COLD WAR
CONFLICTS
U.S vs. U.S.S.R.
ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR
The Cold War would dominate
global affairs from 1945 until the
breakup of the USSR in 1991
After being Allies
during WWII, the U.S.
and U.S.S.R. soon
viewed each other
with increasing
suspicion
Their political
differences created a
climate of icy tension
that plunged the two
countries into an era of
bitter rivalry known as
the Cold War
POLITICAL DIFFERENCES
At the heart of the tension
was a fundamental
difference in political
systems
America is a democracy
that has a capitalist
economic system, free
elections and competing
political parties
In the U.S.S.R., the sole
political party – the
Communists – established a
totalitarian regime with
little or no rights for the
citizens
Soviets viewed Marx, Engels and
Lenin as founders of Communism
SUSPICIONS DEVELOPED
DURING THE WAR
ISSUES
Even during the war, the two nations
disagreed on many issues
The U.S. was furious that Soviet leader Joseph
Stalin had been an ally of Hitler for a time
Stalin was upset that the U.S. had kept its
development of the atomic bomb a secret
THE UNITED NATIONS
PROVIDES HOPE
The United Nations
today has 191 member
countries
Hopes for world peace were
high at the end of the war
The most visible symbol of
these hopes was the United
Nations (U.N.)
Formed in June of 1945, the
U.N. was composed of 50
nations
Unfortunately, the U.N. soon
became a forum for
competing superpowers to
spread their influence over
others
SOVIETS DOMINATE EASTERN
EUROPE
The Soviet Union
suffered an estimated
20 million WWII
deaths, half of whom
were civilian
As a result they felt
justified in their
claim to Eastern
Europe
Furthermore, they
felt they needed
Eastern Europe as a
buffer against future
German aggression
STALIN INSTALLS PUPPET
GOVERNMENTS
Stalin installed
In a 1946 speech, Stalin said communism
and capitalism were incompatible – and
another war was inevitable
“satellite” communist
governments in the
Eastern European
countries of Albania,
Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia,
Hungary, Romania,
Yugoslavia and East
Germany
This after promising
“free elections” for
Eastern Europe at the
Yalta Conference
U.S. ESTABLISHES A POLICY
OF CONTAINMENT
Faced with the Soviet
threat, Truman decided it
was time to “stop babying
the Soviets”
In February 1946, George
Kennan, an American
diplomat in Moscow,
proposed a policy of
containment
Containment meant the
U.S. would prevent any
further extension of
communist rule
CHURCHILL: “IRON CURTAIN”
ACROSS EUROPE
Churchill, right, in Fulton,
Missouri delivering his “iron
curtain” speech, 1946
Europe was now divided
into two political regions;
a mostly democratic
Western Europe and a
communist Eastern
Europe
In a 1946 speech,
Churchill said, “An iron
curtain has descended
across the continent”
The phrase “iron curtain”
came to stand for the
division of Europe
Iron Curtain
cartoon,
1946
THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE
The American policy of
“containment” soon
expanded into a policy
known as the Truman
Doctrine”
This doctrine, first used in
Greece and Turkey in the
late 1940s, vowed to
provide aid (money &
military supplies) to
support “free peoples who
are resisting outside
pressures”
By 1950, the U.S. had given
$400 million in aid to
Greece and Turkey
THE MARSHALL PLAN
The Marshall Plan helped
Western Europe recover
economically
Post-war Europe was
devastated economically
In June 1947, Secretary of
State George Marshall
proposed a U.S. aid package to
European nations
Western Europe accepted the
help, while Eastern Europe
(read Stalin) rejected the aid
Over the next four years 16
European countries received
$13 billion in U.S. aid
By 1952 Western Europe’s
economy was flourishing
Marshall
Plan aid
sent to
European
countries
Marshall
Aid
cartoon,
1947
SUPERPOWERS STRUGGLE
At the end of the war,
OVER GERMANY
Germany was divided among
the Allies into four zones for
the purpose of occupation
The U.S, France, and Great
Britain decided to combine
their 3 zones into one zone –
West Germany, or the federal
Republic of Germany
The U.S.S.R. controlled East
Germany, or the German
Democratic Republic
Now the superpowers were
