THE COLD WAR. “I remember those embraces without any ulterior motives, truly friendly embraces… Certainly, no one thought then about any aggravations.

THE COLD WAR

“I remember those embraces without any ulterior motives, truly friendly embraces… Certainly, no one thought then about any aggravations of the situation; everyone thought that the peace had come, the peaceful times arrived, and that it would stay for a long time. It is only there in the higher circles of the state apparatus that they were already thinking about something in the future, and Stalin declared that the future war would be a war with the U.S. But on our level, on the level of an average commander, soldier, and sergeant, everything looked bright.”

Soviet General Valentin Larionov

AN UNEASY ALLIANCE• The war left the U.S. & the Soviet Union

as the world’s dominant powers.• Each viewed the other with deep

mistrust.• The Soviets resented the U.S. for cutting

off diplomatic ties with them after the 1917 Revolution and for refusing to recognize the Soviet government until 1933 (under FDR).

AN UNEASY ALLIANCE• Americans harbored fears of the Soviet

Union because of communism.• Past Soviet agreements with Germany

upset many Americans. – Soviet withdrawal from WWI in 1917 forced the

West to fight Germany without Soviet help.– 1939 - Stalin signed a short-lived non-aggression

pact with Hitler.

Two views of the world• The Western Soviet Union was a scene

of awful destruction at the end of WWII. – 20 million Soviets had died– 4.7 million homes, 2,000 towns and 70,000 villages

destroyed. – Nothing was more important to Soviet leaders than

protecting themselves from a rearmed Germany, rebuilding their economy, and punishing Germany.

• American deaths numbered 500,000, the economy was booming and controlled nearly 50% of the world’s wealth. Our homeland had not been destroyed.

Remember Yalta?

• Meeting of the Big Three in Feb. 1945• Churchill hoped to save the British Empire• Stalin intended to protect his borders and

rebuild his country. • FDR sought the worldwide spread of

democracy and free trade. • Meeting marked a high point of cooperation

among the Big Three.

Remember Yalta?• Agreements made:

--Stalin agreed to join the fight against Japan and support free elections in Poland and other Soviet-occupied Eastern European countries. --He also pledged Soviet support of the United Nations (UN), an international peacekeeping organization.

Remember Yalta?• However, they disagreed on how to keep

Germany under control:--Stalin wanted to punish Germany by demanding $20 billion in war reparations. (Half would go to the Soviet Union)--FDR and Churchill knew Germany didn’t have the money and they feared they would have to support Germany.

Stalin said (during the war)…“ We are now smashing the Germans. And many

people now assume that the Germans will never be able to threaten us again. Well, that’s simply not true. I HATE THE GERMANS! It’s impossible to destroy the Germans for good. We are fighting the Germans, and we will finish the job. But we must bear in mind that our allies will try to save the Germans and conspire with them. We will be merciless toward the Germans, but our allies will seek to treat them more leniently.”

Remember Yalta?• The compromise: The three agreed that each

nation would control the part of Germany its troops held at the end of the war.

• Other touchy issues included Eastern Europe:– Stalin wanted Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Austria,

Hungary and Czechoslovakia to protect his western border.

– FDR and Churchill supported independence for these countries and feared Stalin would install communist governments.

Conflicting Post-War GoalsUnited States’ Goals… Soviet Goals…• Spread democracy and support all nations’ right to self- determination

•Gain access to raw materials and markets for its industries

•Rebuild European governments to ensure stability and to create new markets for American goods

•Reunite Germany!

• Spread communism

• Rebuild its war-ravaged economy using E. Europe’s industrial equipment and raw materials

• Control Eastern Europe to balance U.S. influence in Western Europe

• Keep Germany divided and weak!

THE UNITED NATIONS• On April 25, 1945, 50

countries met in San Francisco to draft the charter for the United Nations.

• The purpose of the UN—to maintain international peace and security.

• The U.S. hoped the UN would help bring about a world in which every country would be free to run its own government.

Truman signs UN Charter.

