Truman and the Cold War, 1945-1952

Postwar America

  • GI Bill of Rights (Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944):

    • Provided support for 15 million veterans transitioning to a peacetime economy.

    • Enabled over half of returning GIs to pursue education at government expense, leading to a postwar boom in higher education.

    • Offered over 1616 billion in low-interest, government-backed loans for homes, farms, and businesses, stimulating postwar economic expansion.

  • Baby Boom:

    • Explosion in marriages and births between 1945 and 1960, adding 50 million babies to the U.S. population.

    • Signaled basic confidence in the postwar era.

    • Initially focused women's attention on homemaking, but the trend of women in the workplace continued.

    • By 1960, one-third of married women worked outside the home.

  • Suburban Growth:

    • High housing demand led to a construction boom.

    • William J. Levitt pioneered mass-produced, low-priced family homes with Levittown.

    • Low-interest, government-insured, and tax-deductible mortgages made suburban living affordable.

    • Shift to suburbia led to increased poverty and racial division in older inner cities by the 1960s.

  • Rise of the Sunbelt:

    • Millions of Americans moved to Sunbelt states (Florida to California) for warmer climates, lower taxes, and economic opportunities in defense-related industries.

    • Military spending during the Cold War helped finance the shift of industry, people, and political power from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and West.

Postwar Politics

  • Harry S. Truman:

    • Became president after Roosevelt's death in April 1945.

    • Attempted to continue the New Deal tradition.

Economic Program and Civil Rights

  • Employment Act of 1946:

    • Truman urged Congress to enact progressive measures, including:

      • National health insurance.

      • Increase in the minimum wage.

      • A bill committing the U.S. government to maintaining full employment.

    • The Act created the Council of Economic Advisers to counsel the president and Congress on promoting national economic welfare.

    • A coalition between Republicans and conservative Southern Democrats hindered the passage of Truman's domestic program.

  • Inflation and Strikes:

    • Truman urged Congress to continue wartime price controls, but controls were relaxed.

    • The result was an inflation rate of almost 2525 percent during the first year and a half of peace.

    • Over 4.5 million workers went on strike in 1946, threatening national safety.

    • Truman seized the mines and used soldiers to keep them operating until the United Mine Workers called off their strike.

  • Civil Rights:

    • Truman was the first modern president to use the powers of his office to challenge racial discrimination.

    • He established the Committee on Civil Rights in 1946 and strengthened the civil rights division of the Justice Department.

    • In 1948, he ordered the end of racial discrimination throughout the federal government, including the armed forces.

    • Truman urged Congress to create a Fair Employment Practices Commission, but Southern Democrats blocked the legislation.

Republican Control of the Eightieth Congress

  • Election of 1946: Voters elected Republican majorities in both houses of Congress due to unhappiness with inflation and strikes.

  • Tax Cuts: The Eightieth Congress attempted to pass two tax cuts for upper-income Americans, but Truman vetoed both measures.

  • Twenty-second Amendment (1951):

    • Limited a president to a maximum of two full terms in office.

    • Proposed by the Republican-dominated Congress in reaction to Roosevelt's four terms.

  • Taft-Hartley Act (1947):

    • Passed by Congress over Truman's veto.

    • Aimed to check the growing power of unions.

    • Provisions:

      • Outlawed the closed shop.

      • Permitted states to pass