1238-1252 Notes US History

1238-1252 Notes Through the Picture Window: Society and Culture ● Americans emerged from World War II proud and eager to pursue peacetime prosperity ● The society enjoyed unprecedented economic growth ● They had access to new consumer products ● Birthrates soared, homicide and divorce rates fell ● THe mood was upbeat ● many social critics, writers and artists expressed a growing sense of unease with what they deemed the vulgarity and superficiality of middle class culture ● People thought that postwar society was too complacent, conformist, and materialistic ● People of Plenty ● The dominant feature of postwar society was prosperity ● Business shifted from wartime production to peacetime manufacture of an array of consumer goods ● The economy soared to record heights ● Gnp doubled from 1945 to 1960 ● living standard in the US and the rest of the world became a chasm ● 6 percent of the worlds population produced 2 thirds of the goods ● Poverty was a problem for people in the ghetto and the rural poor ● government officials assured the citizenry that they should not fear another collapse ● Eisenhower promised that there will never be another depression ● Massive federal expenditures catapulted the economy out of the depression ● high government spending continued after the war because of tensions generated by the cold war ● Military budget represented the single most important stimulant to the postwar boom ● Military research spawned new technology ● chemicals, electronics, aviation ● Other industrial nations had been devestated by the war ● Americans had a monopoly on international trade ● technology created spectacular increases in productivity ● Pent up demand promoted economic expansion ● Americans postponed purchases of major items and saved over 150b ● They were now eager to buy ● The Gi Bill of Rights ● The government feared that a drop in military spending and influx of vets would send the economy into a spiral and produce widespread unemployment ● Congress passed the servicements readjustment act aka gi bill of rights ● The veterans administration was created which paid veterans, gave unemployment payments, preference for gov jobs, loans for home construction, access to gov hospitals and subsidies for education ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● vets bought homes and went to school before the war, 160k americans went to college by 1950, it was 500k america had the best educated workforce for the first time working class men could earn a college degree A college degree served as a lever into the middle class the gi bill eroded class barriers but not racial barriers blacks couldnt fully take advantage of education benefits because colleges were segregaed blacks couldnt play on teams, go to dances etc The Baby Boom Many young couples delayed having children during the depression 12 million vets returning generating the postwar baby boom 76 million americans were born americas social history has been the story of this large baby boom generation and its progress through life The baby boomers were raised during a period of prosperity but entered adulthood during a period of debt, inflation, and energy crisis baby boomers were spoiled An Expanding Consumer Culture The baby boom was accompanied by a construction boom Home owner pecentage increase by 50 percent New homes featured latest appliances Refrigerators, washing machines, sewing machines, vacuums, freezers, electric mixers, electric knives, electric shoe polishers, the tv was the most popular household item 9/10 homes had a tv Watching Tv displaced radio and made the US a more democratic progressive, and closely knit community prosperity was dispersed blacks were earning more money but they still lagged behind whites Income Gap between blacks and whites increased The need to present a united front against communism led commentators to ignore issues of racial and economic injustice emphasis was on consensus, conformity, and growth Marketing specialists targeted consumers desires and social envy tv advertising spending increased Consumer credit soared american families were only saving 5 percent of their income shopping became a major recreational activity The Suburban Frontier The growing population created new communities that required new services, Almost the entire population increase was an urban or suburban phenomenon Technological advances in agriculture reduced the need for manual laborers ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 20 million people left farms and villages for the city urban population growth occurred in the south, the southwest, and the west this was called the sun belt air conditioning became a common household fixture and enhanced the appeal of warm climates Northeast remained the most densely populated suburbs grew faster than cities by the 70s more people lived in the suburbs than cities Suburban development required cars, highways, and government guaranteed mortgages William Levitt led the suburban revolution He built 10.6k houses on farmland in long island It was to be inhabited by more than 40k people Other developers soon mimicked his efforts across the country the federal housing administration made it easy for a builder to construct low cost homes Vets got added benefits they could buy a levitt house with no down payment and a mortgage installment of 56 dollars expanded car ownership and highway construction facilitated the rush to the suburbs as people could drive to work car culture transformed social behavior automobiles transformed social behavior cars changed dress, manners, social customs, vacation habits, the shape of cities, consumer purchasing patterns and tastes many new roads were built state government and local gov built roads but the guiding force was the federal government Congress authorized the construction of 37k miles of highways and nine years later it funded over 42k additional miles in a new national system of interstate expressways white people moved out of cities as blacks moved in new cars and roads provided easy access to the suburbs and americans rushed to take advantage of the new living spaces people wanted to stay away from colored people contracts specifically excluded members of other than the caucasian race The Great Black Migration Blacks moved to the north after ww2 the number was greater than wwi blacks moved because they wanted better jobs, higher wages, decent housing and greater social equality The population of blacks in chicago doubled The southside of chicago was called the capital of black america Black people were unprepared to move to the cities they weren’t hired. union bosses denied them membership, and they were gouged for rent The promise land became a nightmare of slum housing, joblessness, illiteracy, ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● disfunctional families, welfare, street gangs, crime, and racism the black people taxed the resources of northern urban governments and the patience of white racists Chicago dealt with migrants by created public housing projects many black migrants managed to clear out of the ghetto The projects became segregated prisons The black migration produced a web of complex social problems in northern cities A conforming Culture Middle class social life was homogenized suburbs encouraged uniformity Corporate Life Fewer people were self employed and manual labor was giving way to mental labor white collar workers outnumbered blue collar workers during the war, big businesses grew bigger The government relaxed anti trust activity and defense contracts promoted corporate concentration and consolidation After the war, a wave of mergers occurred Corporate giants appeared in every major industry and provided most new jobs large companies promoted conformity Womens Place A issue of life magazine featured the ideal middle class woman a thirty two year old pretty, popular white suburban housewife who was a mother of four, who had married at 16 She was an excellent wife, mother, volunteer, and home manager who made clothes, hosted dinner parties, sang in church choir, workers with the PTa and the campfire girls, and was devoted to her husband She attends club or charity meetings, drives the children to school, does weekly grocery shopping, makes ceramics, and is planning to study french The description of the woman was symptomatic of a cult of domesticity The soaring birthrate reinforced this the accomplishment of the woman is having babies Women were encouraged and forced to turn their job over to men after the war