1. HIST 202 - Hesen

2. February 1945 Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin Germany would be broken into zones Free elections United Nations would be formed

3. FDR Dies! – April 12, 1945 Harry Truman takes the helm Potsdam (July 1945) End the war with Japan Nuremburg Trials

4. “Normalcy” 15 million soldiers return home Hard to find jobs People saved A LOT of money Great Depression is a memory Enjoyed high standard of living

5. Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (1944) GI Bill Offered $ for college Low interest loans Segregated at first

6. 1950s Family Life People happy to be home!!! Increase in marriages and births Sex was looked at differently 50 million births between 1945-1960 Switched focus for women

7. Suburbs Outside cities Cheaper – better transportation Cities life wasn’t appealing William J. Levitt Levittowns…

10. Employment Act of 1946 Truman wanted to give people benefits Universal healthcare Increase minimum wage Congress did not approved Only approved minimum wage Office of Price Administration (OPA) Kept prices and wages fixed

11. Price and wage fixing caused inflation Inflation rose to nearly 25% Workers were unhappy United Mine Workers strike (1946) Truman sent in Army Quelled strike

12. Passed 22 nd Amendment (1951) President may only serve two terms Truman’s Fair Deal Wanted to mirror Progressive programs Much like FDR’s New Deal Congress shot him down

13. U.S. Soviet relations strained: WWI Bolshevik Revolution Red Scare Stalin as dictator Truman was ALWAYS suspicious of Stalin Non-aggression pact w/Hitler

14. Occupation zones set up in Europe U.S. Soviet Other Allied powers Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” Speech Containment Keep the Commies where they are – don’t let them spread

15. Truman Doctrine (1947) $400 million in economic aid to Greece and Turkey Marshall Plan (1948) Infused the European economy with billions Communism won’t have a chance to take over Berlin Airlift (June 1948) Berlin cut off by Soviets U.S. aids by dropping food and rations

16. North Korea invades South Korea Divides country along 38 th parallel U.S. gets involved – containment Ends in stalemate General Mac Arthur criticized Truman publically – “too soft on Communism”

17. House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) Hiss Case Whittaker Chambers “Pumpkin Papers” Alger Hiss The Rosenbergs Presumably spied for the Russians Exceuted in 1953 Joseph McCarthy Senator from Wisconsin Went after “radicals” McCarthyism

18. Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) Militarism returns Between U.S. and Soviets Search for the best A- Bomb Developed the H-Bomb

20. Space Race Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957 Made Americans look inferior U.S. placed emphasis on math and science 1959 – U-2 Incident Soviets shot down spy plane Francis Gary Powers

22. Escapism TV Advertising Paperbacks Corporate America The Organizational Man Critics – “beatniks” Women Return to duties at home The Common Sense Book on Baby and Child Care (1946) – Dr. Benjamin Spock