Un building in nyc

MEETING AT POTSDAM

• Truman, Stalin and Churchill met in Potsdam (suburb of Berlin) in July 1945. Germany had surrendered in May, but we were still fighting Japan.

• The three leaders reached an agreement on Germany—the country would be completely disarmed and its war industries dismantled. Each occupying nation would be allowed to take war payments from its zones.

The three leadersat Potsdam

Potsdam agreement• The western half of

Germany would remain under British, French and U.S. control.

• The eastern half would remain in the hands of the Soviets.

• The capital city of Berlin, 110 miles deep in the Soviet zone would also be carved up among the four nations.

The idea of containment• Stalin continued to

oppress most of Eastern Europe forcing loyalty to the Soviet Union. These satellite nations (Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Yugoslavia and East Germany/aka the Eastern Bloc) acted like a protective barrier for the Soviet Union.

The idea of containment

• On Feb. 9, 1946, Stalin added to the growing tension with an important speech in which he declared capitalism a danger to world peace.

• George Kennan, a diplomat at the Amer. embassy in Moscow advised Truman that the U.S. needed to pursue Containment—the restriction of communism to its current borders.

GEORGE F. KENNAN AND CONTAINMENT

“It is clear that the United States cannot expect in the foreseeable future to enjoy

political intimacy with the Soviet regime. It must continue to regard the Soviet Union as a rival, not a partner, in the political arena.

It must continue to expect that Soviet policies will reflect no abstract love of peace and

stability, no real faith in the possibility of a permanent happy coexistence of the socialist and capitalist worlds, but rather a cautious, persistent pressure toward the disruption and, weakening of all rival influence and

rival power.”

"Long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive

tendencies."

The Truman Doctrine was the first

employment of the policy of containment

The idea of containment

• Winston Churchill spoke of an “iron curtain”—referring to it existing between western Europe and eastern Europe, now being controlled by the Soviets.

Stalin’s Response to Churchill’s speech“Mr. Churchill comes somewhere near the truth

when he speaks of the increasing influence of the Communist parties in Eastern Europe. It must be remarked, however, that he is not quite accurate. The influence of the Communist Parties has grown not only in Eastern Europe but in nearly all the countries of Europe which were previously under fascist rule…The increased influence of the Communists cannot be considered fortuitous. It is a perfectly logical thing. The influence of the Communists has grown because.. the communists showed themselves trusty, fearless, self-sacrificing, fighters against the fascist regime for the liberty of the people.”

Cold war• Cold war had begun

—a U.S. and Soviet conflict in which the two powers would avoid fighting each other directly but would block one another’s goals around the world.

The cold war world—a complex system of alliances.

The spread of communism

• The Soviet Union was trying to force the Turks to share control of a key shipping channel between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

• In Greece the government was fighting communist rebels, although the Soviet Union was not directly involved.

• On March 12, 1947, Truman called a joint session of Congress.

Truman doctrine

• He stated that the U.S. must help all free people who were “resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures”.

• He asked for $400 million in military and economic aid to support the Greek and Turkish governments. It was approved!

• The Truman Doctrine defined U.S. foreign policy for the next 20 years.

Marshall plan• Sec. of State, George Marshall suggested

another way to bolster freedom—a plan for helping Europe to rebuild.

• Marshall’s plan involved spending billions of dollars to help out Europe, including the Soviet Union, get back on its feet.

• To qualify for the aid, nations had to agree to spend the dollars on goods from the U.S.

Marshall plan• The Soviets refused

to take part in the plan, criticizing it as the U.S.’s way of taking over Europe.

• The Soviet’s went on to seize Czechoslovakia.

• Then Truman approved the Marshall Plan.

GERMAN CITY OF HAMBURG IN 1947

BEFORE THE MARSHALL PLAN

HAMBURG, 1952, AFTER THE MARSHALL

PLAN

EFFECTS OF THE

MARSHALL PLAN

The Berlin crisis• The U.S., Britain and France planned to

rebuild the three western zones of Germany, tie their economies to the rest of Europe, and lay groundwork for a free West German state.

