1. Chapter 19: The Postwar Boom
Section 1:
Post War Recovery

2. Readjustment & Recovery / Meeting Economic Challenges
Objective… Identify the economic and social problems Americans faced after WW II and the solutions offered by the government to try to resolve those problems.

3. Many problems (economic & social) faced Americans in the post war era.
The challenge of economic reconversion (from war time economy back to peace time economy) …
- 12M returning vets… Demobilization
- War plants close - 35B in contracts cancelled
- Fear of returning to the depression
- Consumers are tired of economic sacrifice
- Shortage of food & consumer goods
- Inflation: 16% in 1 week
- Labor unrest
- Housing shortages
- High divorce rate
- The threat of communism

4. The "GI Bill" exceeded all expectations…
21M get educated
1947: GIs = 50% of college enrollment  
The effect on the American workforce…
450K engineers
238K teachers
91K scientists
67K doctors
22K dentists

5. Wage and price controls… Laws that stopped prices from increasing
1. Problem: Millions of veterans thrown out of work as they return to civilian life
Solution offered by
the Truman
Administration &
Congress.
Servicemen’s Readjustment Act or GI Bill of Rights – tuition; unemployment pay while looking for work; low interest Federal loans to start a business, buy a home, start a family.
2.. Problem: Severe housing shortages
Solution offered by developers like
Wm. Levitt.
Massive assembly line housing projects in the suburbs… Levittown NY & PA – big growth in SUBURBS (small residential communities outside the city).
Solutions offered by Congress under the Truman &
Eisenhower administrations.
The GI Bill of Rights offers low interest housing loans & Increases Federal Housing
3. Problem: Runaway inflation
administration &
Wage and price controls… Laws that stopped prices from increasing
4. Problem: Labor strikes that threaten to cripple the nation
Solution offered
by the Truman
Administration.
NO STRIKES!
HST threatens to draft striking workers into the military and take government control of railroads and mines

6. Levittown, NY-PA
1950s - Wm. Levitt mass produces homes… assembly line production
1950s – 13M homes built… 85% in the suburbs

9. Social Unrest Persists
Objective…
Describe the cause and effect of social unrest in the post war era.
Civil rights for all Americans…
“liberty and justice for all.”

10. What was the primary source of social unrest and racial violence in the post war era.
Civil rights… demands from AA that had fought in the war & returned to “Jim Crow’ America
Remember: The
Double V Campaign

11. 5. Problem: Discrimination and racial violence
Solution offered
during the Truman Administration.
HST takes a stand on civil rights… “I am asking for equality of opportunity for all human beings,”… and if it ends up in my failure to be reelected, that failure will have been in good cause.”
HST creates the President’s Commission on Civil Rights
The President’s Commission on Civil Rights recommends: Federal lynching law, ban on poll taxes, a permanent CR Commission, but Congress rejects
HST orders the desegregation of the US military
HST orders an end to discrimination in government hiring
Supreme Court orders an end to segregated housing

12. What attributes or personal qualities made HST (Dem) a tolerable replacement for FDR?
An Honorable, tough, self confident & down to earth man.
Demonstrated the ability to make tough decisions.

13. Why did voters elect a conservative Republican Congress in 1946?
Republicans win a majority in the House & senate
Voter discontent with shortages of goods, inflation & labor strikes.

14. 13. What significance is Jackie Robinson to civil rights and MLB?
The first African American to play MLB… prior to this AA played in the Negro Leagues.

15. How did Congress react to the civil rights initiatives taken by Truman?  

16. 14. How did the civil rights issue affect the Democratic Party in the election of 1948?
The Dixiecrats form the States’ Rights Democratic Party and split the Democratic Party.

17. Vs. Democrat: Harry Truman
15. The 1948 Election Thurmond (Dixiecrat) vs. Wallace (Progressive) vs. Dewey (Republican)
Vs. Democrat: Harry Truman
Maintain/ expand New Deal
Adopts civil rights policies to counter opponent
Desegregates the military
Attacks the 80th “Do-nothing Congress”
Slogan:
“Give ’em hell, Harry”

18. Results of the 1948 Election
Party/ Electoral College Pop Vote%
HST: Dem… 303… %
Dewey: Rep… … %
Thurmond: Dixiecrat … %
Wallace: Progressive… … %

19. 16. What was HST’s Fair Deal and how was it received by Congress?
Success…
-Social Security
-Minimum wage
-Housing subsides
-Urban housing
Failure…
-Civil rights
-Health Insurance
-Aid to education

20. Republicans Take the Middle of the Road
Objective…
Summarize DDE’s style or philosophy of governing.

21. 17. Why didn’t Truman run for reelection in 1952?
Several overwhelming issues cause his popularity to drop …Approval rating 23% in 1951
The stalemate in Korea
The loss of China to Communism
McCarthyism.. Fear he was not managing
communism

22. Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican
Who were the candidates in the 1952 Presidential election?...
Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican
Adlai Stevenson Democrat

23. “Ike for President” Basic background on Ike: Ike for President jingle
Ike for President jingle

24. Dwight D. Eisenhower or Modern Republicanism
Dynamic Conservatism or
Modern Republicanism
“Conservative when it comes to money and liberal when it comes to human beings” - DDE

25. “Masterful use of the new media television.”
18. Checkers Speech… “The Poor Richard Show”
– Identify: Who? What? Where? When? Why?
RMN "...the kids, like all kids, love the dog, and...regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it."
“Masterful use of the new media television.”

26. Results of the 1952 Election..
Party Elector Pop Vote%
Eisenhower: Rep… … %
Stevenson: Dem… … %

27. Eisenhower’s Economic & Social accomplishments
Balanced the budget and cut taxes;
Raised the minimum wage;
Extended social Security and unemployment benefits;
Increased funding for public housing
Backed the creation of interstate highways and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare;
Despite the above he avoided leadership and side stepped a persistent growing social issue in the US – Civil Rights ! (We will cover that movement in depth in Chapter 21).