occupying an area right next
to each other – problems
were bound to occur
BERLIN AIRLIFT – 1948
When the Soviets
attempted to block
the three Western
powers from
access to Berlin in
1948, the 2.1
million residents of
West Berlin had
only enough food
for five weeks,
resulting in a dire
situation
Like the whole of Germany, the
city of Berlin was divided into
four zones
AMERICA & BRITAIN AIRLIFT
SUPPLIES TO WEST BERLIN
Not wanting to invade
and start a war with the
Soviets, America and
Britain started the Berlin
airlift to fly supplies into
West Berlin
For 327 days, planes took
off and landed every few
minutes, around the
clock
In 277,000 flights, they
brought in 2.3 million
tons of food, fuel and
medicine to the West
Berliners
SOVIETS LIFT BLOCKADE
Realizing they
were beaten and
suffering a public
relations
nightmare, the
Soviets lifted
their blockade in
May, 1949
On Christmas 1948, the plane crews
brought gifts to West Berlin
NATO FORMED
The Berlin blockade
increased Western
Europe’s fear of Soviet
aggression
As a result, ten West
European nations
joined the U.S and
Canada on April 4, 1949
to form a defensive
alliance known as the
North American Treaty
Organization
The NATO flag
SECTION 2: THE COLD WAR
HEATS UP
CHINA:
For two decades, Chinese
communists had
struggled against the
nationalist government
of Chiang Kai-Shek
The U.S. supported Chiang
and gave the Nationalist
Party $3 billion in aid
during WWII
However, Mao Zedong’s
Communist Party in
China was strong,
especially among Chinese
peasants
CHINESE CIVIL WAR: 1944-1947
After Japan left China at the
end of the War, Chinese
Nationalists and Communists
fought a bloody civil war
Despite the U.S. sending
$ billions to the Nationalists,
the Communists under Mao
won the war and ruled China
Chiang and the Nationalists
fled China to neighboring
Taiwan (Formosa)
Mao established the People’s
Republic of China
MAO
Kai-Shek
AMERICA STUNNED
The American public
was shocked that
China had fallen to the
Communists
Many believed
containment had
failed and communism
was expanding
American fear of
communism and
communist expansion
was increasing
KOREAN WAR
Soviet
controlled
U.S.
controlled
Japan had taken over
Korea in 1910 and ruled
it until August 1945
As WWII ended,
Japanese troops north of
the 38th parallel
surrendered to the
Soviets
Japanese soldiers south
of the 38th surrendered to
the Americans
As in Germany, two
nations developed, one
communist (North Korea)
and one democratic
(South Korea)
NORTH KOREA ATTACKS
SOUTH KOREA
On June 25, 1950, North
Korean forces swept
across the 38th parallel in
a surprise attack on
South Korea
With only 500 U.S. troops
in South Korea, the
Soviets figured the
Americans would not
fight to save South Korea
Instead, America sent
troops, planes and ships
to South Korea
MACARTHUR’S
COUNTERATTACK
At first, North Korea
seemed unstoppable
However, General
MacArthur launched
a counterattack with
tanks, heavy
artillery, and troops
Many North Koreans
surrendered; others
retreated across the
38th parallel
CHINA JOINS THE FIGHT
Just as it looked like the
Americans were going to
score a victory in the
North, 300,000 Chinese
soldiers joined the war
on the side of the North
Koreans
The fight between North
and South Korea had
turned into a war in
which the main
opponents were Chinese
Communists vs. America
MACARTHUR RECOMMENDS
ATTACKING CHINA
To halt the bloody stalemate,
General MacArthur called for
an extension of the war into
China
Furthermore, MacArthur
called for the U.S. to drop
atomic bombs on several
Chinese cities
President Truman rejected
the General’s requests
MACARTHUR VS. TRUMAN
MacArthur continued to urge President Truman to
attack China and tried to go behind Truman’s back –
Truman was furious with his general
On April 1, 1951, Truman made the shocking
announcement that he had fired MacArthur
Americans were surprised and many still supported
their fallen general
Macarthur
was given
a tickertape
parade
AN ARMISTICE IS SIGNED
Negotiators
began working
on a settlement
as early as the
summer of 1951
Finally, in
July 1953, an
agreement
was signed that
ended the war
in a stalemate
(38th parallel)
America’s cost:
54,000 lives
and $67 billion
Korean War Memorial, Washington D.C.
