America in History 3 Chapter 35.11-35.18

The American Pageant 16 AP edition by Cohen and Kennedy

What does GNP stand for?

Gross National Product

Why is GNP an important measure of the economy?

Measures nation's economic output, tracks changes in economy size; used for finding solutions to economic issues like poverty and inflation

Why did prices skyrocket in 1946-1974?

wartimes price controls removed, causing them to rise 33%; labor strikes across country resulted in inflation

How did workers react to skyrocketing prices in 1946-1974?

Strikes across the country in fear that they wouldn't be able to afford the very products they were making

What was the Taft-Hartley act?

Passed by Republican-controlled Congress over Truman's veto; outlawed closed (all-union) shops, made unions liable for damages caused by disputes and required leaders to take non-communist oath

Why did Republicans support Taft-Hartley?

They were upset by the growing power of unions and wanted to slow it

Why did Democrats and other critics oppose Taft-Hartley?

Condemned as a "slave-labor" law (workers would be taken advantage of)

What was Operation Dixie?

Attempt to unionize Southern industries like textile and steel

Why did Operation Dixie fail?

Took place in a historically anti-union region; white workers were afraid of racial mixing and prominent union leaders had been removed by red hunt

What was the employment act of 1946?

Made it government policy to "promote maximum employment, production, and purchasing power"; 3-member council of economic advisers to help president make policy a reality

Why was the GI bill created?

Enacted partly in fear that employment markets would be unable to absorb 15M returning veterans

What were benefits of the GI bill?

Supported vets as members of 52-20 club ($20 for 52 weeks while unemployed); helped vets receive higher education in tech schools or college; let Veterans Association guarantee loans for vets; raised education levels and stimulated contrsuction industry

What did the Veteran's association guarantee?

$16B in loans for veterans to buy farms, homes, and small businesses

What nurtured the robust and long-lived economic growth in the postwar era?

GI Bill

What did nervous Americans fear during the Cold War?

That Communist spies funded by USSR were undermining government and misdirecting foreign policy

What did Truman launch to root out Communist spies in 1947?

Massive loyalty program to investigate disloyal organizations and government employees

What was the result of Truman's loyalty program?

3M federal employees investigated, 3K resigned/fired; not because they were communist but out of protest/because of other things

What was the gnawing question during the second Red Scare?

could USA afford traditional freedoms - speech, thought, right to political dissent - in a cold war climate?

what happened in New York in 1949?

11 communist brought to court for violating Smith act; send to prison for advocating overthrow of US gov by force

What was the Smith Act?

forbade attempts to "advocate, abet, advise, or teach" overthrowing of US gov by force; first peacetime antisedition act since 1798

What was HUAC and what was its purpose?

House Un-American Activities Committee, investigated "subversion" (undermining of authority)

Who was Richard Nixon?

HUAC member; ambitious red-catcher who became famous by leading chase after Alger Hiss

Who was Alger Hiss and what happened to him?

Famous ex-new-dealer and member of "eastern establishment"; accused of being communist and demanded right to defend himself but was found guilty and sentenced to 5 years in prison

Who were Julius and Ethel Rosenberg? What happened to them?

US couple accused of being soviet spies and leaked atomic bomb data to USSR; convicted of espionage and sent to electric chair, only people to be executed for espionage during peacetime in US history)

Why was the case of the Rosenbergs controversial?

People believed they were innocent and thought the red hunt was going too far; pitied their orphanned sons

What social issues were labeled as communist by conservatives and why?

Declining religious sentiment, increased sexual freedom, civil rights; politicians disagreed with these radical issues and used Red Scare as excuse to slow progress and support for the movements

What was the McCarran Internal Security bill and why did Truman veto it?

Allowed president to arrest and detain suspicious people during "internal security emergencies"; Truman realized red hunt was turning into a witch hunt

What did critics say about the McCarran internal security bill and what happened after truman's veto?

critics said it had police-state, concentration camp tactics; republican-controlled congress passed it anyway

Who lost jobs/was under scrutiny during the Red Scare?

