ch. 36 Study Guide
Chapter #36: IDENTIFICATIONS
Joseph McCarthy or “McCarthyism”
-Senator who wanted to portray himself as a red hunter and made wild accusations during this hysteria.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
-a suspected spy couple who were convicted of espionage and were executed, leaving their two children orphaned.
Adlai Stevenson
-Democratic nomination for the election of 1952. He was a governor of Illinois.
Richard Nixon
-red hunter who convicted Alger Hiss.
Yalta Conference
-Meeting between the Big 3 that included broken promises and more distrust between USSR and America. Russia promised to enter war against Japan and to give free elections in Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania. He went against that promise.
United Nations
-created in San Francisco days after the death of FDR. Concept was the same as the League of Nations. It had 3 categories: general assembly, Security Council, and relief-based agencies.
Iron Curtain
-Border between West Berlin and East Berlin
Berlin airlift
When Russia cut off West Berlin from East Berlin, U.S. flew supplies into West Berlin through the Berlin Airlift.
Containment
-The idea that communism only needed to be contained. This idea became formal with George Kennan’s containment doctrine.
Truman Doctrine
-gave $400 million to help Greece and Turkey because England could no longer defend them.
Marshall Plan
-sent $12.5 billion to all European countries who were threatened by communist nations.
National Security Act
-created in 1947 to reorganize the army. It created the department of defense, a national security council, the cia, and the voice of America
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- Alliance between the old allies where attacking one meant attacking them all. It caused Soviets to create the Warsaw pact, further causing tension.
Taft-Hartley Act
-passed by congress to ban closed shops and made it harder for labor unions to grow
Fair Deal
- after winning the election, Truman created this domestic program to improve housing, increase employment, minimum wage, farm price supports, a new TVA, and extend social security.
Thirty-eighth parallel
-The line dividing south Korea and North Korea
NSC-68
-Document created by the National Security council that quadrupled America’s defense spending
Chapter #36 Guided Reading Questions
Postwar Economic Anxieties
Know: Gross National Product, Taft-Hartley Act, Closed Shop, Council of Economic Advisors, GI Bill
1. Describe the downs and ups of the economy in the years following WWII.
After World War 2, many soldiers from coming home from the war were left jobless and suicide and marriage rates declined drastically. Babies went unborn and many people foreshadowed another Great Depression. The Gross national product (GNP) declined and an epidemic of strikes swept the country. The Republican Controlled congress passed the Taft Hartley Act, even though it was condemned as a slave labor law. It outlawed the closed shop, or unions, and required union leaders to take a noncommunist oath. It slowed the growth of organized labor. The Employment Act, which created a three-member Council of Economic Advisers to provide the president with the data needed. The GI bill of Rights was also known as the Servicemen's readjustment act of 1944. It made generous provisions for sending the former soldiers to school.
The Long Economic Boom, 1950-1970
2. How did women benefit from the economic boom?
Urban offices and shops provided numerous opportunities for female workers. After the war, women accounted for a quarter of the American work forced and nearly half of the labor pool five decades later. These opportunities created for the women led to a feminist revolt in the 1960s.
The Roots of Postwar Prosperity
Know: R and D, Productivity
3. What evidence can you cite that shows the years 1950-1970 were good years economically?
Cheap energy provided the spark for the American boom and this kept the prices low and the economy high. Americans doubled their consumption of inexpensive oil and workers chalked up spectacular gains in productivity, the amount of output per hour of work. Productivity was the key of prosperity. Family farm nearly became an antique artifact largely due to new advancements in technology. The military budget also financed much scientific research and development, one example would be "R and D," leading the name of one of the most famous "think tanks," The Rand Corporation.
The Smiling Sunbelt
Know: Benjamin Spock, Sunbelt, Frostbelt, Rustbelt
4. How did the population shift in the years after the war?
After the war, Americans began moving across the country. An average of 30 million people changed residences every year in 1945. Because of this movement, there was a stress on separating families, leading to the popularity of advice books on child rearing. An example of one would be Benjamin Spock's Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care. The Growth of the Sun belt, a fifteen state area stretching from Virginia through Florida and Texas to Arizona and California. The north east was known as the Frostbelt because it was cold and many people did not move there. The Ohio valley was known as the rustbelt because it was a heavy industry region.