SECTION 3: THE COLD WAR AT
HOME
At the height of WWII,
about 80,000 Americans
claimed membership in
the Communist Party
Some feared that the first
loyalty of these American
Communists was to the
Soviet Union
Overall, Americans feared
communist ideology, a
world revolution and
Soviet expansion
Anti-Soviet cartoon
U.S. GOVERNMENT TAKES
ACTION
In March of 1947,
President Truman set up
the Loyalty Review Board
The board was created to
investigate federal
employees and dismiss
those disloyal to the U.S.
government
The U.S. Attorney General
also drew up a list of 91
“subversive”
organizations –
membership in any of
these was ground for
suspicion
THE HOUSE UN-AMERICAN
ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE
The HUAC was a
government body which
first made headlines in
1947 when it began
investigating communist
influence in the movie
industry
The committee believed
that Communists were
sneaking propaganda
into films
The HUAC subpoenaed
witnesses from
Hollywood to discuss
their involvement
THE BLACKLIST TEN
Ten witnesses refused
to cooperate because
they believed the
proceedings were
unconstitutional – they
were jailed
Subsequently, the
committee blacklisted
500 actors, directors,
writers and producers
whom they believed
had communist
connections
The “Blacklist Ten” (And
two lawyers)
SPY CASES STUN THE NATION
Nixon examines
microfilm in Hiss
case
Two spy cases added
to the fear gripping the
nation
Alger Hiss was accused
of being a spy for the
Soviets
A young Republican
congressman named
Richard Nixon gained
fame by tirelessly
prosecuting Hiss
Hiss was found guilty
and jailed – less than
four years later Nixon
was VP
THE ROSENBERGS
Another high profile
trial was the Rosenberg
spy case
The Rosenbergs were
accused of providing
information to Soviets
which enabled them to
produce an atomic
bomb in 1949
Ethel and Julius
Rosenberg were found
guilty and executed
The Rosenbergs were the first U.S.
citizens executed for espionage
MCCARTHY LAUNCHES
“WITCH HUNT”
The most famous antiCommunist activist was
Senator Joseph
McCarthy, a Republican
from Wisconsin
McCarthy took advantage
of people’s concern about
Communism by making
unsupported claims that
205 state department
members were
Communists
AntiCommunist
propaganda
during
McCarthy
era
MCCARTHY’S DOWNFALL
Finally, in 1954 McCarthy
went too far
He accused high ranking
Army officers of being
Communists
In the televised
proceedings McCarthy’s
bullying of witnesses
alienated the national
audience
Three years later he died
of alcoholism at age 49
McCarthy’s attacking style and
utter lack of evidence led to his
downfall
THE AMERICAN
SHAME
Today, those Congressional
witch hunts and episodes of
“red-baiting" are
universally discredited as
abuse of official power
The history of the blacklist
era has come to stand for
demagoguery, censorship,
and political despotism;
and the blacklisting,
persecution, and jailing of
American citizens for their
political beliefs - or their
perceived political beliefs is regarded as a shameful
chapter in modern
American history
SECTION 4: TWO NATIONS
LIVE ON THE EDGE
An H-bomb test conducted by
America near Bikini Island in
Pacific Ocean, 1954
After World War II, the
U.S. and U.S.S.R.
competed in developing
atomic and hydrogen
bombs
The Soviets tested their
first atomic bomb in 1949
The U.S. began work on a
bomb 67 times stronger
than the atomic bomb
dropped on Hiroshima –
the hydrogen bomb
BRINKMANSHIP
By the time both countries
had the H-bomb (1953),
President Dwight D.
Eisenhower and his
Secretary of State John
Foster Dulles made it clear
they were willing to use all
military force (including
nuclear weapons) to stop
aggression
The Soviets followed suit
This willingness to go to
the edge of all-out war
became known as
brinkmanship
Some Americans created shelters in
their backyards in case of nuclear
attack
THE COLD WAR SPREADS
As the Cold War heated
up, the U.S. depended
more and more on
information compiled by
the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA)
The CIA began attempts
to weaken or overthrow
governments unfriendly
to the U.S.