• When the three announced a new currency for the three western zones and West Berlin, Stalin was outraged, reminding the western allies that they had agreed to treat all of Germany as one state.

The Berlin crisis

• The Soviets retaliated by declaring their currency would begin to circulate in Eastern Germany and all four zones of Berlin.

• Soviet troops blockaded the highways and railroads into West Berlin and shut off power to W. Berlin.

The Berlin crisis

• Suddenly 2 million West Berliners became hostages. Sealed off from the outside world, they had no way to import 4,000 tons of food, fuel and clothes they needed every day.

• Stalin hoped to force the Allies into giving up their plans for West Germany or surrendering Berlin.

The Berlin crisis

• Truman had two choices: 1. He could order Amer. troops to force open the roads and railroads and risk provoking WWIII, or 2. he could hand Berlin over to Stalin.

• His advisors; however, gave him another plan—Truman launched an airlift to the trapped city.

• More than 139 cargo planes, all war-weary and badly in need of repair, were put into service.

The Berlin airlift• For 11 mos. Amer. & British pilots worked to

exhaustion, flying through summer thunderstorms and the dangerous fog and rain of Berlin’s winter.

• At first they landed every 3 mins. carrying 2,400 lbs. of supplies a day. At the peak, they landed every 45 seconds.

• This melted the hatred between former Amer. and German enemies. It was a complete disaster for Stalin.

The Berlin airlift

EVERYTHING FROM COAL TO CHOCOLATE WAS FLOWN IN BY FLEETS OF AMERICAN AND BRITISH CARGO PLANES

LOADING BAGS OF COAL

MAKING SMALL PARACHUTES TO DROP

CANDY TO BERLIN CHILDREN

PRESIDENT TRUMAN MADE IT CLEAR THAT IF ONE CARGO PLANE WAS SHOT DOWN IT

WOULD MEAN WAR BETWEEN THE US AND USSR

CRASHED CARGO PLANE DUE TO AN ACCIDENT

IN MAY OF 1949 THE RUSSIANS ENDED THE BERLIN BLOCKADE

North Atlantic treaty organization

• The blockade convinced Allies that Western Europe needed military as well as economic support to remain free.

• U.S., Canada and 10 European nations formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

• NATO would work like a “trip-wire”. If the Soviets dared to invade Western Europe, it would trip the wire and set off an American military response.

• An attack on one or more nations in Europe or North America would be considered an attack against all.

North Atlantic treaty organization

FIRST MEMBERS OF NATOBELGIUM, CANADA, DENMARK, FRANCE, ICELAND, ITALY,

LUXEMBOURG, THE NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, PORTUGAL, THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE UNITED STATES. LATER JOINED BY

GREECE, SPAIN, TURKEY AND WEST GERMANY.

APRIL 1949, DEAN ACHESON SIGNS THE

NATO TREATY FOR THE US WITH PRESIDENT

TRUMAN OBSERVING

FIRST SESSION OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY COUNCIL

Warsaw Pact

• In 1955, when West Germany was allowed to rearm and join NATO, the Soviet Union grew fearful and formed their own alliance.

• Warsaw Pact = military alliance between the Soviet Union and 7 Eastern European countries.

Civil war in china• At the end of WWII,

revolution was raging in China.

• Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek), leader of the nationalist government was fighting a civil war with Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-Tung), leader of the communist forces.

Chiang Kaishek

Mao Zedong

Civil war in china

• To most Americans, Kaishek’s success seemed essential to world peace.

• Americans believed a strong anti-communist government in China, the most populous nation in the world, would block Soviet expansion and give U.S. an important trading partner.

Civil war in china

• The Communists gained the support of the Chinese peasants by giving them their own plots of land.

• In time, more and more Chinese people felt Mao’s Communists protected and took care of them.

Civil war in chinaTruman steps in

• Late in 1945, Truman sent George Marshall to meet with Kaishek and Mao to find a way for the two leaders to share control.