The Rush to the Suburbs
Know: Federal Housing Authority, Veterans Administration, Levittown, White Flight
5. Was the shift to the suburbs good for America? Explain.
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Veterans Administration (VA) home loan guarantees made it more economically attractive to own a home in the suburbs than to rent an apartment in the cities. This led to a development of government built highways that allowed ease for transportation for those who live in suburbs. The Levitt brothers created the first Levittown started in New York's Long Island. There were thousands of houses, which brought a long a lot of critics but actually was supported by many home buyers. "White Flight" to the leafy green suburbs left the inner cities empty. Many Africans moved into urban neighborhoods that were abandoned by the leaving white middle class. This brought poverty to the inner cored of northern cities.
The Postwar Baby Boom
Know: Baby Boom
6. How did the bulge in population caused by the Baby Boom change American life over the decades?
A Decade and a half after 1845, there was a dramatic baby boom where the birthrate increased up and over the record. This lead to a demographic explosion of over 50 million babies. Elementary school enrollment increased and this boom led to new industries such as canned food and other baby products. Music industries and Clothing industries made millions off teenagers and youngsters. There was a growth in youth culture and American society now focused more on the younger generation.
Makers of America: The Suburbanites
Know: Federal Housing Administration, Levittowns, White Flight
7. How did suburbs revolutionize life in America?
The importance of the home increased as suburbs developed and transportation inventions were highly advanced. For example, many government-built interstate highways were built to speed up transportation efficiency and communication. With this, the number of families with cars increased as well, leading to the created of businesses revolving around the car, such as drive in Cafe.
Truman: the "Gutty" Man from Missouri
Know: "The buck stops here."
8. What kind of a man was Harry S Truman?
Truman was very average. Even his height, five feet eight, was average. He was the first president in many years without a college education, he had farmed, served as an artillery officer in France during World War I. he was known as the accidental president. He had down home authenticity, few pretensions, rock solid probity, and a lot of that old fashioned character trait called moxie.
Yalta: Bargain or Betrayal?
Know: Yalta, United Nations
9. Why was the Yalta conference controversial in the decade following it?
The Yalta conference was between the Big Three, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt. Roosevelt was almost about to die. The Final plans were made to crush the German lines. They agreed on created a new international peacekeeping organization--the United Nations. The most controversial ideas concerned the Far East. The Atomic bomb had not yet been tested so FDR said that Stalin should enter the Asian war to lighten up American losses. Stalin only agreed.
The United States and the Soviet Union
Know: Communism, Capitalism, Sphere of Influence
10. How did similarities and differences both cause the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. to have difficulties dealing with each other?
The US was a capitalist country while the USSR was a communist country. They both hated each other’s economic philosophies yet were both very powerful countries who wanted to influence and control other countries, such as china. This idea was known as the Sphere of influence.
Shaping the Postwar World
Know: International Monetary Fund; World Bank; Security Council; General Assembly; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; Food and Agricultural Organization; World Health Organization
11. For what problems were international organizations established after WWII?
Established by the Allies, the International Monetary Fund encouraged world trade by regulating currency exchange rates. The World bank promoted economic growth in developing countries. The UN created a security council that stated that no member could have an action taken without its consent. UN worked on developing many organizations such as WHO and FAO to aide peoples all over the world.
The Problem of Germany
Know: Nuremberg, Hermann Goering, Big Four, Iron Curtain, Berlin Airlift
12. What problems did Germany cause between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.?
During the Nuremberg war crimes trial, the only thing the Allies could agree on was punishing German leaders. Hermann Goering committed suicide a few hours before his execution. The BIG four divided Germany into 4 occupation zones. America wanted to rebuild the German economy but Soviets did not. After Germany was divided, the line between East and West Germany was known as the Iron curtain. Americans had to send goods to their people in the American Berlin areas, so cam the lift known as the Berlin Airlift.