COVERT ACTIONS IN THE
MIDDLE EAST
One of the first
covert operations
occurred in the
Middle East
In Iran the U.S.
orchestrated the
return of the proU.S. Shah of Iran
in 1953
The last Shah of Iran
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
COVERT OPS IN LATIN
AMERICA
In 1954, the CIA also
took covert actions in
Guatemala (a Central
America country just
south of Mexico)
The U.S. believed
Guatemala was on the
verge of becoming
Communist, so the CIA
trained an army which
invaded the small
country
The actions eventually
failed as a military
dictator rose to power
THE WARSAW PACT
To counter the U.S. defense alliance
(NATO), in 1955 the Soviets formed
their own mutual defense alliance
known as the Warsaw Pact
NATO
WARSAW
NEUTRAL
THE HUNGARIAN
UPRISING
The Soviets responded to the
Hungarian revolt with tanks
Dominated by the Soviet Union
since the end of WWII, the
Hungarian people rose up in
revolt in 1956
Led by Imre Nagy, the liberal
Communist leader of Hungary,
the people demanded free
elections and the end of Soviet
domination
The Soviets’
response was
swift and brutal –
30,000
Hungarians were
killed (including
Nagy) as the
Soviets
reasserted control
THE COLD WAR TAKES TO THE
SKIES
The Space Race was
initially dominated by the
Soviets
On October 4, 1957, they
launched Sputnik, the
world’s first artificial
satellite
Sputnik traveled around
earth at 18,000 miles an
hour, circling the globe
every 96 minutes
U-2 PLANES SPY
ON SOVIETS
In the late 1950s,
the CIA began
secret high-altitude
spy missions over
Soviet territory
The U-2’s infra-red
cameras took
detailed pictures of
Soviet troop
movements &
missile sites
U-2 SPY PLANE SHOT
DOWN OVER USSR
Powers was released in 1962 in
exchange for convicted Soviet spy
Rudolph Abel
On May 1, 1960, Gary
Power’s U-2 spy plane was
shot down over Soviet
territory
Powers parachuted into
Soviet territory, was
captured and sentenced to
10-years in prison
Because of this incident,
the 1960s opened with
tension between the two
superpowers as great as
ever
THE POSTWAR
BOOM
THE AMERICAN DREAM
IN THE 1950S
SECTION 1: POSTWAR
AMERICA
After WWII, returning
vets faced a severe
housing shortage
In response to the crisis,
developers used
assembly-line methods to
mass-produce houses
Developer William Levitt
bragged that his
company could build a
home in 16 minutes for
$7,000
Suburbs were born
With the help of the GI Bill,
many veterans moved into
suburbs
REDEFINING THE FAMILY
A return to traditional
roles after the war was
the norm
Men were expected to
work, while women were
expected to stay home
and care for the children
Conflict emerged as
many women wanted to
stay in the workforce
Divorce rates surged
REMARKABLE
ECONOMIC
RECOVERY
Experts who predicted a postwar depression were
proved wrong as they failed to consider the $135
billion in savings Americans had accumulated from
defense work, service pay, and investments in war
bonds
Americans were ready to buy consumer goods
DESPITE GROWTH, ISSUES
PERSIST
One persistent
postwar issue
involved labor
strikes
In 1946 alone, 4.5
million discontented
workers, including
Steelworkers, coal
miners and railroad
workers went on
strike
TRUMAN TOUGH ON
STRIKERS
Truman refused to let strikes cripple the nation
He threatened to draft the striking workers and
then order them as soldiers to return to work
The strategy worked as strikers returned to their
jobs
SOCIAL UNREST
PERSISTS
African Americans felt
they deserved equal
rights, especially after
hundreds of thousands
served in WWII
Truman took action in
1948 by desegregating
the armed forces
Additionally, Truman
ordered an end to
discrimination in the
hiring of governmental
employees
THE 1948 ELECTION
Dewey
The Democrats
nominated President
Truman in 1948
The Republicans
nominated New York
Governor Thomas
Dewey
Polls showed Dewey
held a comfortable
lead going into
election day
TRUMAN WINS IN A
STUNNING UPSET
Truman holds a now infamous Chicago
Tribune announcing (incorrectly)
Dewey’s victory
Truman’s “Give
‘em hell, Harry”
campaign
worked
Truman won a
very close race
against Dewey
To protest Truman’s emphasis on Civil Rights, the South
opted to run a third candidate, South Carolina Governor
Strum Thurmond
REPUBLICANS PLAN FOR
1952 ELECTION
By 1951 Truman’s
approval rating sank
to an all-time low of
just 23%
Why? Korean War,
rising tide of
McCarthyism, and a
general impression
of ineffectiveness
The Republican (right) were
chomping at the bit in the ’52
election
STEVENSON VS. IKE 1952
ELECTION
Stevenson
Ike
The Democrats
nominated
intellectual Illinois
Governor Adlai
Stevenson while
the Republicans
nominated war
hero Dwight David
Eisenhower
“I LIKE IKE”
