Transcript SOL Review Unit Nine PowerPointx - pams

* Post World War II America
and the Cold War
*Changes in Post World
War II America
Peace and Prosperity as a Global Superpower
* Returning veterans from
World War II were given the
opportunity to attend
college.
* Vets were also given low
interest loans with which
they could purchase houses.
* Employment opportunities
for veterans were
everywhere. They were the
first hired for jobs all across
America.
*The G.I. Bill of Rights
Helped Soldiers Transition
to American Life
* As President of the United States, Harry S
Truman was the commander-in-chief of the
United States Armed forces. As such, he
made the decision to integrate the US
Military in 1948 and made it the official by
executive order.
* Truman desegregated the armed forces for
several reasons. First, he had personally
seen African-American soldiers serve
bravely during World War I. He had seen
their contributions to World War II as
commander in chief. Moreover, labor
leader A. Philip Randolph was pressuring
him to desegregate – and preparing a
march on Washington for the cause.. And
finally, in 1947, Jackie Robinson had
integrated Major League Baseball! If
baseball could integrate, so could the
United States Armed forces!
*Harry S Truman Desegregated
the US Armed Forces in 1948.
* Civil Rights legislation – laws
like the Civil Rights Act of
1964 and the Voting Rights
Act of 1965 - led to
increased educational,
economic, and political
opportunities for women and
minorities. Greater
individual rights and
significant progress towards
living up to the idea of
“equal protection under the
law” were made.
*The Civil Rights Movement
Changed the United States
* Former First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt fought
for basic human rights at
home and abroad.
While FDR was President, Eleanor Roosevelt had
served as the “eyes and ears” of the President.
After he passed away in April of 1945 – just
before the end of World War II – she remained
an influential figure.
While she was the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt
fought for African-American equality. She also
supported anti-lynching bills in Congress.
Eleanor Roosevelt held news conferences just
for female reporters, encouraging greater
opportunity for women.
She was also an ambassador to the United
Nations later in her life, where she advanced
the cause of human rights.
* By the 1940s and 1950s, there were
The “JC” stands for Jim Crow.
already many laws in place which
supported African-Americans’
demands for equality:
* The 14th Amendment to the
Constitution guaranteed citizenship
rights and equal protection under the
law.
* The 15th Amendment stated that
African-American men could vote.
* The NAACP’s lawyers fought to make
certain that these laws were upheld!
* African-Americans and groups like the NAACP
continued to fight for equal rights and the
enforcement of standing laws.
Good jobs and prosperity
were available to everyone
willing to work hard during
the boom of the 1950s.
Many returning veterans
used the G.I. Bill of Rights
to get started, built homes,
and started families. The
economy boomed as housing
construction increased and
American factories
transformed from making
war materials to more
domestic goods.
*
Following World War II, the economy of the United
States was strong. The housing market boomed,
American factories were productive, and new
worldwide markets purchased American goods.
* Greater
Investment in
Education,
especially Math
and Science
After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik
into space, Americans started to believe
that the USSR had surpassed us in terms
of science and technology. By the end of
the 1950s, the “missile gap” was
considered a major shortcoming of the
United States. Part of the reason the
USA invested so much money into math
and science classes and invested into the
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) was to make
certain that we led the way in terms of
science and technology.
*The “Baby Boom,” led to
changing demographics and
huge population growth.
Dwight Eisenhower was
so impressed by the
Autobahn in Germany
that he insisted that the
United States – for
military and
commercial reasons –
build an interstate
highway system of our
own during the 1950s.
*Interstate Highway System
* The Role of
Women in Society
Changes
Women had gained the right to vote in the
1920s with the passage of the 19th
Amendment. During World War II, the
contributions of women to factory work and
the war effort had made a major impact on
the outcome of the conflict.
After the war, women demanded greater
economic and social independence, insisting
that if they so chose, they should be able to
work outside the home in any capacity they
wished. Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine
Mystique to articulate this message, and the
National Organization for Women (NOW)
also pushed for equal rights.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 would forbid
discrimination against women on the basis of
their sex.
Throughout the decades of the 1960s and
1970s, feminists attempted to pass the Equal
Rights Amendment, as well. It never passed.
