1950s

1950s Notes If you'd like to download a complete copy of my lecture notes, save this file. Otherwise, I've copy/pasted from my notes onto this page.

Here are some key items you should focus on from the 1950s for the 50s/60s Quiz.
 * China
 * Korea
 * Iron Curtain
 * Sputnik
 * Domino Theory
 * Suburban Growth
 * Brown v. Board of Education
 * Hiss & Rosenbergs Cases
 * McCarthyism

I. Elections a. 1948 – Truman vs. Dewey i. Dewey was believed to have the upper hand, but he led a cautious and unexciting campaign, while Truman toured the nation by rail, attacking the “do-nothing” Republican congress – won the election //1.// //Picture of Truman holding the Newspaper “Dewey Beats Truman”// b. 1952 – Eisenhower/Nixon v. Adlai Stephenson i. Ike’s honesty is almost ruined by Nixon’s dishonesty – Checkers’ Speech ii. What won was most likely Ike’s promise to go to Korea and end the war //iii.// //http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1952// c. 1956 – Eisenhower v. Stephenson i. Won by a greater margin, but Democrats retained control of both houses

II. Spheres of Interest and Postwar Settlements a. United Nations (1945) à revamped the League of Nations, much more effective. 50 nations met in San Francisco to ratify the charter – only took 8 weeks i. General Assembly – delegates from all member nations, meets annually ii. Security Council – 5 permanent members (US, GB, Rus, Fr, China) plus 10 elected by general assembly for 2 year terms

b. Germany divided 1945 (east USSR, west France/GB/US) i. East becomes a bastion of communism, focusing on a weak military and payment reparations for WW2 damages ii. West wants Germany to be stable economically as it is critical for the stability of Central Europe iii. Constructs the Berlin Wall to isolate East Berlin from West and rest of Germany 1. US/GB/FR responds with the Berlin Airlift //2.// //Show video of the Berlin Wall// //http://www.history.com/videos/berlin-wall-deconstructed#berlin-wall-deconstructed//

c. Red China 1949 i. Jiang Jieshi and his nationalists seek refuge in Formosa (Taiwan) ii. Mao Zedong and the communists control China (People’s Republic of China) 1. We didn’t recognize the regime until 1979

d. Korea divided (North USSR/China, South US/United Nations) i. North Korea attacks South Korea in 1950, UN defends South ii. MacArthur urges a war against China, Truman relieves him for insubordination iii. Settles at the 38th parallel – the heaviest fortified borders in the world 1. //Show picture of the 38th parallel in N/S Korea// iv. 54,000 Americans died in Korea

e. Jews began to carve out Israel out of Palestine – against the wishes of Palestinian and other Arab peoples (1948)

f. Eastern and Central European countries have elections (as promised by USSR), but the Soviets manipulated the returns to favor the communist candidates i. Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary, and Czeckoslovakia ii. Churchill declared “An iron curtain has descended across the continent of Europe” – meaning the Soviet satellite states of Eastern Europe //iii.// //Show Pic of Iron Curtain 1950-1980//

g. Yankeephobia 1950s – latin American countries angry towards the US during the 50’s because the CIA continually aided non-communist regimes to maintain and stay in power, while consistently denying it (Peru, Venezuela)

h. Suez Crisis 1956 – Israel invaded the Suez canal controlled by Egypt (Nasser), GB/FR issue a ceasefire, ignored by ISR/Egypt, GB/FR invade the Suez, US is angered, orders them to stop because we weren’t informed, Egyptian sovereignty and ownership was confirmed by the UN //i.// //Show Suez Crisis Video//

i. Soviet Problems i. USSR dropped a test atomic bomb in 1949 ii. Sputnik is launched (1957) – changes the American idea of education to focus on math and science, makes America fearful of Russian technology iii. U2 Spy Plane Incident (1960) – spy plane shot down over USSR, we denied any knowledge, but then the soviets announced the pilot had admitted his mission 1. //Video of Kruschev/Eisenhower over U2 Spy Plane//

j. Domino Theory 50s – if one southeastern Asia country falls to communism, the rest will i. France loses control of Indochina, splits into Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam (N/S) ii. Vietnam would have an election, but South delays for fear of communist victory iii. US supports South Vietnam and Ngo Dinh Diem

III. American Cultural Changes a. Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (1944) – GI Bill of Rights - provided 1 year unemployment pay and provided low interest loans for homes, education, and businesses. b. Baby Boom - 50 million babies entered the US population between 1945 and 1960 c. Suburban Growth 1950s – most middle-class Americans migrated to the suburbs à urban areas became poorer and racially divided i. Levittown – 17,000 mass produced, low-priced family homes in Long Island, NY ii. Blacks/Latinos omitted from home loans lenders cite financial reasons for rejection d. Rise of the Sunbelt 1950s – California to Florida i. Warmer climate, lower taxes, economic opportunities ii. Shifted industry, people, and ultimately political power from NE to South/SW 1. //Stats of US census 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, etc.// e. //Brown v. Board of Education (1954)// overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, ruling that separate is inherently unequal à initially only in public schools i. Led to desegregation in busses, restaurants, theatres f. Highways and Waterways Act of 1956 – 40,000 miles of roads, superiority of cars over all other land transportation g. Added the phrase “Under God” (1954) to pledge and officially declared “In God We Trust” (1956) as our official motto h. Rock’N’Rollers – Elvis Presley 54, Buddy Holly 55, Little Richard 55 i. “devils music” by religious, “repulsive to right-thinking people” by J. Edgar Hoover i. Charlie Brown 1950 – satire about bleak educational opportunities, especially for African-Americans j. TV becomes the center of the home à “vast wasteland” by opponents i. Frozen tv dinner, recliner, tv tray, TV guide k. Family Roles Redefined i. PTAs and books on child care develop, women get advertised to for the home 1. Most women were still not considered for upper level jobs a. Sandra Day O’Conner graduated with honors from a prestigious law school but received zero offers from private firms for employment ii. Male revolt à being an independent man (playboy magazine) iii. Widespread use of contraception “the pill” l. 1945 US: Depression 1960 US: Most Wealthy Nation i. 5x GB, 10x Japan ii. Newer US industries had companies that would create new goods that weren’t even available the previous decade

IV. Red Scare a. Truman Doctrine 1947: Containment of communist nations b. House Un-American Committee 1938-75 (HUAC) investigated govt officials and other organizations (Boy Scouts, Hollywood Film Industry) to find communist spies c. Alger Hiss Case 1950 – prominent official in the state dept that is convicted of perjury and sent to prison for giving confidential files to communist spies i. Richard Nixon helped prosecute him d. Julius & Ethel Rosenberg Case 1953 – controversial trial in 1951 that implicated them to a spy ring of giving atomic secrets to the Soviets i. They are executed for the crime in 1953 e. Joseph McCarthy 1950 – rode the wave of anti-communist fervor to win reelection, and then became popular for seeking out spies in the government i. McCarthyism becomes a synonym for witchhunts of communists ii. He loses his credibility when the Senate televised him interrogating the Army – he was seen as a bully – House and Senate vote to censure McCarthy in 1954 1. Censure is a public reprimand for a public official for inappropriate behavior