Eisenhower used the
slogan, “I Like Ike”
for his presidential
campaign
Republicans used
Ike’s strong military
background to
emphasize his ability
to combat
Communism
worldwide
IKE’S VP SLIP-UP
Nixon and his dog
Checkers
One potential disaster
for Ike was his running
mate’s alleged “slush
fund”
Richard Nixon
responded by going on
T.V. and delivering an
emotional speech
denying charges but
admitting to accepting
one gift for his children
– a dog named Checkers
The “Checkers speech”
saved the ticket
IKE WINS 1952 ELECTION
SECTION 2: THE AMERICAN
DREAM IN THE FIFTIES
After WWII ended,
Americans turned their
attention to their
families and jobs
New businesses and
technology created
opportunities for many
By the end of the 1950s,
Americans were
enjoying the highest
standard of living in the
world
Ozzie and Harriet reflected
the perfect American family
THE ORGANIZATION AND THE
ORGANIZATION MAN
White Collar jobs expanded
greatly in the 1950s
During the 1950s,
businesses expanded
rapidly
More and more people
held “white-collar” jobs clerical, management, or
professional jobs
The fields of sales,
advertising, insurance
and communications
exploded
SOCIAL CONFORMITY
American workers found
themselves becoming
standardized
Called the “Organization
Man,” the modern worker
struggled with a loss of
individualism
Businesses did not want
creative thinkers, rebels
or anyone that would
“rock the boat”
Despite their success, some workers questioned whether
pursuing the American dream exacted too high a price, as
conformity replaced individuality
CONGLOMERATES EMERGE
Conglomerates, major corporations that
include a number of smaller companies
in unrelated fields, emerged in the
1950s
One conglomerate, International
Telephone and Telegraph (ITT), bought
rental car companies and hotel chains
FRANCHISES EMERGE
Another strategy for
business expansion
was franchising
A franchise is a
company that offers
similar services in
many locations
Fast food restaurants
developed the first
franchises in America
McDonald’s is one of
the leading franchises
in the world
THE SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE
The American Dream complete with
a white picket fence
Most Americans worked
in cities, but fewer and
fewer of them lived there
New highways and the
affordability of cars and
gasoline made
commuting possible
Of the 13 million homes
built in the 1950s, 85%
were built in suburbs
For many, the suburbs
were the American
Dream
THE BABY BOOM
During the late
1940s and through
the early 1960s the
birthrate in the U.S.
soared
At its height in 1957,
a baby was born in
America every 7
seconds (over 4.3
million babies in ’57
alone)
Baby boomers
represent the largest
generation in the
nation’s history
What are the official years of the Baby
Boom Generation?
How did the birthrate rise and fall
during the baby boom years in the
US?
1946 - 1964 saw a marked increase in the
number of births in North America.
1940
2,559,000 births per year
1946
3,311,000 births per year
1955
4,097,000 births per year
1957
4,300,000 births per year
1964
4,027,000 births per year
WHY SO MANY BABIES?
•
•
•
•
•
Why did the baby boom
occur when it did?
Husbands returning from
war
Decreasing marriage age
Desirability of large
families
Confidence in economy
Advances in medicine
WHAT IT WILL MEAN TO YOU
Your generation will be supporting an increasingly
aging American population
ADVANCES IN MEDICINE
AND CHILDCARE
Advances in the
treatment of
childhood
diseases included
drugs to combat
typhoid fever and
polio (Jonas Salk)
Dr. Salk was instrumental in
the eradication of polio
DR. SPOCK ADVISES
PARENTS
Dr. Spock’s book sold 10
million copies in the 1950s
Many parents raised
their children according
to the guidelines of
pediatrician Dr.
Benjamin Spock
He thought children
should be allowed to
express themselves and
parents should never
physically punish their
kids
IMPACT OF BABY BOOM
As a result of the baby
boom 10 million
students entered
elementary schools in
the 1950s
California built a new
school every 7 days in
the late ’50s
Toy sales reached an
all-time high in 1958
when $1.25 billion in
toys were sold
Symbols of the Baby Boom
in Suburbia
1950
1960
Hot Dog Production (millions of lbs)
750
1050
Potato Chip Production (millions of lbs)
320
532
Sales of lawn and porch furniture (millions of dollars)
53.6
145.2
Sales of power mowers (millions of dollars)
1.0
3.8
Sales of floor polishers (millions of dollars)
0.24
1.0
Sales of Encyclopaedia (millions of dollars)
72
300
Number of Children age 5-14
24.3
35.5
Fads of the Baby Boomers
Hula Hoops
Frozen Foods
Poodle Skirts and Saddle Shoes
What celebrity deaths have most
affected the Baby Boomers?