Debtors, Drinkers, homosexuals, teachers, hollywood/film industry

what is a demagogue?

policital leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires na dprejudices of ordinary people rather than using rational argument

who are examples of demagogues?

hitler, mussolini, mccarthy

who was Joseph Mccarthy?

senator who rose to power through his leadership in the red hunt; infamous for claiming to have lists of communists but didn't have any basis for claims

what did mccarthy accuse the state department of?

employing 205 communist party members; later claimed 75 but couldn't identify even 1

how did mccarthy's accusations help the republican party?

useful in attacking democratic administration; bricker to mccarthy: "you're a dirty SOB, but there are times when you've got to have a SOB around, and this is one of them"

who was George Marshall and what did McCarthy accuse him of?

former army chief of staff and ex-secretary of state who created the marshall plan; said he was "part of a conspiracy so immense and an infamy so black as to dwarf any previous ventur in the history of man

how did mccarthy damage america?

destroyed countless careers by accusing them of being communist; most damage to free speech and fair play; damaged foreign policy by removing asian specialists who could have helped in vietnam and US reputation for fair, open democracy in eyes of EU

what were the army-mccarthy hearngs and their result?

35 days of televised hearings (spring 1954) where mcccarthy questioned loyalty of military; led to his downfall as people stopped supporting him

what did mccarthyism come to mean?

label for dangerous forces of unfairness and fear that a meocratic society could unleash at its own peril

who was reinhold neibuhr and how did he view the cold war?

protestant clergyman and vocal enemy of fascism, communism, and pacifism in '40s-'50s; saw the war as a holy war against godless communism between children of light and darkness

what did neibuhr say that was different from other conservative chistrian anti-communists?

emphasized dangers of fallibility and limits of power

whose voices were muzzled during the cold war?

radical institutions from churches and civic organizations to universities and unions; voices that were some of the biggest advocates for racial justice wee dismisses as communists

what was executive order 9981?

Truman's decision to desgregate the US military

what did republicans do to win control of congress in 1946?

attacked high prices and "High-tax Harry" Truman

1948 republicam nominee for president

NY governor thomas e dewey

why did truman's renomination split the democratic party?

southern delegates disliked him for his support of civil rights and desegration of the military; truman wasn't even the first choice but eisenhower refused to be nominated

who were the dixiecrats?

"embittered" southern democrats from 13 deep south states who met in their own convention in alabama; similar to what happened in 1860 (confederate flags even on display)

who was the dixiecrat presidential nominee?

SC governor j strom thurmond

who nominated henry wallace and what policy did he promote?

progressive party (mixture of ex-new dealers, pacifists, lierals, and communist fronters); had a soviet-freidnly stance (wrote the letter to truman against US militarization before being fired)

why did it seem like dewey would win the 1948 election?

democratic party was split 3 ways; republicans had a recent congressional victory in '46

how did truman campaign for his election?

relied on gutsy personality; traveled country be train and gave 300 speeches against taft-hartley act and "do-nothing" republican congress while gaining support for own program

what did truman's election program call for?

civil rights, health insurance, improved labor benefits

how did democrats re-relect truman and win back congress?

thurmond's electoral votes were mostly deep southern, dewey had mostly easter, truman 303 from south, west, and midwest; democratic votes came from republican-wary farmers, workers, and african americans

what was "point four"?

fourth point of truman's inaugural address; plan to lend US money and technical aid to poor countries so they could support themselves

who did point four help and why?

poor underdeveloped countries notable in asia, africa, latin america, and middle east; truman realized it would be cheaper to keep them from being communists then to shoot them after they became communist

what was truman's fair deal?

program outlinged in 1949 message to congress; called for improved housing, full employment, national health insurance, higher minimum wage, better farm price supports, new TVAs, and extension of Social security

who opposed the new deal?

republicans and southern democrats, who stopped most of the deal from being realized

what parts of the new deal succeeded?

raised minimum wage, public housing in housing act of 1949, extending old-age insurance to more beneficiaries in social security act of 1950

what happened to national income in the late 1900s?

nearly doubled in 1950s and nearly doubled again in 1960s; shot through trillion-dollar mark in 1973

% of americans in the world during the US economic boom?

6%

% of global wealth owned by americans during the US economic boom?

40%

what does affluence mean?

the state of having a great deal of money; wealth

what 4 things did prosperity lead to in the US?

underwrote social mobility, paved way for success in civil rights movement, funded vast new welfare programs like medicare, gave USA confidence to exercise unprecedented international leadership in cold war era

what was the "gilded goblet"?

people determined to "get theirs" while "getting" was good; metapher saying many americans enjoyed wealth and prosperity during 50s-70s

what was the old standard for american living?

a chicken in every pot

what was the new standard for american living?