• Marshall could not and he had to choose a side—he chose Kaishek.

• Truman told Kaishek to stop the corruption of his regime and to answer the cry for land reform dividing the land more fairly among the people.

Civil war in chinaTruman steps in

• Kai Shek continued to ignore these problems. In December the Communists took over.

• To many American’s Mao’s victory represented a frightening failure of containment.

Mao established The People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949.

OCTOBER 1ST 1949 THE COMMUNISTS WON THE CHINESE CIVIL WAR AND THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA IS ESTABLISHED WITH

THE USSR AS ITS MAIN ALLY. IN THE US “LOSING CHINA” BECOMES A POLITICAL

ISSUE.

MAO ZEDONG, COMMUNIST

LEADER OF CHINA

TAIWAN

CHIANG KAI SHEK LEADER OF NATIONALIST CHINA WAS

FORCED TO FLEE TO THE ISLAND OF TAIWAN TO ESCAPE THE

COMMUNISTS

The arms race

• In Jan. 1950, Truman ordered a high-level study of the defenses of the U.S.

• The top secret National Security Council Report NSC-68 suggested a massive buildup of weapons to stay ahead of the Soviets.

• As the leader of the “free world”, only the U.S. could be expected to lead the fight against Soviet expansion.

IN 1949 THE USSR EXPLODED AN ATOMIC BOMB AND BECAME THE SECOND

NUCLEAR POWER

War flares in Korea• At the end of WWII,

Korea suffered a fate much like Germany’s.

• The victors divided Korea along the 38th parallel, leaving a communist government with a powerful army in the north and a pro-Western government in the South.

War flares in Korea

• Both governments wanted to reunify Korea, but on their own terms.

• On June 25, 1950, some 75,000 North Korean troops following Soviet-made tanks poured across the 38th parallel into South Korea.

• Without seeking approval from Congress, Truman ordered air and naval forces to Korea on June 27.

War flares in Korea

• The UN Security Council (Soviet delegate absent because they were protesting Taiwan) agreed to provide money to South Korea and provide supporting UN forces.

• UN force, primarily American forces, fought with South Korea to push back the communists, under the command of Douglas MacArthur.

• (520,00 troops committed – 90% American)

War flares in Korea• Through the summer the

North Korean army swept southward, cornering UN forces in the southeast around Pusan.

• On Sept. 15, MacArthur launched a brilliant naval invasion behind enemy lines at a port city near Seoul. (1/2 North Korean forces surrendered)

War flares in Korea

• With 18,000 marines and tanks, he rolled east and freed Seoul. From there the UN forces drove the North Koreans back to the 38th parallel, eventually pushing them back to the Yalu River on the border with China.

War flares in Korea

• Mao (Communist leader of China) warned MacArthur to back off but he paid no attention.

• MacArthur instead launched another attack in the north.

• In November 300,000 Chinese troops surged across the Yalu and attacked the UN forces, pushing them back across the 38th parallel.

War flares in Korea

• A stalemate then occurs at the 38th.• Truman decides to give up the idea of freeing all of

Korea and to seek a peace settlement.• MacArthur demands permission to attack China,

using nuclear weapons if necessary and Truman refuses.

• MacArthur publicly criticizes Truman’s policy of limited war (not using nuclear weapons).

War flares in Korea

• In April 1951, Truman fires MacArthur.

• Government officials agreed with Truman, but his public popularity took a nosedive as MacArthur received widespread support.

War flares in Korea

• Peace talks began in July 51. The fighting would continue for two more years and it would be President Eisenhower that finally made peace.

• When it ended in 53, the official border was set not far from where the fighting began/ communists controlled the north and a pro-Western gov. the south.

Truman at home• Truman was able to lead the U.S. out of WWII, but

his popularity at home continued to decline.• Some disliked his support of Civil Rights.• He had begun the desegregation of the armed

forces and urged the Justice Dept. to prosecute cases in which African Americans were deprived of civil rights.

Truman at home

• Others disliked that he extended the New Deal, with his own plan called the Fair Deal.

