Ch.41 – Peace, Prosperity, Progress EQ: Why are the 1950s remembered as an age of affluence? 41.0: Preview (answer in IAN) 40.1: Coach Schroeder reads introduction 40.2-7: Read Textbook – create a chart. 40.2-7: Cut out Picture – Create a Headline – Use example on your handout. Only have to do 2 BULLETS, BUT AS USUAL I WILL BE DOING ALL OF THEM. Section 2: POSTWAR POLITICS: READJUSTMENTS AND CHALLENGES Postwar Politics: Readjustments and Headline: Challenges; Truman Battles a Republican Congress • Truman has announced a set of reforms called the Fair Deal, including calls to raise the minimum wage and enact a national health insurance program. • With rising prices and growing unemployment, workers in major industries are calling for wage increases and are striking if their demands are not met. • In response to the strikes, Congress has passed the Taft-Hartley Act, limiting the power of labor unions. • The Taft-Hartley Act outlaws the closed shop, or a workplace in which the employer agrees to hire only members of a certain union. It also bans sympathy strikes by other unions. An Upset Victory in 1948 Headline: • Truman’s whistle-stop tour has helped him win reelection in a narrow victory over Thomas Dewey. • Most of Truman’s Fair Deal reforms have been blocked by Congress. • Congress has enacted Truman’s proposal to raise the minimum wage and to promote slum clearance. Ike Take the Middle of the Road Headline: • The nation has decided they “like Ike” and his modern Republicanism program, since they voted him into office. • The nation can look forward to expanded Social Security benefits. • Eisenhower has presided over a massive peacetime arms buildup, although he is worried about the “military-industrial complex.” Section 3: ECONOMIC GROWTH CREATES AN AGE OF AFFLUENCE Consumer Demand Spurs Economic Headline: Growth • Due to large savings and twice as much real income for many families than in the 1920s, Americans have begun spending more money than ever before. • To encourage this spending, businesses are using advertising and offering consumers charge cards. • Some industries have pioneered a method called planned obsolescence by introducing new or improved products to encourage consumers to buy the latest designs. The Economy Begins to shift from Good Headline: to Services • General Motors has become the first U.S. corporation to earn more than $1 billion a year. • One factor in GM’s success was guaranteeing its workers wage hikes that were tied to the cost-of living index. • Service industries, like fast-food restaurants and motel chains, have begun to compete for consumer business. • New companies are selling franchises, or agreements to operate a business that carries that company’s name and sells its products. The Workforce Shifts from Blue- to Headline: White-Collar Jobs • For the first time in history, white-collar workers outnumber blue-collar workers. • Many blue-collar workers are now members of the middle class. • White-collar workers are usually salaried, while blue-collar workers are usually paid by the hour. Section 4: Marriage, Families, and a Baby Boom A Marriage Boom leads to a Baby Boom Headline: • The number of marriages has increased tremendously since during the war, and people are getting married at increasingly younger ages. • This rise in marriages has led to a large increase in the number of babies born, resulting in a “baby boom.” • More diapers, baby food, homes, cars, and schools are needed to accommodate all of these children. Family Roles: Working Dads & Stay-at- Headline: Home Moms • Dr. Benjamin Spock’s book has been encouraging mothers to stay home and raise children full time. • Mass media, such as television, magazines, and movies, portray the so-called traditional family with working dads and homemaker moms. • The number of women attending college has dropped sharply, and many who do attend often drop out to get married. Section 5: POPULATION SHIFTS TO SUBURBS AND SUNBELT STATES Middle-Class Families Move to the Headline: Suburbs; Weather and Wages Spur Migration to the Sunbelt • New planned communities, like Levittown, are providing needed housing for middle- class families. • New suburban communities revealed homogeneity, being predominantly white and middle class. • More and more Americans and American industries are moving south to the Sunbelt, increasing population in these states. • This population shift was made possible by massive water projects in the dry Southwest and the invention of air conditioning to cool buildings during heat waves. Section 6: THE TRIUMPH OF THE AUTOMOBILE The Middle-Class Dream: Two Cars in Headline: Every Garage; Roads Everywhere: The Interstate Highway System • An increased number of people commuting from the suburbs has led to the production and sale of more cars. • Cars have become a status symbol, with car companies competing to put out new models and better designs each year. • This increased amount of driving has led to a demand for a nationwide interstate highway system. • The interstate highway system has created new roadside businesses, like gas stations, motels, and restaurants. Section 7: TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES TRANSFORM EVERYDAY LIFE Advances in Medicine Extend Life Headline: Expectancy • Dr. Jonas Salk has created a polio vaccine that will protect people against polio. • New surgical techniques are saving lives while more and more antibiotics are being used to treat many diseases. • All of these advances in medicine are increasing the life expectancy by almost two years. Peaceful Uses for Nuclear Energy; Headline: Computers Enter the Workforce • Nuclear energy is now helping to generate electricity while also helping to diagnose and treat diseases. • The first electronic digital computer, called ENIAC, can perform 300 multiplications per second. • The invention of the transistor has allowed smaller and more reliable computers. .