The Cold War Abroad and at Home

1945-1952

Life After World War II

1945-1946

Demobilization & Reconversion

Americans want all their military troops homeBy 1948, military goes from 12 million to 1.5

millionReturning veterans face problems

Housing shortageHigh divorce rateFear of unemployment

Defense spending drops

The GI Bill of Rights

Trying to ease veterans back into the work forcePriority for jobs52 weeks of unemployment benefitsLow-interest loans for businesses or homesPaid for 4 years of college or job training

Huge increase in higher educationMore people can become middle classWomen forced to leave college, work

The Economic Boom Begins

Boom begins in late 1946$6 billion tax cut helps new businesses startAmericans spend what they saved during the

warLots of new consumer products

U.S. is the top economy of the worldEurope and Asia are rebuildingIMF, World Bank dominated by U.S.Exports increase

Truman’s Domestic Program

Truman backs away from the New DealPeople are happy with the boom – don’t want it

Employment Act of 1946Commits federal government to making policies to

ensure economic growthCongress weakens it

Truman makes mistakesEnds price controls – inflation risesTries to order striking workers back on the job

Alienates unionsVery unpopular by 1946

The Truman Administration at Home

1945-1952

The Eightieth Congress, 1947-1948

Americans becoming more conservativeWant to enjoy themselves after depression, war

Republicans in control of Congress by 1946 – want to reverse the New DealTaft-Hartley Act – to weaken unions

Bars closed shops, requires union officials to sign loyalty oaths, lets the president call a ‘cooling-off period’ to delay strikes

Helps keep unions out of the South, WestTruman vetoes, Congress overrides

Truman wants to bring back the new deal

The Politics of Civil Rights and the Election of 1948African Americans now expect more racial

equality after WWIITruman responds: President’s Committee on

Civil RightsHighlights inequalities in the SouthAsks the government to outlaw lynching and the poll

tax, desegregate the military, end segregationElection of 1948:

Southern Democrats walk out – DixiecratsLiberal Democrats leave to form the Progressive PartyRepublicans nominate Thomas Dewey – looks like he

will win

The Fair Deal

Truman proposes the Fair DealCivil rightsNational health careFederal aid to education

Congress rejects these measuresDoes raise the min. wage, build low-income

housing, increase social security benefitsTruman and Congress get distracted by

the Cold War

Anticommunism & Containment

1946-1952

Polarization and Cold War

Soviet Union’s goals:Demilitarized GermanyBuffer zone of

Communist nations on Russia’s western border

Actions: Installs puppet

governments in Eastern Europe

Bars free elections in Poland

U.S. goals:Won’t give in to a

dictatorWants self-

determination for these countries

Actions:Demands free elections

in PolandForeign policy will focus

on stopping Communism

The Iron Curtain Descends

1946: Stalin says there will be “no lasting peace” with capitalism

George Kennan writes the long telegramSays U.S. must contain the Soviet Union

Stop any Communist expansion

Both sides build up atomic weaponsAtomic Energy Commission

Cold War begins

Containing Communism

Greece and Turkey are fighting Communist insurgents British can’t help them anymore Truman Doctrine – pledges to support free peoples defending

their freedom against Communism----NEW FOREIGN POLICY: CONTAINMENT

National Security Act of 1947 Creates Department of Defense, National Security Council,

Central Intelligence AgencyMarshall Plan – U.S. would give money to Western

Europe, including Soviet Union, to help them rebuild so they wouldn’t turn to Communism - $17 billion – money had to be spent in the U.S.

Confrontation In Germany

Germany was divided into 4 zonesBerlin was in the Soviet zone

It was divided in to 4 zones too

3 western zones combineStalin threatened – blockades Berlin

Berlin Airlift – U.S. flies in and drops supplies to BerlinStalin has to give up in May 1949

NATO – formed for collective security against the Soviet Union

The Cold War in Asia

Communist forces take over China in 1949Mao ZedongEven though the U.S. was helping support he

Chinese nationalistsRight after, Soviets detonate their first atomic

bombSo we start building the Hydrogen bomb

NSC-68- secret reportWe must increase America’s nuclear arsenal,

maitnain a large army, quadruple the defense budget

The Korean War, 1950-1953

Korea divided between U.S. and S.U. after World War II Communist North, Democratic South

North Korea attacks South Korea I June 1950 With help of Soviets, Chinese

Truman gets UN to help, we send troops into the Korean War Back and forth fighting Ends up in a stalemate in 1953

Consequences: We implement NSC-68 – increase in defense spending, nuclear

weapons Sets precedent – we’ll fight communism around the world

The Truman Administration at Home

1945-1952

The Eightieth Congress, 1947-1948

Americans becoming more conservativeWant to enjoy themselves after depression, war

Republicans in control of Congress by 1946 – want to reverse the New DealTaft-Hartley Act – to weaken unions

Bars closed shops, requires union officials to sign loyalty oaths, lets the president call a ‘cooling-off period’ to delay strikes

Helps keep unions out of the South, WestTruman vetoes, Congress overrides

Truman wants to bring back the new deal

The Politics of Civil Rights and the Election of 1948African Americans now expect more racial

equality after WWIITruman responds: President’s Committee on

Civil RightsHighlights inequalities in the SouthAsks the government to outlaw lynching and the poll

tax, desegregate the military, end segregationElection of 1948:

Southern Democrats walk out – DixiecratsLiberal Democrats leave to form the Progressive PartyRepublicans nominate Thomas Dewey – looks like he

will win

The Fair Deal

Truman proposes the Fair DealCivil rightsNational health careFederal aid to education

Congress rejects these measuresDoes raise the min. wage, build low-income

housing, increase social security benefitsTruman and Congress get distracted by

the Cold War

The Politics of Anticommunism

Loyalty and Security

Second Red Scare: Americans worried about Communist ‘subversives’ in this country

Executive Order 9835Federal Employee Loyalty Program to root out

subversives in the governmentCommunists barred from federal employmentSuspected sympathizers are fired

They don’t find anything, but people are scared

The Anticommunist Crusade

House Un-American Activities CommitteeCongress holds hearings to expose communist

influence in American lifePeople accused can’t win – either plead guilty

and name names, or don’t and still be outcastsHollywood Ten – refuse to testify, sent to prison

Ironic: Communist party actually losing popularity in the U.S.

Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs

Alger Hiss – named as a secret communist spy by Whittaker Chambers, a former Soviet agentHiss had served in govt. under FDR, was a liberalHiss convicted of perjury, given 5 years in prison

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg – accused of being Communist spies, sending atomic secrets to the Soviet UnionSentenced to die by electric chair

McCarthyism

Republicans exploit fear, accuse Democrats of being full of Communists

Joseph McCarthy – Senator from WisconsinShady characterWheeling speech – says he has the names of 205

Secretary of State employees who are CommunistsHas nothing!

Things get out of controlEventually he accuses the military of having Communists,

people realize he has no proof

The Election of 1952

Democrats are sinking fastPeople afraid they’re full of CommunistsTruman unpopular with business and labor –

Korean War price and wage freezesNominate Adlai Stevenson

An “egghead”

Republicans nominate Dwight D. EisenhowerWWII hero, super popular

Nixon is his VP – Checkers speech