• Fair Deal—called for such causes as national medical insurance, extension of Social Security, new public power projects and public housing.

Hunt for communists at home

• The fear of communism grew explosively after the development of the Soviet atomic bomb.

• The spread of communism in the world and the fact that 100,000 Americans claimed membership in the Communist Party contributed to the communist panic sweeping the country.

• HUAC—The House Un-American Activities Committee held hearings that explored communism in the U.S.

the case of alger hiss

• Congressman Richard Nixon became the voice of the HUAC.

• Nixon met with Whittaker Chambers, a senior editor at Time magazine who had once been tied to the communist party.

• Chambers told Nixon that during his communist days he became closely involved with a man named Alger Hiss —who had served in influential positions in the government.

The case of Alger hiss

• By proving Alger Hiss had communist ties, the HUAC would be seen as credible.

• When Hiss was arrested he was president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (peace organizations were often accused of softening the U.S. for communist takeover).

• The HUAC began to investigate Hiss.

The case of Alger hiss

• Chambers who accused Hiss also said he had evidence to convict him.

• Late in 1948, two investigators visited Chamber’s farm in Maryland where he led them into a pumpkin patch.

• He pulled off the top of a pumpkin and produced a roll of microfilm which showed copies of secret State Dept. documents that were linked to Hiss.

The case of Alger hiss

• Hiss was convicted in 1950 on two counts of perjury and sentenced to five years in prison (it was too late to try him for espionage).

• There were many flaws in the case leading to his conviction. Hiss always maintained his innocence.

The Rosenbergs• 1950, British scientist, Klaus

Fuchs, admitted he had handed over to the Soviets, American gov. specifications for the manufacture of the atomic bomb.

• Investigations led to Ethel and Julius Rosenberg of NYC.

The Rosenbergs• The Rosenbergs were charged with conspiracy

in a plot that prosecutors said was intended to transmit top secret bomb specifications to the Soviets.

• Ethel’s brother accused them of recruiting him to collect the info.

• The couple were convicted and sentenced to death.

The Rosenbergs• They were executed on July 19, 1953 by

electrocution.• They had frequently been offered a deal: to

testify against others and avoid the death penalty, but they would not.

• The couple were the only two American civilians to be executed for espionage-related activity during the Cold War.

McCarthy era• Senator Joseph McCarthy made

a name for himself by taking up the anti-communist cause.

• On Feb. 20, 1950, McCarthy stood up at a Republican women’s club meeting and waved some papers in the air, announcing he had a list of “205” communists working in the State Dept. The list would later be “81”, then “a lot”.

McCarthy era

• McCarthy never produced a shred of credible evidence; however, in hearings and public statements, he attacked and ruined official after official in the U.S. gov. The accused either resigned under a cloud of suspicion or were fired as security risks.

• This time period became known as “The McCarthy Era”.

McCarthy era

• He added a new word, McCarthyism —It referred to the use of intimidation and often unfounded accusations in the name of fighting communism.

• McCarthy often had public support. Eventually he took it too far by accusing the U.S. army who was prepared for this.

Hollywood blacklist

• The Hollywood blacklist was a group of primarily Jewish film actors, directors, and screenwriters in the late 1940s and early 1950s, including at least ten who were members of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA), who were investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Hollywood blacklist

Arthur Miller. Would write The Crucible as a parable to the Red Scare. George Orson Welles—

The War of the Worlds

Dwight d. Eisenhower

• Eisenhower was a famous WWII general. He ran for President in 1952 and he chose a staunch anti-communist as his running mate—Richard Nixon.

Nixon for V.P.

• It looked as though the choice of Nixon would backfire on Eisenhower as there were accusations of Nixon having a “secret fund” of illegal money to support his extravagant life-style.

The checkers speech

• Nixon took his case to the voters in a live TV broadcast where he gave a thorough account of all his financial holdings. He did admit to one contribution for personal use—the family dog— “Checkers”. He said his daughters loved that dog and he would not give it back. He won America over.

