Transcript RAHH Day 6 agenda 07 truman domestic policy vital center

RAH Day 6 Agenda
Goal – To understand that Truman’s domestic policies and the
American political culture are examples of paradox.
1. Questions from homework?
2. Complete Graphic organizer of Truman’s Administration p 13-14
1. Identify the problems facing the US after WWII
2. How did HST address these problems?
3. How did opposition to HST reflect a central Paradox?
3. How did foreign events affect domestic politics?
4. Why did some Fair Deal programs pass & others fail to pass? Complete
pp 14
5. Explain Schlesinger’s view of the American political culture - Define the
Vital Center – identify the 3 assumptions
6. How is the vital center consistent with the major Paradox? How does it
relate to the political spectrum? Did the beliefs of the “Vital Center” work
in reality?
7. PP 15 Cold War in Asia?
8. NSC-68 – Why is this report important? How does it compare to
Kennan regarding the perception of USSR’s goals and how the
US should deal with the USSR? complete PP 15
9. Korean War – Was MacArthur right? Would you have fired MacArthur?
Chapter 2 - Inflation
Problem – very high inflation due to vast sums of money in hands of
many Americans who had not bought much for the previous 17
years – High demand + low supply + removal of price controls =
high inflation
Solution – reintroduce Price controls until supply could catch up to
demand.
Opposition – let the market work itself out – no price controls – too
communistic
Result – temporary OPA price controls stemmed inflation from ’47 to
’50, when most controls were removed – the key is that supply
caught up to demand.
Chapter 2 - Demobilization
Problem – 12 million men were in uniform overseas – we wanted
them brought home. But what will happen to jobs, income,
homes, families?
Solution – implement 1944 GI Bill (Servicemen’s Readjustment Act)
so vets could get unemployment payments, college tuition, low
interest loans for houses and businesses. Brought most troops
home by 1946. National Housing Act of 1949 to build 800k
housing units
Opposition – wanted troops home even faster and wanted taxes cut
Result – GI Bill was the most influential domestic policy of the last 50
years leading to 8 million new college students, white collar jobs,
new inventions, migration to suburbs, huge increase in house
building, ½ of women lost their jobs,
Chapter 2 - strikes
Problem – over 5000 strikes in 1946 – workers felt they had delayed
getting raises during the war, and post-war was the time for
raises. Lots of defense workers lost their jobs. Energy, steel and
transportation were shut down due to strikes
Solution – threatened owners with nationalization and the workers
with the draft if they did not negotiate and agree. On May 25,
1946 asked Congress for permission to draft Rail workers.
Opposition – Passed 1947 Taft-Hartley anti-union act over Truman’s
veto
Result – strikes were mostly ended, workers got better raises and
began the “benefits” of healthcare and pensions that are affecting
us today, but paradoxically these union victories also began a slow
decline in unionization and hurt industries by the 1980s and today.
Chapter 2 - healthcare
Problem – most Americans paid for healthcare out of pocket, but
medicine was becoming more expensive, making good health
difficult to obtain for the poor and working class.
Solution – HST proposes a national insurance program for all
Americans along the lines of the British system
Opposition – disliked the NHS and called it socialist and against
American values of free enterprise and self-reliance
Result – NHS was shot down, leading to the current private health
system we have today.
Chapter 2 – fear of communism
Problem – most Americans had grown fearful of the spread of
communism and Soviet power. This was caused by the Soviet
acquisition of the bomb, as well as spy rings, and communist
takeovers in Eastern Europe, China,
Solution – HST proposes through executive order 9835 to create the
Federal Employee Loyalty Program top investigate and remove
those deemed to be disloyal (connected to communists or accused
of such)
Opposition – the House under Republican control operates the House
Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and the rise of McCarthy
in the US Senate with his Subcommittee on Investigations
Result – 3000 federal employees were fired or resigned, hundreds or
thousands of people were accused or communist-leanings were
hinted at, and thus lost their jobs, friends and families through a
general process of blacklisting. A few were even imprisoned for not
answering questions or “lying”
Chapter 2 – ideological direction of gov’t
Problem – post-WWII with the tremendous success of the war, the war-time
economy and the New Deal during GD, there came a conflict over whether
the New Deal should continue, expand, or be repealed. Abroad – should
US come home (neo-isolationism) or lead the world (intervention or
internationalism)
Solution – HST proposes expanding the New Deal and leading the world
through multi-lateral institutions like the UN and to intervene to stop
communism.
Opposition – two sets – liberals wanted to go farther in expanding New Deal
and conservatives wanted to cut taxes and shrink the federal government.
