniks, surfers, and squares

Greasers

Teen subculture associated with rock and roll, leather jackets, and greased back hair

Rockabillies

Teen subculture associated with rock and roll and vintage Americana dress

Beatniks

Teen subculture associated with poetry, jazz music, and unconventional fashion

Surfers

Teen subculture associated with surfing, popular in California

Squares

Teen subculture that accepted traditional values and respected authority

Reactions to Changes in Youth Culture

Mixed responses from adults, generational gap, social tensions

Increased Social Mobility

Factors encouraging upward social mobility: education & skills, economic expansion, technological shifts, GI Bill & progress initiatives

Race & Discrimination

Factors that limited opportunities for some groups: racial segregation, discrimination

Gender Roles & Inequities

Factors that limited opportunities for some groups: traditional gender roles, unequal access to education and jobs

Economic Disparities & Resources

Factors that limited opportunities for some groups: income inequality, limited resources

Educational & Geographic Barriers

Factors that limited opportunities for some groups: unequal education, lack of access to urban opportunities

Party Political Stability

How far were the late 1940s and 1950s a time of party political stability?

Truman's Election in 1948

Reasons for Truman's election in 1948: candidates, campaign issues, media influence, Truman's campaigning, results

Second Red Scare

Heightened anti-communist hysteria during the early Cold War, associated with McCarthyism

Fears of Communist Infiltration

Notable cases of alleged communist infiltration: Alger Hiss, Klaus Fuchs, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Established to investigate communist infiltration, investigated Hollywood, the Hollywood Ten, Red Channels and blacklisting, loyalty oaths

FBI

Surveillance and investigation of suspected communists, coordination with HUAC and Senate Subcommittee, support for McCarthyism, impact on civil liberties

Rise of McCarthyism

Senator McCarthy's rise to prominence through accusations of communist infiltration, targeting well-known officials

Decline of McCarthy

Eisenhower's disapproval, McCarthy's accusations against the US Army, Eisenhower's use of executive privilege, McCarthy's censure by the Senate

Eisenhower's Election Victories

Reasons for Eisenhower's election victories in 1952 and 1956

Eisenhower

Republican president in the 1950s, focused on fiscal conservatism and moderate policies

Adlai Stevenson

Democratic candidate who ran against Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956

Korean War

Conflict in Korea from 1950 to 1953 involving the US and other nations

Checkers Speech

Speech by Nixon defending himself against accusations of impropriety

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Full name of the Republican president elected in 1952 and 1956

Corruption

Allegations of unethical behavior, a campaign issue in 1952

Economic Prosperity

Focus on financial well-being and growth, a key issue in the 1956 campaign

Modern Republicanism

Eisenhower's approach balancing individual freedom and government assistance

Fiscal Conservatism

Economic policy advocating for reduced spending and balanced budgets

Federal-Aid Highway Act

Legislation authorizing the construction of the Interstate Highway System

Civil Rights Act of 1957

Legislation aimed at protecting voting rights of African Americans

Jackie Robinson

First African-American MLB player, symbolizing racial equality

Executive Order 9981

Truman's order desegregating the US Armed Forces

Brown v. Board

Landmark Supreme Court case overturning school segregation

Emmett Till

African American teenager brutally murdered, sparking civil rights activism

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Protest against segregation sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Organization founded by MLK Jr. to fight segregation through nonviolent means

Massive Resistance

Southern opposition to desegregation, including laws and violence

Little Rock Nine

African-American students blocked from entering a school, leading to federal intervention

NAACP

Organization providing legal support for civil rights cases

Thurgood Marshall

Key attorney in Brown v. Board, fighting for desegregation

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist who sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil rights leader advocating for nonviolent protest and equality

Earl Warren

Chief Justice leading the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board decision

National Defense Education Act

Legislation providing federal funding for education, focusing on STEM

Landrum-Griffin Act

Legislation combating corruption in labor organizations

Executive order 9981

An executive order issued by President Harry S. Truman in 1948 that abolished racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces and established equality of treatment and opportunity.

Great strike wave 1945-1946

A period of labor unrest following World War II, marked by numerous strikes across various industries as workers sought better wages and working conditions.

Employment act 1946

A U.S. federal law that aimed to promote economic growth and maintain full employment, establishing the government's responsibility to ensure stable employment.

 Taft Hartley act

A federal law enacted in 1947 to restrict the activities and power of labor unions, requiring union leaders to swear they were not members of the Communist Party.

Prevented closed shops

Post war prosperity

The economic boom experienced in the United States during the late 1940s and 1950s, characterized by increased consumer spending, job growth, and rising living standards.

The Marshall Plan

A U.S. initiative launched in 1948 to provide economic assistance to European countries to help rebuild their economies after World War II.

Fiscal conservatism

Reduce government spending, lower taxes, balance budget to achieve fiscal responsibility

Eisenhower Recession

Characterized by a sharp contraction in economic activity, high unemployment rates, and a decline in industrial production

followed a period of rapid economic growth in the United States during the 1950s, known as the Golden Age of Capitalism

Economy under eisenhower

Signed an expansion to Social Security—to cover the self-employed, and disabled—

Established the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

Also signed legislation increasing the minimum wage by a third

National defense education act

passed in 1958 in response to Soviet acceleration of the space race with the launch of the satellite Sputnik

provided federal funding to “insure trained manpower of sufficient quality and quantity to meet the national defense needs of the United States

in addition to fellowships and loans to students, the legislation bolstered education in the areas of science, mathematics, and modern foreign languages

Alger Hiss

well-educated and well-connected former government lawyer and State Department official who helped create the United Nations in the aftermath of World War II

convicted in January 1950 of perjury concerning his dealings with Whittaker Chambers, who accused him of membership in a communist espionage ring.

Before the trial, Hiss was involved in the establishment of the United Nations, both as a US State Department official and as a UN official

the conviction seemed to lend substance to McCarthy’s sensational charges of communist infiltration into the State Department.

Fuchs

German born physicist working in the British Nuclear Program during World War II

was one of many scientists present at the Trinity test in July 1945

During the entirety of his work on the nuclear program in Britain and the USA, Fuchs was passing along information about the program to Soviet spies

Rosenburgs

On March 29, 1951, the Rosenburgs were convicted of espionage and sentenced to death

The Hollywood Ten

McCarthy