*Changes in the
American Economy,
1945 – the Present
Reasons for the Rapid Growth of the American Economy
The United States
went through a brief
transition period
following World War
II, but quickly
became the
strongest and most
productive economy
in the World.
Consumer goods and
international
markets helped US
business grow.
* With rationing of consumer goods over,
businesses converted from production
of war materials to consumer goods.
Purchasing costly goods
– like cars, electronic
appliances, or houses –
required consumers to
buy with credit. Using
credit cards for
payment started in the
1950s. Soon,
Americans would rely
on these short term
loans to purchase a
wide variety of goods.
*Americans Purchased Goods on
Credit, Confident that their
Economic Future was Strong!
Gender roles during
the 1940s and 1950s
dictated that women
should leave there
jobs in the factories
to make way for
returning veterans.
Men were considered
the breadwinners in
society. Many
women felt
discontent with the
arrangement!
* The work force shifted back to men,
and most women returned full time
to family responsibilities. Some were
very discontent!
* The American Federation of Labor
and the Congress of Industrial
Organizations (AFL-CIO) merged
during the 1950s. They shared
many of the same goals: higher pay,
fewer working hours, and safer
working conditions.
* Unions made major strides towards
these goals during the 1950s.
* Samuel Gompers had founded the
American Federation of Labor (AFL)
in 1886.
* John L. Lewis was the founder of
the Congress of Industrial
Organizations (CIO) in the 1930s.
*Labor Unions Merged and
Became More Powerful.
* Prosperity and Technology Allowed
women to Re-Enter the Labor Force
in Large Numbers. Problems
persisted in wages and promotions.
*Individuals of Note
During the Second Half
of the 20th Century
•
•
Ray Kroc wasn’t the founder of
McDonald’s – it was actually founded by
two brothers –named McDonald – in
California. Kroc liked the restaurant so
well that he mass produced it!
Franchises of the McDonald’s restaurants
were created using quality control
methods. Every hamburger, french fry,
or milkshake in every restaurant had the
same proportions of the same
ingredients, and everything was
supposed to taste alike! That way, a
traveler in a faraway town knew they
could count on the quality of McDonald’s
restaurants, no matter what.
*Ray Kroc of McDonald’s Fame
The Guggenheim Museum in New York is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous works.
* Frank Lloyd Wright was a famous
architect. He believed building
designs should be inspired by nature
and fit into their surroundings.
*Martha Graham was the Founder
of Modern Dance in America.
*The Cold War Between the
United States and the USSR
A War of Ideology and Visions, 1945 - 1991
*
The United Nations was formed near the end of World
War II to create a body for the nations of the world to
try to prevent future global wars. Today, it serves as
an international peacekeeping organization.
* The Cold War
The Cold War was the longstanding state
of tension between the United States and
the Soviet Union - without actual fighting
between Americans and Russians directly which divided the world into two camps
from 1945 – 1991.
The two nations engaged in a prolonged
arms race which brought the world to the
brink of nuclear war on several occasions.
Both sides believed that the goal of the
other side was world domination. Both sides
believed that the others were conspiring to
take over other nations throughout the
world.
* Much of Europe was in ruins following
World War II. Soviet forces occupied
Eastern and portions of Central Europe,
including East Germany, after WW II.
* The Truman Doctrine
In 1947, President Harry S.
Truman introduced the policy of
containment by announcing that
the United States would provide
over $400 Million to Turkey and
Greece to prevent the spread of
communism. The Truman
Doctrine – and the $400 Million
- saved Turkey and Greece
from communist aggression.
The money was given to
supporters of capitalism and
democracy – our most treasured
American values. Communism
was halted. The containment
policy had been successful.
* The United States felt it was in its best interest
to help rebuild Europe and prevent political
and economic instability.
* The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan for
reconstructing Europe provided
over $13 Million to any nation
in Europe which pledged itself
to democracy and capitalism.
Compared to the Soviet Union’s
exploitation of nations in
Eastern Europe, the United
States plan looked pretty good!
*
The United States felt it
was in its best interest to
help rebuild Europe and
prevent political and
economic instability.
* A Divide Germany
Germany was partitioned into East and West
Germany following World War II. West Germany
became democratic, and capitalistic, and was
allowed to resume self-government after a few
years of American, British, and French
occupation.