Campaign commercials added

to strategyhttp://livingroomcandidate.movingimage.us/index.php

Ike & Nixon win in 52’

• Republicans Eisenhower & Nixon ran against Democrats Adlai Stevenson & John Sparkman and won an easy victory.

87

EISENHOWER AND VICE PRESIDENT NIXON ON ELECTION NIGHT NOVEMBER 1952

88

ELECTION OF 1952: EISENHOWER WON BY A LANDSLIDE

89

The election of 1956 featured a rematch between Eisenhower and Stevenson with

similar results

New worlds to conquer

• 1946-1960, 37 new countries emerged. Loyal to neither the U.S. nor the Soviet Union, these newly independent nations became a new cold war battleground.

• The U.S. depended on rich stores of rubber, oil and other natural resources from developing countries and on their vast markets for American products.

Views of emerging nations

• Drawing emerging nations into the American camp was difficult. Many wanted no part of outside control—U.S. or Soviet.

• Establishing friendships was difficult. The emerging nations resented U.S. wealth. Soviet propaganda pointed to America’s troubled race relations.

• Our primary method to win friendships was foreign aid.

The central intelligence agency

• Eisenhower relied increasingly on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to promote American Allegiance.

• The CIA had been created by the National Security Act under Truman and reported directly to the President. The National Security Council was also created.

• The CIA spied and conducted covert operations—undercover missions of all kinds.

The central intelligence agency

• Congress gave the CIA sweeping powers—the CIA shall perform “functions and duties related to intelligence affecting national security as the National Security Council will direct”.

• The CIA enabled the President to take quick, controversial action in foreign trouble spots without waiting for congressional or public approval. The President had virtual control of foreign policy.

Revolution in Cuba• By early 1950s, U.S. corporations virtually

controlled the island nation of Cuba.• Only a few high-level Cubans lived well. Most

suffered in poverty.• In 1952 Fulgencio Batista overthrew the

government and installed himself as dictator, friendly to the U.S. He did little to help the Cuban people.

• In 1958, Fidel Castro led a group of peasants and middle-class Cubans in a successful revolt.

Revolution in Cuba• Castro moved quickly to solve Cuba’s

problems by demanding control of American properties. When the U.S. refused to discuss the matter, Castro turned to the Soviets for economic help.

• Eisenhower ordered the CIA to train a secret force of anti-Castro Cubans called La Brigada, which could be used to overthrow Castro.

• In 1961, as Eisenhower was preparing to leave office, Cuba made a trade agreement with the Soviets. We broke diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Nikita Khrushchev • Stalin dies in March 1953

and Nikita Khrushchev comes to power.

• Khrushchev denounced many of Stalin’s practices and pursued a course of reform.

• Temporary “thaw” in tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union.

The nuclear threat• Eisenhower believed in the domino theory—

if one country in a region fell to communism, others would follow.

• Eisenhower stepped up the American weapons development program to counter the new Soviet nuclear threat.

• Between 1954-58, the U.S. conducted 19 hydrogen bomb tests. These proved to be 750 times more powerful than the a-bomb dropped at Nagasaki.

The nuclear threat• Eisenhower’s Secretary of State, John Foster

Dulles, adopted a policy of Brinkmanship – the willingness to go to the brink or edge of all-out war.

• Geneva Talks—(1955) Eisenhower put forth an “Open-Skies” proposal—U.S. and Soviet Union would allow flights over one another’s countries to prevent surprise attacks.

Continued Tensions• Geneva Talks—(1955) Eisenhower put

forth an “Open-Skies” proposal—U.S. and Soviet Union would allow flights over one another’s countries to prevent surprise attacks.

Continued Tensions• U2 Incident

– CIA began making secret high-altitude flights over Soviet territory.

– Used U2 planes, planes that could fly without detection, to take pictures of Soviet missile sites

– U.S. officials grew nervous about the flights by 1960.

