Postwar Economic Anxieties

Information The Great Depression had left many deep scars on America. Although the war had lifted the country out of the Great Depression, it had only temporarily eliminated the economic problems. The Gross National Product (GNP) fell in 1946 and 1947 from its wartime peak and prices soared by 33 percent.

Information Stikes also swept the country, sending some 4.6 million laborers out of jobs. The Taft-Hartley Act was passed in 1947. It outlawed the all-union shop, made unions liable for damage, and required union leaders to take a non communist oath. The CIO’s “Operation Dixie” failed miserably in 1948. It attempted to unionize southern textile workers and steelworkers.

Information GI Bill of Rights, also known as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act. was passed in 1944. It was funded by the Federal Government, sending war veterans to schools to further their education. It also allowed the Veterans Administration to give $16 million in loans to veterans to buy homes and start a new life.

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3rd Source https://www.justice.gov/jm/criminal-resource-manual-2413-outline-29-usc-186-taft-hartley-act-sec-302 Section 302 of the Taft-Hartley Act

Questions Why did President Truman veto the Taft-Hartley Act? Why was the veto overruled? Analyze the possible impacts of the CIO’s “Operation Dixie” on the labor union.