The Soviet Union had been attacked twice by
Germany in the 20th Century, and did not whish
to see Germany reunified. East Germany
remained under the domination of the Soviet
Union and did not adopt democratic
institutions. It would remain communist until
1989.
Similarly, the city of Berlin was divided into
four parts. When Joseph Stalin attempted to
take control of the city with the Berlin
Blockade in 1948, American and British
intervention saved the city.
The United States
The Soviet Union
• Capitalism – free trade and
* Communism – the
• Democratic Government
* Totalitarian Dictatorship
• Individual Rights – Free
* No Individual Rights –
free enterprise.
Speech and Religion
government controlled all.
Dissent was not tolerated.
* Major Differences in the Cold War –
The US vs. The Soviet Union
* The Soviet Union controlled all of
Eastern Europe.
• The United States was committed to a policy of
containment – a policy to stop the spread of
Communism. The United States used a variety
of methods to encourage containment:
• The Truman Doctrine – economic intervention
• The Marshall Plan – economic intervention
• The Berlin Blockade – humanitarian aid
• The Korean War – military intervention
*Containment
NATO Members:
The United States
Canada
England
France
Spain
Portugal
Italy
West Germany
Greece
Turkey
* North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) was created as a defensive
alliance against the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union
responded to
NATO with its own
defensive alliance
in 1955, when it
created the
Warsaw Pact. All
of the nations of
Eastern Europe –
which the Soviet
Union occupied
militarily – were
forced to join the
alliance.
*The Warsaw Pact
* Rebuilding Japan
Following its defeat, Japan
was occupied by American
forces. With Douglas
MacArthur acting as the
military governor of the
islands, the nation was
reconstructed as a
democratic, capitalistic ally
of the United States of
America. The people of
Japan even took on baseball
as a pastime. Today, Japan
is one of the United States
closest allies in Asia.
*
Major Conflicts
During the Cold
War Era
1.
North Korea attacked South
Korea in the summer of 1950.
2.
The United Nations gave
permission for American
forces to restore South Korea
by invading.
3.
MacArthur and his soldiers
pushed the North Koreans out
of South Korea; then, they
attempted to take over North
Korea.
4.
China entered the war and
pushed Americans back to
the 38th Parallel, and the war
ended in a stalemate.
The Korean War ends in a STALEMATE.
The Korean War ended in a stalemate. After Chinese forces attacked the United
States and UN forces, the war ended with Korea divided at the 38th Parallel.
* In 1962, the US discovered that
the Soviet Union had placed
nuclear missiles in Cuba. Fidel
Castro sought protection after
the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
* John F. Kennedy responded by
placing a blockade around Cuba
and insisting the Nikita
Khrushchev remove the missiles.
* After coming close to nuclear
war, the USSR agreed to remove
the missiles in exchange for a
promise from the United States
never to invade Cuba. The US
also pledged to remove some of
our missiles from Turkey.
*The Cuban Missile Crisis
The United States intervened in Vietnam after
the Gulf of Tonkin Incident took place in 1964.
It would ruin Lyndon Baines Johnson’s
Presidency, and millions of Vietnamese – along
with close to 59,000 Americans – would die in
the war. LBJ and others feared that if Vietnam
fell to communism, other nearby nations
would, too. This was the domino theory.
* The Domino Theory was a critical reason for US
Intervention in the Vietnam War.
*
Americans were very much divided over the war in Vietnam. Hawks
wanted to continue fighting against communism no matter the cost.
Doves argued that the war was not just, and that the Vietnamese
only wanted independence and self-government.
The Cease Fire
ended the war in
1973, but it
would still be
years before the
US had all of its
troops out of
Vietnam.
NOTE: Lyndon
Johnson died in
1964 after a
massive heart
attack. He
passed away just
days before the
cease fire was
signed.
* The Vietnam War ended in 1973 when the US
signed a cease fire and withdrew its troops.
Communists took power almost immediately.
* In 1989, Germans tore down the Berlin Wall.
Germany was reunified in 1990. Communism
was very much on the decline – China, N. Korea,
Vietnam, and Cuba were the final practitioners.
*
The Soviet Union allowed it’s satellites in Eastern Europe to
choose their own course going forward. Then, in 1991, the Soviet
Union itself collapsed. Russia – without it’s fifteen controlled
states – was reborn.