2 cars in every garage, a swimming pool in the backyard, vacation home, "gas-guzzling" recreational vehicles

how was the american middle class defined?

households earning $3K-10K yearly

% of americans in the middle class

60%; double that of pre-depression years

what did 90% of americans own?

a television set

% of home ownership in 1960?

almost 60%

how did women benefit from the american economic boom?

more job opportunites than ever; majority of postwar jobs wen to women as services outgrew manufacturing; 1/4 of workforce post-WW2, 1/2 50 years later

what did pop culture continue to glorify for women despite the changing reality?

traditional feminine roles of a mother and homemaker

what did the conflict between old vs. new female roles spark?

feminist revolt in 1960s

what propelled america's unprecedented economic explosion?

WW2 provided powerful stimulus after gread depression; US came out virtually unscathed while others were ravaged by war

what fueled america's economic prosperity into the 50s and 60s?

huge military spending in korean war, high-tech research funded by pentagon, cold war think tank funding, cheap energy; "unlocking secrets of nature" was essential to economic growth

how did cheap energy contribute to US economic prosperity?

US & EU companies controlled middle east petroleum prices low; americans doubled oil consumption after ww2 (built hightways, installed ac, power grids carried fuel to factories; 6x increase in energy-generating capacity)

how was productivity increased during the economic boom?

worker productivity increased 3% yearly for 20 years after start of korean war thanks to cheaper energy and higher education levels,; double productivity per hour

what did increased productivity give rise to?

productivity was key to prosperity; doubled living standards

what is agribusiness?

"agriculture" + "business"; any business relating to farming/farm-related commercial activity

how did farming change thanks to productive and economic booms?

productivity gains unmatched by other industries at time; family farms replaced by agribusinesses that used expensive machinery - by 2000, workers to people fed ratio was 1:50 (1:15 in '40s); beasts of burden replaced by tractors, farmers could listen to radio while driving

how did changes in agriculture change america's economy?

farmers were 15% of labor after ww2, now 2% but still fed much of the world; monumentous changes (agribusiness, equipment, government support) helped contribute to booming economy

# of americans moving every year for the 3 decades after ww2?

average of 30 million per year

what stress did moving put on families?

families divided by distance

who was dr. benjamin spock?

autho of famous baby-bearing advice book "the common send book of baby and child care"

why did people read spock's book?

for homely wisdom/parenting advice that would have been passed down from grandparent to parent

which states make up the smiling sunbelt?

15 total; crescent from virginia through flodia and texas to arizona and california

what happened to the sunbelt's population in the decades after ww2?

incrased nearly 2x the rate of the frostbelt; california still most populous state since 1963

where is the frostbel located?

old industrial region of the northeast

why did americans move to the sunbelt?

"new frontier"; warmer climate, jobs, lower taxrates

what jobs were prominent in the sunbelt?

electronics in CA, aerospace in FL and TX, and military installations secured by powerful congresspeople

how did the government contribute to the sunbelt's prosperity and what was the irony behind it?

$444B more funds than northeast and midwest by ealy 2000s; ironic because southern and wester politicians led cry against federal spending

where is the rustbelt?

heavy-industry region in ohio valley; large factories used during war now abandoned in the region

what political impact did the move to the sunbelt have?

loosened northern grip on nation's political life; presidents from 1964-2008 all from sunbelt, rising population = more electoral votes

why did white americans leave the cities?

government encouraged movement to the suburds; FHA, VA, and tax deductions made it cheaper to buy homes, highways reduced commute time

what was the result of the government encourage americans to move to the suburbs?

1960, 25% of americans lived in suburbs, 50 years later 50%; construction industry boomed

what was revolutionary about levittown?

neighborhood in long island; hundreds to thousands of homes build in a single project; specialized crews mass-produced identical parts and assembled them like parts of a puzzle in record time and cost-cutting efficiency

what did critics say about levittown and the new suburbs?

complained about repetitive and monotonous designs

what was "white flight"?

migration of middle-class white people from cities to suburbs

what was the impact of white flight on cities?

left pocs in cities broke; migrating blacks filled urban neighborhoods left by whites; taxpaying businesses followed white customers away from city

how did the government aggravate racial segregation in the northern US?

FHA administrators refused mortgages to "unharmonious racial or nationality groups" (Non-white), limiting black mobility and driving POCs to public housing projects; neighborhood composition rules (housing for blacks was built in black neightborhoods); redlining

where to most americans invest their wealth?

the value of their homes