Chapter 27: America at Midcentury. American Communities 1. Rock N Roll and society a. Pros and cons b. Loved by teenagers c. Had consumer power d. Celebration.

Chapter 27:America at Midcentury

American Communities

1. Rock’ N’ Roll and society

a. Pro’s and con’s

b. Loved by teenagers

c. Had consumer power

d. Celebration of being young

e. Independent and rebellion

f. Generational shift

27.1 : American Society @ Midcentury

A. Galbraith’s Affluent Society

1. Economist who theorized that the economy was good due to personal consumption

2. “Good life”

3. Sense that prosperity would never end

B. 1952 Election

Dwight D. Eisenhower (R)AKA “Ike”

Adlai Stevenson (D)

I like Ike!

Sputnik

U-2 plane incident

NASA

Stalin dies – Khrushchev in

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1952

B. “Middle of the Road” Eisenhower (Rep.1952-1960)

1. Political Philosophy:

a. run country like a business

b. Cooperation, not regulation

c. businessmen to cabinet

d. No deficit spending

e. felt gov’t resp. for social welfare of citizens Created Dept. of Health, Edu and Welfare

C. Subsidizing Prosperity

1. Federal Housing Admin.

a. Loans backed by federal gov’t

b. Long term effect?

c. Downside?

Racism/”retain stability”

2. Impact of the GI Bill

a. Education

b. Increased loans/home shortage

3. Levittown

30 a day/$8,000/$58 mos.

Prewar kitchen

Postwar kitchen

Postwar

4. Federal Highway Act 1956

a. Long term impact/trickle effect…

b. Decreased mass transit

D. Suburban Life1. Women’s happiness

based on taking care of home and family!

2. Not!

3. Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique: women unhappy with domesticated roles

4. Suburbia focused on conformity, security, and status

5. Can you say “Conformity?”

E. Labor Unions

1. Eisenhower anti-union

2. AFL-CIO merged to keep gains made during WWII

3. Within service sector membership grew; decreased in the general workforce

F. Expansion of Higher Education

1. GI Bill and NDEA – subsidize edu for students; math, science

2. R & D for defense related project

3. Turn to businessmen to run schools; on board of trustees

G. Health and Medicine

1. NIH = better tech and tx

2. Jonas Salk = cure for polio; viral

3. Problem?a. Not all Americans had

same access to health care; too expensive

b. Can you say “Obamaplan?”

H. Families of the 1950s

2008

27.2:Youth Culture

A. Youth Culture/Market

1. Easy target

2. Influence large family purchases

3. School a commonality

4. Influenced media and teen publications

B. “Hail to the King”

1. Rebellious

2. Reinvented popular music/R’N’R accepted

3. Revitalized popular culture/crossed cultures and styles

C. Almost Grown

1. Driving

2. Clothes and make-up

3. Periods earlier

4. Marrying earlier

5. Working

6. Going “steady” in H.S.

D. Deviance and Delinquency

1. R’N’R to blame

2. Increase crime

3. Exaggerated by media

4. Censor media

5. Senate subcommittee

27.3:Mass Culture and Discontent

A. Discontent & Television

1. Advertising: from radio to tv commercials

2. from live to taped; reruns $

3. No real issues, PES, addressed

4. Beats/Beatniks a. dissenters from

conformity, mass consumption, militarism, technology

b. Jack Kerouac

5. TV and Politics

27.5:JFK and the New Frontier

A. Election of 1960

John F. Kennedy (D)

v.

Richard Nixon (R)

B. Television & Politics

1. Content superficial until 30 min. news (1963)

2. Exposed politicians

3. Helped political candidates with their “image”

C. “The Best and the Brightest”

R. Kennedy

R. McNamara

Dean Rusk

M. Bundy

D. New Frontier Agenda

1. Education

2. Medicare

3. Dept. of Urban Affairs

4. Increase minimum wage to $1.25/hr*

5. Increase social security benefits

E. How well did he do?

1. Successesa. Jobs = deficit spendingb. Decreased business

taxesc. Space programd. Developing housinge. Peace Corp/Alliance for

Progress

2. Failuresa. No tax cut for M.C.b. No health ins for elderly

F. Kennedy and Vietnam

a. 1960: continues to support Diem, as did Eisenhower

b. Diem corrupt but nationalist; cancels election of 1956

c. Repressed Buddhist practices =

Ngo Diem Nationalist

Buddhist who sets himself aflame to protest Diem’s repression. Diem was a Catholic.

G. Cuban Crises & Fidel Castro

1. Cuban Dilemmaa. 1959- overthrew Batistab. Supported by Cubans;

promised democracyc. What they got: dictatorship

and communismd. Takes over American &

British owned oil refineries, mines, sugar plantations

e. US places embargo on Cuban sugar

f. Soviets befriend himg. Cubans exiled to Miami

2. Bay of Pigs April 1961

a. US to train Cuban exiles: La Brigada

b. Goal: to overthrow Castro

c. Success or failure? Air support withdrawn!

Plan failed miserably!

a. Public relations success for Castro

i. JFK considered incompetent

ii. $53 million in food and medical supplies for release of soldiers

3. Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

a. nuclear missiles in Cuba

b. Attack from Cuba = attack on Soviet Union

c. US quarantines Cuba = SU ships do not pass

d. Khrushchev & Kennedy make agreement?

Castro & Khrushchev

4. Fallout of Agreement between Khrushchev & JFK

a. Kennedyi. Used brinksmanship

not negotiations

ii. Missed opportunity to overthrow Castro

iii. Amer. Cuban go Republican

b. KhrushchevLost face in SU &

worldwide

5. De’Tente: Trying to ease tensions

a. Hotline- direct telephonic line between the White House and the Kremlin (1963)

b. Limited Test Ban Treaty- stopped nuclear testing in the atmosphere (1963)

H. Kennedy’s “Flexible response”

1. Preparing for a variety of military responses rather than just focusing on nuclear weapons

2. Kennedy built up all branches of military

3. Special Forces AKA Green Berets

I. Cold War Continues

1. Berlin Crisis (West Berlin)

a. West Berlin was thriving. Why?

b. 20% of East Berliners migrating

c. Khrushchev builds “Berlin Wall”

Building of the “Death Strip”

Death Strip

Wall Falls November 1989