Panty Raids
Barbie and GI Joe Dolls
John F. Kennedy
Bikinis
Marilyn Monroe
Frisbees
Yo-yos
Ouija Boards
Dune Buggies
Martin Luther King
John Lennon
WOMEN’S ROLES IN THE
1950S
During the
1950s, the role
of homemaker
and mother was
glorified in
popular
magazines,
movies and
television
WOMEN AT WORK
Those women who
did work were
finding job
opportunities
limited to fields such
as nursing, teaching
and office support
Women earned far
less than man for
comparable jobs
LEISURE IN THE 1950s
Americans
experienced shorter
work weeks and
more vacation time
than ever before
Leisure time
activities became a
multi-billion dollar
industry
Labor-saving
devices added more
spare time
Labor-saving
devices
provided
more leisure
time for
Americans
POPULAR LEISURE
ACTIVITES
Bowling remains
one of the top
leisure activities
in the U.S.
In 1953 alone
Americans spent $30
billion on leisure
Popular activities
included fishing,
bowling, hunting and
golf
Americans attended,
or watched on T.V.,
football, baseball and
basketball games
THE AUTOMOBILE
CULTURE
After the rationing of WWII,
inexpensive and plentiful fuel and easy
credit led many to buy cars
By 1960, over 60 million Americans
owned autos
INTERSTATE HIGHWAY ACT
1956
In 1956 Ike
authorized
a
nationwide
highway
network –
41,000
miles of
road linking
America
THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY
SYSTEM
“Automania” spurred
the construction of
roads linking major
cities while
connecting schools,
shopping centers and
workplaces to
residential suburbs
IMPACT OF THE
HIGHWAY
Trucking is the #1 means of
moving cargo in the United
States today
The Interstate
Highway system
resulted in:
• More trucking
• Less railroad
• More suburbs,
further away
HIGHWAYS
“HOMOGENIZE” AMERICA
Another effect of the
highway system was
that the scenery of
America began to
look the same
Restaurants, motels,
highway billboards,
gas stations, etc. all
began to look similar
The nation had
become
“homogenized”
Anytown, USA
“Our new roads, with their
ancillaries, the motels, filling
stations, and restaurants
advertising eats, have made it
possible for you to drive from
Brooklyn to Los Angeles without a
change of diet, scenery, or culture.”
John Keats, The Insolent Chariots
1958
DOWNSIDE TO
MOBILITY
While the car industry boom stimulated
production, jobs, shopping centers, and the
restaurant industry, it also had negative
effects
Noise
Pollution
Accidents
Traffic Jams
Stress
Decline of public
transportation
RISE OF CONSUMERISM
By the mid-1950s,
nearly 60% of
Americans were
members of the
middle class
Consumerism (buying
material goods) came
to be equated with
success and status
NEW PRODUCTS
One new product after
another appeared in
the marketplace
Appliances, electronics,
and other household
goods were especially
popular
The first credit card
(Diner’s Club) appeared
in 1950 and American
Express was introduced
in 1958
Personal debt
increased nearly 3x in
the 1950s
THE ADVERTISING
AGE
The advertising
industry capitalized
on runaway
consumerism by
encouraging more
spending
Ads were everywhere
Ad agencies increased
their spending 50%
during the 1950s
Advertising is everywhere today in
America
SECTION 3: POPULAR
CULTURE
A new era of mass
media led by
television
emerged in the
1950s
In 1948, only 9%
of homes had T.V
In 1950, 55% of
homes had T.V.
By 1960, 90% of
American homes
had T.V.