FP – some wanted to be heavier-handed with USSR and others wanted to
cooperate, while others wanted to return to isolationism
Result – moderate expansion of existing New Deal policies, but no new
domestic programs. The US was a world leader just as Truman suggested
– spreading US influence militarily (Korea, bases in Germany, support for
France in ’Nam) diplomatically (new embassies opening throughout world),
economically (Marshall Plan, Truman Doctrine, IMF, World Bank)
Chapter 2 – Civil Rights
Problem – Blacks, Latinos, Natives, Women were all essentially2nd
class citizens after the war, even though they all worked and
sacrificed equally during the war. They wanted the equality
principle they had fought for during the war to be enacted after
the war
Solution – HST proposes a civil rights commission to investigate civil
rights issues, Executive Order 9980 desegregated the federal
bureaucracy and EO 9981 desegregated the US military, proposed
anti-lynching laws, civil rights laws
Opposition – conservatives and southern democrats (Dixiecrats)
opposed any desegregation and prevented all of the civil rights
laws Truman proposed from being passed into law
Result – the military and the federal workforce was desegregated
and the civil rights commission continued to investigate and report
on the conditions of civil rights in the US, but no laws were passed
until 1957
Truman and paradox
Cold War
1. Americans wanted the troops home from WWII but wanted to stop the
spread of Communism and Soviet power abroad.
2. The Implied threat of atomic bombs was meant to keep the USSR at bay,
but pushed the USSR to obtain the a-bomb.
3. To prevent war, more and more dangerous, powerful weapons were
created and deployed – so that they would not be used.
4. Wanted taxes lower and the government to focus on post-war domestic
problems, but politically blamed Truman for the loss of China to
communism and for being weak on the commies in Korea.
Post-war domestic issues
1. elected conservative Republicans to lower taxes and shrink the power of
the federal government – but blamed Truman for high inflation and
wanted solutions to housing, employment, wages and to stop crippling
strikes.
2. Wanted government to stay out of the economy so that business could
be business and the economy would boom – so that the government
would have more money to spend on social programs.
1948 Election
• Democrats split over :
– civil rights plank in the national platform that HST pushed
for. Therefore, with civil rights as an issue, souther
Demos left to support the States’ Rights Democratic Party
(Dixiecrats)
– direction of government – the old New Deal coalition
wanted more federal programs and expanded New Deal –
When Truman was unable to get that done and seemed
less liberal than they wanted, former VP and Commerce
Secretary Henry Wallace fronted the Progressive Party
1948 candidates
2.4%
0% electoral
vote
Henry Wallace
1.
2.
3.
4.
Progressive
Party
very liberal
more New
Deal,
cooperation
with USSR
Civil rights
49.6%
45.1%
Winner
35.5%
electoral vote
Harry Truman
1.
2.
3.
4.
Democratic
Party
liberal
Fair Deal,
Containment
of USSR
Civil Rights
2.4%
7.5% electoral
vote
Thomas Dewey
Strom Thurmond
1.
2.
1.
3.
4.
Republican
Party
conservative
Smaller gov’t
lower taxes,
Confront
USSR
Anti-union
2.
3.
4.
States’ Rights
Democratic Party
Socially
conservative
Opposed to civil
rights
Confront USSR
Opposed to civil
rights
PP 14 - Truman’s Fair Deal – Jan. 5, 1949
Proposal
Provisions
Did it pass? Why?
Minimum
Increase wage to .75
wage increase cents
Passed people wanted it just extended a New Deal
policy people already liked
External rent
controls
Temporary fixed price for
1947
Passed because of housing
shortage post WWII
Displaced
Person’s Act
400,000 refugees allowed Passed due to guilt and
in
altruism
National
Housing Act
1949
810,000 new low income
housing units built with
Fed $
Increase in
80% increase in benefits
social security and 10 ½ million more
eligible
Passed – housing pressure
on localities and good for
veterans
Passed – continuation of
popular New Deal plan
PP 14 - Truman’s Fair Deal – Jan. 5, 1949
Proposal
Provisions
Did it pass? Why?
Aid to
education
Money to improve schools Failed – too liberal and too
costly
Crop subsidies Money to help farmers
Failed – too liberal
Repeal of
Taft-Hartley
act
End limits on organized
labor
Failed – people still antistrikes and anti-communist
Ntnl health
plan
Federal gov’t to pay
doctors
Failed, too liberal - called
socialist
Civil rights
Anti-lynching, end poll
tax, protect blacks, end
disc in work
Failed – Dixiecrats and
most Republicans opposed
The Vital Center
Economic
Growth
Growth in the economy due to
capitalist activity will lead to
employment and productivity
increases which will lead to socioeconomic equality, the end of
class divisions, create social
harmony and provide money for
social programs
Gov’t action to promote economic
growth in the private sector will
provide money through taxes for
increased social welfare spending
by gov’t – operationally liberal –
philosophically conservative
Foreign
affairs
Interventionist internationalism to
contain communism and soviet
power
Wanted the troops brought
home, low taxes and a focus on
domestic issues but needed to
keep the commies down & out.
