The 1950

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The 1950s
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I. Postwar Adjustments

• A. President-Harry S Truman-
• down to earth, self-confident,
• and honorable
• B. Military-GI Bill-paid for the education of
  veterans
• National Security Act-created the Department
  of Defense to head the 3 branches and
  created the CIA.

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I. Postwar Adjustments

• C. Economy-Backlog of consumer needs and wants
  created an economic boom-"shopping spree"
• Taft-Hartley Act-limited the power of labor
  unions that had become very powerful.
• D. Society-Truman created the Committee on
  Civil Rights and integrated the armed forces.
• Jackie Robinson-became the first black player
  in major league baseball.

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I. Postwar Adjustments

• E. Election of 1948-Truman narrowly defeated
  Gov. Thomas Dewey (Rep) after Dixiecrats
  withdrew and voted for Strom Thurmond.
• Truman introduced the Fair
  Deal- extension of the New Deal, only
  stronger.

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II. Cold WarFear of Communism

• After WWII, the U.S. and Soviet Union tried to
  spread their political economic influence.
• A. 2 policies
• (1) Truman Doctrine-stop the spread of
  communism.
• (2) Marshall Plan-economic aid plan to
  rebuild Europe and resist communism.

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II. Cold WarFear of Communism

• B. Fears in Europe
• 1. Berlin blockade-Soviet Union cut off traffic
  into Berlin, hoping to force democratic nations
  to surrender their sectors. U.S. Britain
  airlifted supplies into the city for 327 days
  until the blockade was lifted.
• 2. Alliances
• NATO-Democratic military alliance-U.S.,
  Britain, France, etc.
• Warsaw Pact-Communist alliance-led by Soviet
  Union

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II. Cold WarFear of Communism

• C. Internal Fears
• Americans became overly concerned about
  Communists and spies.
• 1. Spy cases
• Alger Hiss-convicted of passing
• documents to Communist Party.
• Rosenbergs-executed for passing atomic
  secrets to Soviets.

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II. Cold WarFear of Communism

• McCarthyism-Senator Joseph McCarthy made
  accusations about Communists in the
  government. Eventually, he lost
  support.
• Result Thousands of people lost jobs and
  property because of suspicions about Communism.
• HUAC-House UnAmerican Activities Committee
  investigated questioned hundreds of people.

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III. Communism in Asia

• A. China
• Chiang Kai-shek (Nationalist) vs. Mao
  Zedong (Communist)
• -Americans supported Nationalists with
  supplies and money against Mao.
• -Communists gained the support of the people
  and won the civil war. -U.S. refused
  to recognize the government of "Red" China.

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III. Communism in Asia

• B. Korea
• Divided at the 38th parallel after WWII, the
  North occupied by Soviets, and the South by U.S.
• After foreign troops pulled out, North Korea
  invaded South Korea. The United Nations
  sent 400,000 troops under Douglas MacArthur to
  help the South Korean army.

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III. Communism in Asia

• B. Korea
• China began sending troops to support N. Korea
  and Truman wanted no part of a war with China.
  MacArthur urged for a full scale Asian war and
  Truman fired him.

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III. Communism in Asia

• B. Korea
• A cease-fire was reached after his dismissal.
  Seen by Americans as a stalemate, not a loss.
• Korea is referred to by many as The Forgotten
  War.

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IV. Life in the 1950's

• A. Dwight D. Eisenhower- won Election of
  1952
• Changes
• Republicans were back in power
• Brought "dynamic conservatism"
• Built the interstate and highway system

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IV. Life in the 1950's

• B. Suburbia
• 1. William Levitt-created neighborhoods
  with identical houses at affordable prices.
• 2. Results
• More Americans moved out of the city became
  dependent on cars.
• Community organizations developed (Little
  League, PTA, Scouts)
• Consumerism increased.

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IV. Life in the 1950's

• B. Suburbia
• Beatniks-anti-conformists who questioned
  middle class values.

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IV. Life in the 1950's

• 3. Media Television became the most
  important form of entertainment.

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IV. Life in the 1950's

• Radio changed forever. Rock and Roll was born.

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IV. Life in the 1950's

• C. Civil Rights
• Civil disobedience had become a tool of
  resistance to discrimination.
• 1. Brown v. Board of Education (Topeka,
  Kansas)- Thurgood Marshall (who became the
  first black Supreme Court Justice) argued
  for the NAACP. 1954
• Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal has
  no place in education." Integration of schools
  began. Results resurgence of racism in
  the South.

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IV. Life in the 1950's

• C. Civil Rights
• 2. Little Rock, Arkansas-President Eisenhower
  used federal troops to protect and ensure the
  enrollment of 9 blacks into Central High School
  after the governor of the state blocked them.

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IV. Life in the 1950's

• C. Civil Rights
• 3. Rosa Parks-refused to give up her seat
  on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
• 4. Montgomery Bus Boycott-Martin Luther King,
  Jr.-26 year old minister organized the
  boycott. His teachings were based on
  Thoreau, Gandhi, and Randolph.

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IV. Life in the 1950's

• C. Civil Rights
• 5. Mexican Americans-Cesar Chavez led
  Chicanos in their struggle for equality. His
  work led to the founding of several farmers
  unions in the Southwest.
• 6. Native Americans-Congress adopted
  termination policy-end of the reservation
  system.
• Policy was abandoned after its failure.

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V. International Crises

• A. Cold War Escalates
• John Foster Dulles-Secretary of State
  proposed massive retaliation and
  brinkmanship. (Going to the brink of war
  with Soviet Union)
• -1960-American U-2 spy plane shot down over
  Soviet Union. Soviet premier Nikita
  Kruschev threatened "we will bury you."

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V. International Crises

• B. Eisenhower Doctrine-policy that stated
  that the United States would defend the
  Middle East against communism.
• C. Space Race-Soviet Union successfully
  launched first space satellite, Sputnik, in
  1957. Began the space race that would end
  with Americans on the moon.

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V. International Crises

• Fears at Home-people began to build there own
  bomb shelters and prepare for nuclear attacks.