A Cold War Congeals
Know: George Kennan, Containment, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan
13. Describe the policies followed by Truman in relation to the Soviets.
Soviet Specialist George F. Kennan took a very aggressive stance with the Soviets and convinced Truman to “Get tough with Russia.” They wanted to contain communism and they did that by passing the Truman Doctrine, to aide Greece and Turkey. The Marshall plan was passed to send money to 16 countries for over 4 years.
America Begins to Rearm
Know: National Security Act, Defense Department, Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Council, Central Intelligence Agency, Voice of America, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
14. List and define the organizations set up to deal with the Soviet Union.
The National security Act created the Department of Defence, which was located in the Pentagon building. It also created the National Security council to advise the president on security matters and the central intelligence Agency for international matters. The “Voice of America” was a radio station that broadcasted behind the iron curtain. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was between 12 countries and it stated that each country would protect the other when attacked. Its purpose was to bring the Russians down.
Reconstruction and Revolution in Asia
Know: Douglas MacArthur, Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Zedong, H-bomb
15. Our WWII ally China gave us more trouble in the post war years than our enemy Japan. Explain.
Japan was very willing to agree to America’s democracy and saw that good behavior under MacArthur’s plans would bring them prosperity. It would soon make Japan one of the most powerful industries. In china, there was a bitter civil war between the Nationalists, led by chiang Kai-shek and the communist, led by Mao Zedong. After the Soviets had exploded an Atomic bomb themselves, Truman rushed to create the H-bomb, which was a thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb.
Ferreting Out Alleged Communists
Know: Smith Act, Committee on Un-American Activities, Richard M. Nixon, Alger Hiss, Joseph R. McCarthy, McCarran Internal Security Bill, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
16. Did the U.S. government go too far trying to prevent communist infiltration?
Yes, America did go too far in trying to prevent communist infiltration. The Smith act was the first peacetime anti-sedition law and openly threatened the freedoms of speech, thought, and political dissent in America.
Democratic Divisions in 1948
Know: Dixiecrats, Strom Thurmond, Henry Wallace, Do-nothing Congress, "Dewey Defeats Truman," Point Four, Fair Deal
17. How successful was Truman in passing his domestic program?
Despite the problems with the Dixiecrats and the splitting of the Democratic party, Truman managed to defeat Dewey despite the Odds. He continued to support underprivileged countries by having a new program called Point Four. With regards to domestic problems, Truman created the Fair Deal program that called for improved housing, full employment, a higher minimum wage, better farm price supports, new TVAs and an extension of Social Security.
The Korean Volcano Erupts (1950)
Know: 38th Parallel, Dean Acheson, NSC-68, Police Action
18. What was the impact of the Korean War on the Cold War?
The Korean War fueled the heat from the cold war. At the 38th parallel, Russian and U.S. forces surrendered but failed to connect the two countries together. Acheson stated that Korean was not in our protection zone, but after the NSc was passed, America was free to use MacArther like a police force of the UN to aide South Korea.
The Military Seesaw in Korea
Know: Pusan Perimeter, Inchon, Chinese Volunteers, Douglas MacArthur
19. Why did Truman fire MacArthur?
After pushing the South Korean lines all the way up to the Yalu River, china became anxious and demanded that America did not come even closer. Truman warned Macarthur to stop once the Russians and Chinese were hostile but MacArthur did not listen the Chinese Volunteers came into north Korea and fought the Americans all the way back to the 38th Parallel. Macarthur was then fired.
Varying Viewpoints: Who Was to Blame for the Cold War?
20. What is the current opinion of most historians on the above question?
Years after the War, most Americans blamed the Soviets. However, after the unpopular US involvement in Vietnam, many people blamed America. They saw the Soviets as just protecting themselves while the Americans were provocatively showing off their atomic power. Many blamed Truman for using a bullying attitude and getting rid of Roosevelt’s conciliatory approach to other nations.