– John Foster Dulles authorizes one last flight in 1960

• Pilot Francis Gary Powers’ plane is brought down in Soviet territory

Continued Tensions• U2 Incident

–Significance:• The “thaw” in tensions was now

over. • 1960s begin with greater tension

between the two powers.

Sputnik• The technology gap between the U.S. and the

Soviet Union became apparent when the Soviets used one of their ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) to launch Sputnik—the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. – 1957.

• The U.S. was horrified that we were behind. We also realized they were equipped to perhaps launch a hydrogen bomb.

Sputnik

Shows Khrushchev riding Sputnik.Uncle Sam realizing the U.S. is falling behind in the arms race.

The nuclear threat

• Americans became fearful of a Soviet nuclear attack.

• Some built bomb shelters in their back yards and many towns had fallout shelters for citizens should an attack occur.

• The government made efforts to prepare the public for such attacks and calm the fear of Americans using propaganda.

fallout shelters

fallout shelters

Government PropagandaDon’t you feel safer???

www.ohiomemory.orgClick picture to see “Duck & Cover” (1951)

Life in the 1950s

110

•OVERVIEW

•ECONOMIC DATA

•REASONS FOR PROSPERITY

•AFFLUENCE

•BABY BOOM

•AMERICAN DREAM

•LEVITTOWN

•DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS

•CHANGING WORKPLACE

•AUTOMATION

111

THE 1950’s ARE REMEMBERED AS A TIME WHEN THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS EXPERIENCED PROSPERITY, STABILITY AND CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE. MORE AMERICANS BEGAN TO

CONSIDER THEMSELVES PART OF THE MIDDLE CLASS AS CLASS DISTINCTIONS BLURRED.

GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT, THE TOTAL OUTPUT OF ALL GOODS AND SERVICES, ROSE 250% BETWEEN 1945 AND 1960.

THE U.S., WITH JUST 6% OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION, PRODUCED HALF OF THE WORLDS GOODS AND PRODUCTS AND

CONSUMED ALMOST 1/3RD OF THE WORLD’S OUTPUT.

AMERICAN CORPORATIONS BEGAN A SERIES OF TAKEOVERS AND BUYOUTS FORMING GIGANTIC CONGLOMERATES.

CONGLOMERATES WERE BUSINESSES WHO HAD INTERESTS IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF INDUSTRY. FOR EXAMPLE, INTERNATIONAL

TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH BOUGHT SHERATON HOTELS, CONTINENTAL BAKING, HARTFORD FIRE INSURANCE AND AVIS

RENT-A-CAR.

OTHER CORPORATIONS BEGAN INVESTING OVERSEAS WHERE LABOR COSTS WERE LOWER.

1950’s OVERVIEW

112

RISE IN GNP (TOTAL IN BILLIONS)

BILLIONS OF

DOLLARS

113

GNP PER CAPITA (DOLLARS)

114

REASONS FOR THE UNPRECEDENTED POST-

WAR PROSPERITY

PENT UP DEMAND FOR CONSUMER GOODS BROUGHT ABOUT BY WWII

SHORTAGES. THE NUMBER OF CARS PRODUCED QUADRUPLED AND CHEAP

MORTGAGES LED TO A RAPID EXPANSION OF HOME CONSTRUCTION.

INCREASED DEFENSE SPENDING TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE COLD

WAR.

THE MARSHALL PLAN LED TO A HUGE EXPANSION IN EXPORTS.

FULLY TWO-THIRDS OF AMERICANS QUALIFIED AS MIDDLE CLASS IN THE POSTWAR ERA. IN THE 1920’s, LESS

THAN ONE-THIRD COULD BE CONSIDERED MIDDLE CLASS.