Wanted smaller gov’t but blamed
Truman for losing China and
Korea
Prosperity
With the economy doing well
every boat would rise. The people
will be consensual, standard of
living will rise, farmers, workers,
businesses will do better and
everyone will be happy.
High expectations were unmet
leading to increased social, class
and race tensions as well as
ideological divisions
• List evidence that Schlesinger is right, that there is a vital center in
American politics.
• Are the beliefs held by the “Vital Center” successful in achieving
their goals?
• Did the beliefs of the “Vital Center” work in reality?
Chapter 3 – cold war in asia
Situation
Explain the situation by1950
US response
Civil War in
China
Fall of China leads
US to support
France in Vietnam
with military and
financial
assistance
Jiang Jieshi and his nationalist
Guo Min Dong gov’t was fighting
against Mao Zedong’s Chinese
Communist Party. Truman did
not want to see communism
spread and Jiang had a lot of
support in US congress.
Jiang failed – Mao takes China
Up to 3 billion dollars to support
Jiang, but he is too corrupt and
dictatorial to win.
Jiang and guo mindong leave
mainland China to go to Taiwan.
US does not recognize Chinese
Communists as government of
China.
France wanted to return to
empire by taking back Vietnam
from the Japanese. Ho Chi Minh,
our Vietnamese ally during
WWII, was leading the fight with
his Viet Minh party against
French forces.
US wanted to maintain French
support for NATO in Europe so
US allowed France to attempt to
retake ‘Nam. Ho asked for US
assistance, was denied to looked
to USSR for support. By ’50 Us
began funding French effort.
Soviets test their first a-bomb in
1949
US is afraid it will lose military
superiority so Truman authorizes
money to research and build Hbomb.
Vietnam
USSR gets Abomb
Chapter 3 – Kennan v NSC-68
Kennan in long telegram
Paul Nitze’s NSC-68
Assessment of
Soviet Threat
USSR is a RIVAL for global
influence. It wants to slowly
weaken the US and expand its
influence at the expense of the
US.
Soviets want to take over the
world and spread their evil
ideology while destroying the
US.
Soviets want absolute control in
their own sphere
Want to destroy the non-soviet
governments in the world
Proposed
response
Long, slow, patient, multifaceted pressure to counter
Soviet moves through
diplomacy, politics, economics
and military means, but
without rattling US sabres.
CONTAINMENT
Very rapid and massive buildup
of US conventional, and nuclear
forces. Need a big military
shield to deter or defeat Soviet
aggression and protect the
global post-war system
Continue to expand capitalism
Tone of
writing
Calm, patient concern, but
confident of success and
reasonable
Aggressive, worried, tough and
immediate.
The Cold War Comes Home
What were they
accused of?
How were they
affected by the
accusations?
Were the
accusations fair?
The Hollywood
Ten
Being supporters and
promoters of
communism in films
and not answering
Congress’ questions
They lost their jobs
and went to jail for
contempt of
Congress
No because being a
communist cannot
be illegal in the US
due to the 1st
Amendment
Alger Hiss
At first spying for the
USSR, but later lying
to congress about
being a spy
He went to jail for
5 years for the
perjury charge
At first no, the
evidence was fishy.
But we now know
he was a minor spy
Julius and
Ethel
Rosenberg
Stealing nuclear
secrets
The were executed
On the surface, not
really, but the
evidence now is
fairly overwhelming
McCarthyism
What motivated
McCarthyism?
Why did it succeed at first?
Motivated by
Fear : of communists in US, fear
personal desire
of being accused of being a
for political power communist, fear of the
consequences of accusations like
blacklisting, loss of elections,
social stigma.
Politically expedient : Congress
saw that supporting McC could
help w/ reelection and
opposition would result in
election loss.
Ike did not oppose McCarthy
(for the above reasons)
Why did it fall out of
favor?
McCarthy was seen in
the Army-McCarthy
hearings for who he
really was, a brutish
lout with no real
evidence. Once the
public saw him for
real, and Ike had
come out against him,
he was finished
politically.
Fear and Suspicion
Soviets Get
A- Bomb
Espionage
Rings
Expansion of
Communism
China
Korea
Alger
Hiss
E. Europe
Rosenbergs
Fear and Suspicion of
Communism in the US
HUAC
hearings
(1946-1954
FELP 1947
McCarthyism
1950-54
Blacklisting
“Witch”
Hunts