Joseph McCarthy or “McCarthyism”
-Senator who wanted to portray himself as a red hunter and made wild accusations during this hysteria.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
-a suspected spy couple who were convicted of espionage and were executed, leaving their two children orphaned.
Adlai Stevenson
-Democratic nomination for the election of 1952. He was a governor of Illinois.
Richard Nixon
-red hunter who convicted Alger Hiss.
Yalta Conference
-Meeting between the Big 3 that included broken promises and more distrust between USSR and America. Russia promised to enter war against Japan and to give free elections in Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania. He went against that promise.
United Nations
-created in San Francisco days after the death of FDR. Concept was the same as the League of Nations. It had 3 categories: general assembly, Security Council, and relief-based agencies.
Iron Curtain
-Border between West Berlin and East Berlin
Berlin airlift
When Russia cut off West Berlin from East Berlin, U.S. flew supplies into West Berlin through the Berlin Airlift.
Containment
-The idea that communism only needed to be contained. This idea became formal with George Kennan’s containment doctrine.
Truman Doctrine
-gave $400 million to help Greece and Turkey because England could no longer defend them.
Marshall Plan
-sent $12.5 billion to all European countries who were threatened by communist nations.
National Security Act
-created in 1947 to reorganize the army. It created the department of defense, a national security council, the cia, and the voice of America
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- Alliance between the old allies where attacking one meant attacking them all. It caused Soviets to create the Warsaw pact, further causing tension.
Taft-Hartley Act
-passed by congress to ban closed shops and made it harder for labor unions to grow
Fair Deal
- after winning the election, Truman created this domestic program to improve housing, increase employment, minimum wage, farm price supports, a new TVA, and extend social security.
Thirty-eighth parallel
-The line dividing south Korea and North Korea
NSC-68
-Document created by the National Security council that quadrupled America’s defense spending
Chapter #36 Guided Reading Questions
Postwar Economic Anxieties
Know: Gross National Product, Taft-Hartley Act, Closed Shop, Council of Economic Advisors, GI Bill
1. Describe the downs and ups of the economy in the years following WWII.
After World War 2, many soldiers from coming home from the war were left jobless and suicide and marriage rates declined drastically. Babies went unborn and many people foreshadowed another Great Depression. The Gross national product (GNP) declined and an epidemic of strikes swept the country. The Republican Controlled congress passed the Taft Hartley Act, even though it was condemned as a slave labor law. It outlawed the closed shop, or unions, and required union leaders to take a noncommunist oath. It slowed the growth of organized labor. The Employment Act, which created a three-member Council of Economic Advisers to provide the president with the data needed. The GI bill of Rights was also known as the Servicemen's readjustment act of 1944. It made generous provisions for sending the former soldiers to school.
The Long Economic Boom, 1950-1970
2. How did women benefit from the economic boom?
Urban offices and shops provided numerous opportunities for female workers. After the war, women accounted for a quarter of the American work forced and nearly half of the labor pool five decades later. These opportunities created for the women led to a feminist revolt in the 1960s.
The Roots of Postwar Prosperity
Know: R and D, Productivity
3. What evidence can you cite that shows the years 1950-1970 were good years economically?
Cheap energy provided the spark for the American boom and this kept the prices low and the economy high. Americans doubled their consumption of inexpensive oil and workers chalked up spectacular gains in productivity, the amount of output per hour of work. Productivity was the key of prosperity. Family farm nearly became an antique artifact largely due to new advancements in technology. The military budget also financed much scientific research and development, one example would be "R and D," leading the name of one of the most famous "think tanks," The Rand Corporation.
The Smiling Sunbelt
Know: Benjamin Spock, Sunbelt, Frostbelt, Rustbelt
4. How did the population shift in the years after the war?
After the war, Americans began moving across the country. An average of 30 million people changed residences every year in 1945. Because of this movement, there was a stress on separating families, leading to the popularity of advice books on child rearing. An example of one would be Benjamin Spock's Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care. The Growth of the Sun belt, a fifteen state area stretching from Virginia through Florida and Texas to Arizona and California. The north east was known as the Frostbelt because it was cold and many people did not move there. The Ohio valley was known as the rustbelt because it was a heavy industry region.