THE GOLDEN AGE
OF TELEVISION
The 1950s was
known as the
“Golden Age of
Television”
Comedies were
the main
attraction as
Milton Berle,
Lucille Ball and
Desi Arnaz were
very popular
Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball
starred in I Love Lucy
TELEVISION EXPERIMENTS
WITH VARIOUS FORMATS
Television innovations
like on-the-scenenews reporting,
interviews, westerns
and sporting events
offered the viewer a
variety of shows
Kids’ shows like The
Howdy Doody Show
and The Mickey Mouse
Club were extremely
popular
TV ADS, TV GUIDES AND TV
DINNERS EXPAND
TV advertising soared from $170 million in 1950 to
nearly $2 billion in 1960
TV Guide magazine quickly became the best selling
magazine
Frozen TV dinners were introduced in 1954 – these
complete ready-to-heat meals on disposable aluminum
trays made it easy for people to eat without missing
their favorite shows
A SUBCULTURE EMERGES
Although mass
media and
television were
wildly popular in
the 1950s,
dissenting voices
emerged
The “Beat
Movement” in
literature and rock
n’ roll clashed with
tidy suburban
views of life
BEATNIKS FOLLOW OWN PATH
Beatniks often performed poetry
or music in coffeehouses or bars
Centered in San
Francisco, L.A. and
New York’s Greenwich
Village, the Beat
Movement expressed
social nonconformity
Followers, called
“beatniks”, tended to
shun work and sought
understanding
through Zen
Buddhism, music, and
sometimes drugs
MUSIC IN THE 1950s
Musicians in the
1950s added
electronic instruments
to traditional blues
music, creating
rhythm and blues
Cleveland DJ Alan
Freed was the first to
play this music in
1951– he called it
“rock and roll”
FREED
ROCK N’ ROLL
In the early and mid-fifties, Richard
Penniman, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and
the Comets, and especially Elvis Presley
brought rock and roll to the forefront
The driving rhythm and lyrics featuring
love, cars,
and problems
of being
young --captivated
teenagers
across the
country
THE KING OF ROCK AND
ROLL
Presley’s
rebellious style
captured young
audiences
Girls screamed
and fainted,
and boys tried
to imitate him
SECTION 4: THE OTHER
AMERICA
In 1962, nearly
one out of every
four Americans
was living below
the poverty level
Most of these
poor were the
elderly, single
women and
their children,
and/or minorities
WHITE FLIGHT
In the 1950s, millions
of middle-class white
Americans left the
cities for the suburbs
At the same time
millions of African
American rural poor
migrated to the cities
The so-called “White
Flight” drained cities
of valuable resources,
money and taxes
THE NEW FRONTIER AND THE
GREAT SOCIETY
KENNEDY AND
JOHNSON LEAD
AMERICA IN THE
1960S
SECTION 1: KENNEDY AND THE
COLD WAR
The Democratic
nominee for president
in 1960 was a young
Massachusetts senator
named John Kennedy
He promised to “get
America moving again”
Kennedy had a wellorganized campaign
and was handsome and
charismatic
Senator Kennedy,
1958
REPUBLICAN OPPONENT:
RICHARD NIXON
The Republicans
nominated Richard
Nixon, Ike’s VicePresident
The candidates
agreed on many
domestic and foreign
policy issues
Two factors helped
put Kennedy over the
top: T.V. and Civil
Nixon hoped to ride the
coattails of the popular
President
TELEVISED DEBATE AFFECTS
VOTE
On September 26, 1960, Kennedy and Nixon took part
in the first televised debate between presidential
candidates
Kennedy looked and spoke better than Nixon
Journalist Russell Baker said, “That night, image
replaced the printed word as the national language of
politics”
JFK: CONFIDENT, AT EASE
DURING
DEBATES
Television had
become
so central to people's
lives that many
observers blamed
Nixon's loss to John F.
Kennedy on his poor
appearance in the
televised presidential
debates
JFK looked cool,
collected, presidential
Nixon, according to one
observer, resembled a
"sinister chipmunk"
JFK’S OTHER EDGE: CIVIL
RIGHTS
Sit-Ins were non-violent
protests over the policy of
whites-only lunch counters in
the South
A second major event
of the campaign took
place in October,
1960
Police arrested Martin
Luther King for
conducting a “Sit-In”
at a lunch counter in
Georgia
King was sentenced
to hard labor
JFK, NIXON REACT
DIFFERENTLY TO KING
While the Eisenhower
ARREST
Administration
refused to intervene,
JFK phoned King’s
wife and his brother,
Robert Kennedy,
worked for King’s
release
The incident captured
the attention of the
African-American
community, whose
votes JFK would carry
King
Kennedy
KENNEDY WINS CLOSE ELECTION
CLOSEST ELECTION SINCE 1884
Kennedy won
the election by
fewer than
119,000 votes
Nixon dominated
the west, while
Kennedy won
the south and
the east coast
RMN
JFK
“ASK NOT . . .”
