TRUMAN, EISENHOWER, JFK.
TRUMAN: FOREIGN POLICY
CONTAINMENT: George Kennan proclaimed that U.S. policy toward
the Soviet Union should focus on the containment of Russia’s expansive
tendencies.
TRUMAN DOCTRINE: March 12, 1947, speech to Congress
Urged American economic and military aid to any nation
threatened by communism. $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey.
MARSHALL PLAN: Secretary of State George Marshall-1947
European Recovery Program – 1948 - $12 billion of economic
assistance to European nations. Humanitarian and political.
1951 Mutual Security Act – continued the foreign aid program
started under the Marshall Plan
ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION-1946-atomic energy for peaceful
purposes and safeguarded national security
NATIONAL SECURITY ACT-1947 – established the Department of
Defense, the National Security Council and the CIA
1948 BERLIN AIRLIFT:American Air Force air lifted supplies to West
Berlin for almost a year until Stalin lifted the blockade.
OCTOBER, 1949: GERMANY WAS OFFICIALLY DIVIDED
NATO: 1949 An attack against one member constituted an attack
against all. NATO countries would maintain a military force in Europe
as defense against a possible Soviet invasion.
WARSAW PACT: 1955 U.S.S.R., Poland, East Germany, Hungary,
Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria
1949: Soviets explode atomic bomb; this encouraged the arms races
between the Superpowers.
1949: Establishment of Communist China.
1951: American occupation of Japan ends. Peace Treaty signed.
Security Treaty gave U.S. military bases in Japan.
KOREAN CONFLICT:
“Police Action”
General Douglas MacArthur removed from command of the troops
when he sought to expand military operations against the Chinese.\
Under General Matthew Ridgway, armistice negotiations began in 1951.
1953: North Korea and the United Nations reached an armistice
agreement.
Cease-fire Line: north of the 38th parallel established
1954: U.S./South Korea sign a treaty guaranteeing U.S. assistance if
South Korea Attacked.
TRUMAN: DOMESTIC POLICY
ECONOMIC TRENDS:
RISE IN THE BIRTHRATE:
GREATER DIVERSIFICATION OF CORPORATIONS
WHITE COLLAR AND SERVICE EMPLOYMENT ROSE
MORE WOMEN IN THE WORK FORCE
AGRICULTURE DECLINED AS AN OCCUPATION
MORE PEOPLE TO URBAN CENTERS AND SUBURBS
RECONVERSION OF THE ECONOMY:
Labor strikes in the automobile, electrical, railroad, mining and steel
industries.
FAIR DEAL: TRUMAN’S LIBERAL AGENDA
ADVOCATED EXPANDING SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS,
INCREASING THE MINIMUM WAGE, A FULL EMPLOYMENT
PROGRAM, SLUM CLEARANCE, PUBLIC HOUSING, AND
GOVERNMENT SPONSORED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.
REFORMS BLOCKED BY CONSERVATIVE CONGRESS.
1946: COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISORS
1946: FULBRIGHT ACT
LEGISLATIVE REORGANZIATION ACT: reduced standing
committees, and increased congressional salaries to $12,500.00
PRESIDENT’S COMMITTEE ON CIVIL RIGHTS
T. began the desegregation of the armed forces.
Appointment of black judges to federal courts and an executive
order barring discrimination in federal employment
PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION ACT OF 1947
TAFT HARTLEY ACT:
Prohibited the closed shop
Required labor leaders to take a non-Communist oath
Forbade union contributions to political campaigns
Required unions to have public financial statements
Established a 60-day cooling-off period before striking
Allowed suits against unions for broken contracts and damages
Symbolized the end of New Deal Reform (80th controlled
Congress)
PUBLIC HOUSING ADMINISTRATION:
ELECTION OF 1948:
D – HARRY TRUMAN 49.5% of the vote
R – GOVERNOR THOMAS DEWEY OF NEW YORK
STATES’ RIGHTS OR “DIXIECRATS” – STROM THURMOND
PROGRESSIVE PARTY – HARRY A. WALLACE
Gradual socialism, abolition of racial segregation, conciliatory
attitude toward Russia
FAIR DEAL LEGISLATION:
INCREASED THE MINIMUM WAGE AND EXPANDED
SOCIAL SECURITY BY RAISING BENEFITS AND EXTENDING
COVERAGE TO MORE AMERICANS
1949 NATIONAL HOUSING ACT AUTHORIZED THE
CONSTRUCTION OF LOW-INCOME HOUSING UNITS OVER 6
YEARS
HOUSE UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE:
ALIEN REGISTRATION ACT(1940): set criminal penalties for
teaching or advocating revolution, or for belonging to a group that did
either. 1949, 11 convicted; 1951, 40 more convicted.
FEDERAL LOYALTY PROGRAM: “Loyalty Boards”
Alger Hiss: convicted of perjury/accused of stealing State Dept.
documents
McCarran Internal Security Act, 1950: required all Communist
organizations to register with the government and to publish their
records.
Civil Defense Act, 1951: defense against atomic attack
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg: convicted to economic espionage and
sentenced to death; executed in 1953.