The Rush to the Suburbs
Know: Federal Housing Authority, Veterans Administration, Levittown, White Flight
5. Was the shift to the suburbs good for America? Explain.
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Veterans Administration (VA) home loan guarantees made it more economically attractive to own a home in the suburbs than to rent an apartment in the cities. This led to a development of government built highways that allowed ease for transportation for those who live in suburbs. The Levitt brothers created the first Levittown started in New York's Long Island. There were thousands of houses, which brought a long a lot of critics but actually was supported by many home buyers. "White Flight" to the leafy green suburbs left the inner cities empty. Many Africans moved into urban neighborhoods that were abandoned by the leaving white middle class. This brought poverty to the inner cored of northern cities.
The Postwar Baby Boom
Know: Baby Boom
6. How did the bulge in population caused by the Baby Boom change American life over the decades?
A Decade and a half after 1845, there was a dramatic baby boom where the birthrate increased up and over the record. This lead to a demographic explosion of over 50 million babies. Elementary school enrollment increased and this boom led to new industries such as canned food and other baby products. Music industries and Clothing industries made millions off teenagers and youngsters. There was a growth in youth culture and American society now focused more on the younger generation.
Makers of America: The Suburbanites
Know: Federal Housing Administration, Levittowns, White Flight
7. How did suburbs revolutionize life in America?
The importance of the home increased as suburbs developed and transportation inventions were highly advanced. For example, many government-built interstate highways were built to speed up transportation efficiency and communication. With this, the number of families with cars increased as well, leading to the created of businesses revolving around the car, such as drive in Cafe.
Truman: the "Gutty" Man from Missouri
Know: "The buck stops here."
8. What kind of a man was Harry S Truman?
Truman was very average. Even his height, five feet eight, was average. He was the first president in many years without a college education, he had farmed, served as an artillery officer in France during World War I. he was known as the accidental president. He had down home authenticity, few pretensions, rock solid probity, and a lot of that old fashioned character trait called moxie.
Yalta: Bargain or Betrayal?
Know: Yalta, United Nations
9. Why was the Yalta conference controversial in the decade following it?
The Yalta conference was between the Big Three, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt. Roosevelt was almost about to die. The Final plans were made to crush the German lines. They agreed on created a new international peacekeeping organization--the United Nations. The most controversial ideas concerned the Far East. The Atomic bomb had not yet been tested so FDR said that Stalin should enter the Asian war to lighten up American losses. Stalin only agreed.
The United States and the Soviet Union
Know: Communism, Capitalism, Sphere of Influence
10. How did similarities and differences both cause the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. to have difficulties dealing with each other?
The US was a capitalist country while the USSR was a communist country. They both hated each other’s economic philosophies yet were both very powerful countries who wanted to influence and control other countries, such as china. This idea was known as the Sphere of influence.
Shaping the Postwar World
Know: International Monetary Fund; World Bank; Security Council; General Assembly; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; Food and Agricultural Organization; World Health Organization
11. For what problems were international organizations established after WWII?
Established by the Allies, the International Monetary Fund encouraged world trade by regulating currency exchange rates. The World bank promoted economic growth in developing countries. The UN created a security council that stated that no member could have an action taken without its consent. UN worked on developing many organizations such as WHO and FAO to aide peoples all over the world.
The Problem of Germany
Know: Nuremberg, Hermann Goering, Big Four, Iron Curtain, Berlin Airlift
12. What problems did Germany cause between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.?
During the Nuremberg war crimes trial, the only thing the Allies could agree on was punishing German leaders. Hermann Goering committed suicide a few hours before his execution. The BIG four divided Germany into 4 occupation zones. America wanted to rebuild the German economy but Soviets did not. After Germany was divided, the line between East and West Germany was known as the Iron curtain. Americans had to send goods to their people in the American Berlin areas, so cam the lift known as the Berlin Airlift.
