The US in the 1950s: Cold War and Domestic Policy PDF
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Beavercreek High School
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This document appears to be notes or a summary of key events and policies in the United States during the 1950s. It includes topics such as the Truman and Eisenhower administrations, the Cold War, the Korean War, McCarthyism, and domestic policy changes.
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## The US in the 1950s ### The Cold War Era I. The Truman Administration (Domestic) * A. Truman's Background 1. Missouri 2. US Senator * B. Rapid Demobilization (Baby Boomers) * C. Labor and Economy 1. Taft/Hartley 1947 2. Mild inflation *...
## The US in the 1950s ### The Cold War Era I. The Truman Administration (Domestic) * A. Truman's Background 1. Missouri 2. US Senator * B. Rapid Demobilization (Baby Boomers) * C. Labor and Economy 1. Taft/Hartley 1947 2. Mild inflation * D. The Presidential Succession Act (1947) – House Speaker→Pres._Pro-Tempore→Cabinet Members * E. Department of Defense 1. Air Force, Army, and Navy under one department 2. Eliminate interservice rivalry * F. 1948 Election 1. Dems * a. Truman * b. Henry Wallace - Progressive * c. Strom Thurmond - Dixiecrats 2. Repubs (Thomas Dewey) 3. The Fair Deal * a. More extensive Social Security * b. Min. wage raised from $0.40 to $0.75/hour * G. 22nd Amendment 1951 - 2 terms or 10 years limit on the Presidency II. Foreign Policy * A. Potsdam (drafted treaties) * B. The Truman Doctrine (1947) 1. US gave aid to any country threatened by communism 2. Military aid sent to Greece and Turkey * C. The Marshall Plan (1947) 1. Recovery plan for Europe 2. $12 billion 3. Point 4 - plan extended to Asia * D. The Berlin Blockade (1948) 1. Russia didn't want Western influence in Berlin * a. The Berlin Airlift * E. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 1. US, Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Canada, and West Germany 2. Ike was made Supreme Commander 3. South/East Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) * F. The Warsaw Pact - Eastern block response to NATO * G. The US vs. Communists (Cold War) 1. USSR gets the bomb in 1949 2. Alger Hiss 3. Julins and Ethel Rosenberg 4. China - Chiang-Kai-Shek III. The Korean War (38th Parallel) The USSR wasn't able to spread communism into the west of Europe so they went with Korea * 3 Stages: * A. North Korea communists) invades South Korea June 25, 1950 1. U.N. aid to South Korea 2. USSE Rep. wasn't there 3. Truman orders in US troops under Gen. Douglas MacArthur 4. U.N. and US supplied 4.5's of the troops * B. U.N. forces Stage Offensive Sept 1950 1. Inchon 2. North Korea forces are pushed north to the Yalu River * C. Chinese Intervention (Late November) 1. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese invade 2. The firing of MacArthur * a. Truman wanted a limited war and MacArthur wanted total victory * b. MacArthur speaks out against Washington policies * c. MacArthur fired by Truman and comes home to a hero's welcome IV. 1952 Election * A. Adlai Stevenson – Dem. Gov. of Illinois * B. Dwight D. Eisenhower 1. "I will go to Korea" 2. Ike wins * C. Modern Republicanism 1. Ike becomes friends with big business 2. John Foster Dulles – Secretary of State * a. The Domino Theory * b. Destroy Communism V. Foreign Policy Under Ike * A. End of Korean War Over 50,000 Americans Died 1. Ceasefire July 27, 1953 Armistice 2. No treaty 3. 38th Parallel * B. Not Just Contain Communism, but Destroy It 1. Encouraged the liberation of captives 2. Voice of America and radio free Europe * C. Thaw in the Cold War 1. Death of Stalin (main reason) 2. USSR didn't want to go to war with the west 3. Meeting in Geneva (agreed to suspend the testing of nuclear bombs) * D. Middle East 1. Suez Canal * a. Egypt's leader (Nasser) didn't like the existence of Israel, so he nationalized the Canal * b. Britain and France move in * c. Ike helps settle the problem * E. Sputnik 1957 1. USSR first in space 2. A call in the US for more education VI. Domestic Policy * A. Integration 1. Brown vs. Topeka 1954 2. Little Rock 1957 3. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 * B. McCarthyism Due to the Cold War, people in the 1950s became concerned about communism (Klaus Fuchs, Hiss, and the Rosenbergs) 1. Joseph McCarthy – Sen. from Wisconsin 2. Accused the State Department of having communists * a. Even hinted at Ike and George C. Marshall * b. Blacklistings 3. The Army/McCarthy Hearings * a. Television exposes McCarthy's tactics * b. Edward R. Murron * C. 1956 Election 1. Ike - Repubs 2. Stevenson – Dems VII. Life in the 1950s A conservative time, economy ok, Ike was very popular * A. Baby boom and the growth of suburbs * B. Television 1. 1 million sets sold 2. Father Knows Best, Ozzie & Harriet, Milton Berb, Howdy Doody, I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, Donna Reed, Ed Sullivan * C. Rise of Rock & Roll 1. A blend of jazz, R&B, and country/western 2. Elvis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Everly Brothers, Carl Perkins, Little Richard, The Platters, Fats Domino, and Bill Haley and the Comets * D. Movies 1. Rebel without A cause, From Here to Eternity, The Blob, Giant, On the Waterfront, Requiem for a Heavyweight, Ben Hur, The 10 Commandments, African Queen, Vertigo, Rear Window, North by Northwest * E. Fads 1. Hoola hoops, poodle skirts, pony tails, bobby socks, crew cuts, drive-ins, roller skates, sock hops, letter jackets
