Mr. Mccormack US History II Chapter 20 Essentials Study Guide

Mr. McCormack US History II Chapter 20 Essentials Study Guide

By 1945, most Americans were eager to acquire everything the war, and before that the Depression, had denied them. People longed for stability and security in the midst of Cold War anxiety; many turned to tradition. The marriage rate, birth rate, and church attendance all boomed.

Postwar prosperity nearly doubled per-capita income within a decade. Consumers began to purchase many new products, including cars, electrical appliances, and televisions. Many middle-class families moved to new suburban developments like the ones built by William Levitt, who sold mass-produced, inexpensive homes. This move to the suburbs worked well for those who could afford to participate, but there was a dark side – the “white flight” left many of the cities poorer and in decline.

Two big trends dominated business – franchising and conglomeration. The former, typified by Ray Kroc and McDonald’s, enabled entrepreneurs to invest their money in a company that then permitted them to open a branded location. The standardized products, layout, efficiency, etc., appealed especially to travelers. Conglomerates were huge businesses that invested in many different kinds of enterprise; this diversification better prepared them to survive downturns in any one sector of the economy. A few big businesses came to dominate their sectors (for example, GM, Ford, and Chrysler dominated automobile manufacturing).

The car culture created many new business opportunities: drive-in restaurants and movie theaters, motels, garages, gas stations, and more. The federal government invested huge sums in the creation of the interstate highway system (partly for national defense, as the highways would facilitate evacuations and could double as landing strips). Gas stations pioneered the use of credit cards, and in the 1950s the American Express and Visa cards appeared. Total consumer credit ballooned as Americans abandoned their previous aversion to debt.

Technology, boosted by wartime research and development, seemed to promise unlimited possibilities. Nuclear power enthusiasts believed it would provide unlimited supplies of cheap electricity, and the first commercial nuclear reactor in the US was built in Pennsylvania. Computers, previously found only in universities and the government, began to get smaller, faster, and cheaper. Medicine (especially antibiotics) began to conquer most communicable diseases.

During the 1950s many jobs involving manual labor became automated; for the first time, a majority of workers had “white collar” jobs. Union membership began its long, steady decline after peaking at around 33% in 1955 (today’s it’s around 10%). Also in 1955, the AFL and CIO, the two largest labor organizations, merged.

Male and female roles were clearly defined in the 1950s. Men were supposed to get jobs and provide income for the family. Women were supposed to be stay-at-home mothers. In 1963 Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, a searing criticism of those roles. People married at relatively young ages, with half of all brides being teenagers. With more students staying in high school instead of finding jobs, a clearly identifiable “youth culture” began to emerge.

Many young people rejected the expectations of conformity imposed on them. Movies like Rebel without a Cause and books like Catcher in the Rye spoke to this rebelliousness. Some rebelled by listening to rock-and-roll music, a new genre that grew out of African-American rhythm and blues. Important rock-and-roll artists included Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and Elvis Presley. Others went further and joined the “beat generation,” known for embracing spontaneity and rejecting consumerism.

The two presidents of this post-war period, Truman and Eisenhower, pursued different agendas. Truman wanted to follow in FDR’s footsteps and proposed his “Fair Deal” as a sequel to the New Deal. He could not get much of his program through Congress, however, though his proposals remained part of the Democratic program for years. He accomplished some goals, such as integrating the military, by executive action. Truman also took strong action against disruptions caused by union strikes, and the Taft-Hartley Act limited union power. Most people expected Truman to lose the 1948 election, but he stunned them by winning. Longtime Democratic control of the executive branch inspired Congress to pass the 22nd Amendment, limiting presidents to two terms in office. Truman chose not to run again in 1952.

Republicans nominated Dwight D. Eisenhower, the WWII hero, and he won the presidency easily. There was some controversy over his chosen running mate, Richard Nixon, a California congressman known for his anti-communism. Eisenhower called his approach to government “Modern Republicanism.” Instead of trying to roll back the New Deal, Eisenhower focused on trying to limit the growth of government and balance the budget. Like his Republican predecessors, Eisenhower’s economic policies also favored big business. When the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, Eisenhower spearheaded efforts to maintain America’s technological supremacy. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was created in 1958 and the federal government appropriated money for science and math education.