A Cold War Congeals
Know: George Kennan, Containment, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan
13. Describe the policies followed by Truman in relation to the Soviets.
Soviet Specialist George F. Kennan took a very aggressive stance with the Soviets and convinced Truman to “Get tough with Russia.” They wanted to contain communism and they did that by passing the Truman Doctrine, to aide Greece and Turkey. The Marshall plan was passed to send money to 16 countries for over 4 years.
America Begins to Rearm
Know: National Security Act, Defense Department, Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Council, Central Intelligence Agency, Voice of America, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
14. List and define the organizations set up to deal with the Soviet Union.
The National security Act created the Department of Defence, which was located in the Pentagon building. It also created the National Security council to advise the president on security matters and the central intelligence Agency for international matters. The “Voice of America” was a radio station that broadcasted behind the iron curtain. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was between 12 countries and it stated that each country would protect the other when attacked. Its purpose was to bring the Russians down.
Reconstruction and Revolution in Asia
Know: Douglas MacArthur, Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Zedong, H-bomb
15. Our WWII ally China gave us more trouble in the post war years than our enemy Japan. Explain.
Japan was very willing to agree to America’s democracy and saw that good behavior under MacArthur’s plans would bring them prosperity. It would soon make Japan one of the most powerful industries. In china, there was a bitter civil war between the Nationalists, led by chiang Kai-shek and the communist, led by Mao Zedong. After the Soviets had exploded an Atomic bomb themselves, Truman rushed to create the H-bomb, which was a thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb.
Ferreting Out Alleged Communists
Know: Smith Act, Committee on Un-American Activities, Richard M. Nixon, Alger Hiss, Joseph R. McCarthy, McCarran Internal Security Bill, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
16. Did the U.S. government go too far trying to prevent communist infiltration?
Yes, America did go too far in trying to prevent communist infiltration. The Smith act was the first peacetime anti-sedition law and openly threatened the freedoms of speech, thought, and political dissent in America.
Democratic Divisions in 1948
Know: Dixiecrats, Strom Thurmond, Henry Wallace, Do-nothing Congress, "Dewey Defeats Truman," Point Four, Fair Deal
17. How successful was Truman in passing his domestic program?
Despite the problems with the Dixiecrats and the splitting of the Democratic party, Truman managed to defeat Dewey despite the Odds. He continued to support underprivileged countries by having a new program called Point Four. With regards to domestic problems, Truman created the Fair Deal program that called for improved housing, full employment, a higher minimum wage, better farm price supports, new TVAs and an extension of Social Security.
The Korean Volcano Erupts (1950)
Know: 38th Parallel, Dean Acheson, NSC-68, Police Action
18. What was the impact of the Korean War on the Cold War?
The Korean War fueled the heat from the cold war. At the 38th parallel, Russian and U.S. forces surrendered but failed to connect the two countries together. Acheson stated that Korean was not in our protection zone, but after the NSc was passed, America was free to use MacArther like a police force of the UN to aide South Korea.
The Military Seesaw in Korea
Know: Pusan Perimeter, Inchon, Chinese Volunteers, Douglas MacArthur
19. Why did Truman fire MacArthur?
After pushing the South Korean lines all the way up to the Yalu River, china became anxious and demanded that America did not come even closer. Truman warned Macarthur to stop once the Russians and Chinese were hostile but MacArthur did not listen the Chinese Volunteers came into north Korea and fought the Americans all the way back to the 38th Parallel. Macarthur was then fired.
Varying Viewpoints: Who Was to Blame for the Cold War?
20. What is the current opinion of most historians on the above question?
Years after the War, most Americans blamed the Soviets. However, after the unpopular US involvement in Vietnam, many people blamed America. They saw the Soviets as just protecting themselves while the Americans were provocatively showing off their atomic power. Many blamed Truman for using a bullying attitude and getting rid of Roosevelt’s conciliatory approach to other nations.