McCarran-Walter Act: retained the quota system, removed
discrimination against Asians; deportation power to Attorney General
JOSEPH McCARTHY: leading crusader against communism
December 2, 1954: Senate voted to censure him.
ELECTION OF 1952
R – DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER – 55% OF THE VOTE – promised to
end the Korean War; accused the Democrats of being soft on
communism and tolerating corruption in Washington
D – ADLAI E. STEVENSON, GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS
Agribusiness
AFL-CIO – 1955 under George Meany
Growth of suburbs: Levittown NY
Dr. Benjamin Spock: child-centered guide to child rearing
TV
Sputnik - 1957
CIVIL RIGHTS:
BROWN v. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF Topeka, Kansas reversed
Plessey v. Ferguson
September 1957: Little Rock segregation issue: Governor Orval
Faubus/National Guard used to prevent admission to Central High
School in Little Rock/FEDERAL TROOPS
ROSA PARKS: DECEMBER 1, 1955 MONTGOMERY
Refused to give up her seat on the bus
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING: secured recognition in the civil rights
movement by leading the Montgomery bus boycott
SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE headed by
MLK
EISENHOWER’S ROLE: completed the integration of the armed
forces, tried to desegregate the federal work force and signed the Civil
Rights Act of 1957; created a Commission on Civil Rights
EISENHOWER’S DOMESTIC POLICY:
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
created
EXTENDED SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM AND
UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION; MINIMUM WAGE $1.00
1953: SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTATION to replace the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY PROJECT: linking the Great Lakes to the
Atlantic Ocean (1954)
PUBLIC HOUSING: 45,000 units/ year for 4 years to be built
FEDERAL AIR HIGHWAY ACT: “interstate” construction over a 10
year period. New taxes on fuel, tires, cars, and trucks
ELECTION OF 1956: “Ike” 57% of the vote over Adlai Stevenson
Issues: the question of radioactive fallout from hydrogen bomb
testing, the continuation of the draft and civil rights
NATIONAL DEFENSE EDUCATION ACT – 1958 – provided $300
million for loans to college students preparing to teach or possessing
ability in science, mathematics, foreign languages, or engineering.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Global concerns: the threat of nuclear war and the development of a
consistent policy toward new Third World
JOHN FOSTER DULLES: Secretary of State
MASSIVE RETALIATION – using nuclear weapons
BRINKMANSHIP – going to the brink of war with the Soviet
Union to keep peace and obtain concessions
U.S.-SOUTH KOREA SECURITY TREATY – 1953
SEATO: 1954 us, Great Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, the
Philippines, Thailand and Pakistan
1955 FORMOSA RESOUTION – US to protect Formosa and the
Pescadores
U.S.-CHINA SECURITY TREATY – US forces the right to station
troops on Formosa
1955, 1957: GENEVA SUMMIT CONFERENCE
“OPEN SKIES” PLAN-disarmament program
NUCLEAR ARMS RACE:
Atomic Energy Commission-tests in the South Pacific in 1954
DEW – distant early warning line of radar stations – Canada and
Alaska 1958
ICBM-1958 launched the first.1960 in nuclear submarines
C.I.A.
1953 overthrew government of Iran
1954 coup in Guatemala
unsuccessful in Indonesia and Cuba
“IRON CURTAIN”
1957 Germany joined NATO/US ally
VIETNAM-GENEVA AGREEMENT: Ike refused military intervention
at request of France
GENEVA ACCORDS: Vietnam divided at the 17th parallel
North under Ho Chi Minh
DOMINO THEORY: if Vietnam became Communist, the rest of Asia
would also fall under communist control
SUEZ CRISIS: resulted in the Egyptians turning to the Soviet Union
for assistance as a result of the conflict over nationalization of the Suez
Canal.
EISENHOWER DOCTRINE: offered U.S. economic and military aid
to ensure the territorial independence of Middle Eastern nations
threatened by armed aggression from Communist countries.
1957 – King Hussein of Jordan
1958 – marines to Lebanon
1959: CUBA falls to Fidel Castro
U-2 spy plane incident: pilot Francis Gary Powers captured and later
exchanged for a Soviet Spy
May 1960 summit cancelled due to this incident
ELECTION OF 1960:
Kennedy-Nixon debates:
NEW FRONTIER: domestic legislation
Aid to public schools, wilderness preservation, federal investment
in mass transportation, federal investment in mass transportation, and
medical insurance for the elderly under Social Security. Congressional
opposition.
Tariff negotiations with foreign governments to stimulate American
exports.
1963 federal tax cut to stimulate the economy
NASA created
Peace Corps: Sargent Shriver
November 22, 1963: Kennedy Assassination
Lee Harvey Oswald
Jack Ruby
Warren Commission Report
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: “Flexible response” – strengthening the tools of
war and creating new ones
ALLIANCE FOR PROGRESS to encourage economic growth in Latin
America
BERLIN WALL symbolized the tension between the US and the USSR
1961
BAY OF PIGS April 17, 1961 –an embarrassment to the US; failed
invsion due to lack of air support and Cubans did not rise up
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS October 1962
1963 NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY: agreed to ban the testing of
nuclear weapons in the atmosphere
Election of 1964: LBJ & Barry Goldwater