115

116

117

0

1000000

2000000

3000000

4000000

5000000

6000000

7000000

8000000

1933 1940 1948 1950 1955

car sales

CAR SALES 1933-1955

118

BABY BOOM

119

BIRTH RATE PER THOUSAND FOR WOMEN 15-44 YEARS OLD

120

THE AMERICAN DREAM

OWN YOUR OWN HOME

MOST NEW HOUSING CONSTRUCTION TOOK PLACE OUTSIDE MAJOR CITIES IN NEWLY CREATED SUBURBS

THERE WAS TREMENDOUS PENT UP DEMAND FOR HOUSING AS THERE HAD BEEN LITTLE

CONSTRUCTION DURING THE DEPRESSION OR WWII

COUPLES WERE HAVING MORE CHILDREN AND WANTED THEIR OWN HOMES TO RAISE THEM IN

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LOANS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR MORE FAMILIES TO PURCHASE THEIR OWN HOMES

CARS AND SHOPPING CENTERS BECAME THE CENTER PIECES OF THE NEW SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE

121

LEVITTOWN'S WERE THE SYMBOL OF THE NEW AMERICAN SUBURB WHERE ALMOST ANYONE COULD AFFORD A

NEW HOME. THEY WERE SMALL HOMES BUILT USING MASS PRODUCTION

TECHNIQUES.

WILLIAM LEVITT ONE OF THE OWNERS OF LEVITT AND SONS THAT BUILT SEVERAL LEVITTOWNS.

AERIAL VIEW OF A LEVITTOWN. THE ORIGINAL HOMES

COST $8,000 ($60,00 IN 2002).

122

124

BEATS: LITERARY REBELS AGAINST CONFORMITY AND THE CONSUMER CULTURE

THEY TOOK THEIR NAME FROM A ZEN BUDDHIST TERM WHICH MEANS TO SEARCH FOR INNER GRACE.

BEATS MET IN COFFEE HOUSES WHERE THEY RECITED POETRY ACCOMPANIED BY JAZZ MUSIC

SEVERAL FAMOUS POETS AND AUTHORS IDENTIFIED WITH THE BEAT MOVEMENT. ALLEN GINSBURG’S POEM HOWL SERVED AS AN ANTHEM FOR THE MOVEMENT.

JACK KEROUAC, THE MOST FAMOUS WRITER OF THE GROUP, HAD LITERARY AND FINANCIAL SUCCESS WITH HIS

NOVELS, THE MOST POPULAR BEING ON THE ROAD.

THE BEATS WERE A FORERUNNER TO THE LARGER COUNTERCULTURE MOVEMENTS WHICH WOULD TAKE

PLACE IN THE 1960’s.

125

Allen Ginsburg Jack Kerouac

126

1. Little boxes on the hillside,Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,Little boxes, little boxes,Little boxes, all the same.There's a green one and a pink oneAnd a blue one and a yellow oneAnd they're all made out of ticky-tackyAnd they all look just the same.

2. And the people in the housesAll go to the university,And they all get put in boxes,Little boxes, all the same.And there's doctors and there's lawyersAnd business executives,And they're all made out of ticky-tackyAnd they all look just the same.

3. And they all play on the golf-course,And drink their Martini dry,And they all have pretty children,And the children go to school.And the children go to summer campAnd then to the university,And they all get put in boxesAnd they all come out the same.

4. And the boys go into business,And marry, and raise a family,And they all get put in boxes,Little boxes, all the same.There's a green one and a pink oneAnd a blue one and a yellow oneAnd they're all made out of ticky-tackyAnd they all look just the same.

MALVINA REYNOLDS PROTEST FOLK SONG

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ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MUSIC BECAME POPULAR

AMONG TEENAGERS IN THE 1950’s. SINCE MANY ADULTS DID NOT LIKE THE MUSIC IT

WAS SEEN AS A TEENAGE FORM OF EXPRESSION DIFFERENT FROM THE PREVAILING

CONFORMITY.

THE MUSIC WAS A BLEND OF BLACK BLUES, WHITE COUNTRY, AND BLACK GOSPEL.

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL DANCING SHOCKED ADULTS MANY OF WHOM ALSO DISLIKED THE

INTERRACIAL NATURE OF THE MUSIC.

THE “KING” OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL WAS ELVIS PRESLEY.

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Elvis eventually went on to sell 77 million albums in the

20th century.

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Chuck Berry

Buddy Holly

Little Richard