Delivered Friday, January 20,
1961
In his
inaugural
address,
JFK
uttered
this famous
challenge: “Ask
not what your
country can do
for you --- ask
what you can do
for your country”
THE CAMELOT YEARS
During his term in
office, JFK and his
beautiful young wife,
Jacqueline, invited
many artists and
celebrities to the White
House
The press loved the
Kennedy charm and
JFK appeared
frequently on T.V.
The Kennedys were
considered American
“Royalty” (hence
“Camelot” reference)
THE KENNEDY MYSTIQUE
The first family
fascinated the
American public
For example, after
learning that JFK
could read 1,600
words a minute,
thousands enrolled in
speed-reading
courses
Jackie, too,
captivated the nation
with her eye for
THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST
JFK surrounded
himself with what one
journalist described as
the “best and the
brightest” available
talent
Of all of his elite
advisors who filled
Kennedy’s inner circle,
he relied most on his
35-year-old brother
Robert, whom he
appointed attorney
general
RFK was John’s closest
friend and advisor
FOCUS ON THE
COLD WAR
From the beginning of
his term in early 1961,
JFK focused on the
Cold War (Soviet
relations)
JFK tripled our nuclear
capability, increased
troops, ships and
artillery, and created
the Green Berets
(Special Forces)
CRISIS OVER CUBA
Just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, Cuba presented
the first big test of JFK’s foreign policy
Openly Communist, Cuba was led by revolutionary
leader Fidel Castro who welcomed aid from the USSR
Relations between the U.S. and Cuba were
deteriorating
BAY OF PIGS
“We looked like
fools to our
friends, rascals
to our enemies
and
incompetents to
the rest”
Quote from U.S.
Commentator
In March 1960,
Eisenhower gave the CIA
permission to secretly
train Cuban exiles for an
invasion of Cuba
Kennedy learned of the
plan only nine days into
his presidency
JFK approved the mission
It turned out to be a
disaster when in April,
1961, 1,200 Cuban exiles
met 25,000 Cuban troops
backed by Soviet tanks
and were soundly
THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
Castro had a powerful ally in Moscow
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev promised
to defend Cuba with Soviet weapons
During the summer of 1962 the flow of
Soviet weapons into Cuba – including
nuclear – increased greatly
KENNEDY RESPONDS
American president
John F Kennedy
making his
dramatic television
broadcast to
announce the Cuba
blockade during
the Cuban Missile
Crisis
• Kennedy made it
clear the U.S. would
not tolerate nuclear
weapons in Cuba
• When surveillance
photos revealed nukes
ready to launch in
Cuba, JFK said the U.S.
would respond to any
attack from Cuba with
an all-out nuclear
retaliation against the
Soviets
13 DAYS
When
more Soviet ships headed
for the U.S. with
weapons, JFK ordered a
blockade
The first break in the
crisis occurred when the
Soviets ships turned back
Finally, Khrushchev
agreed to remove the
nuclear weapons from
Cuba in exchange for a
U.S. promise NOT to
invade Cuba
For 13 days in October, 1962 the
world stood still as the threat of
nuclear war gripped the planet
CRISIS OVER
BERLIN
In 1961, Berlin,
Germany was a city
in great turmoil
In the 11 years
since the Berlin
Airlift, almost 3
million East
Germans (Soviet
side) had fled into
West Berlin (U.S.
controlled) to flee
communist rule
SOVIETS SEEK TO STOP EXODUS
East Germany begins
construction on the Berlin
Wall, which becomes a
primary symbol of the Cold
War and Soviet oppression
The Soviets did not like
the fact that East
Berliners were fleeing
their city for the
democratic west
Their departure hurt the
economy and the
prestige of the USSR
Just after midnight on
August 13, 1961 the
Soviets began
construction of a 90-mile
wall separating East and
EASING TENSIONS
Both Khrushchev and
Kennedy began
searching for ways to
ease the enormous
tension between the
two superpowers
In 1963 they established
a hot line between the
White House and the
Kremlin
Later that year, the
superpowers signed a
Limited Test Ban Treaty that
served to ban nuclear testing
in the atmosphere
SECTION 2: THE
NEW FRONTIER
Kennedy initiated
his vision in a
program he called
“The New
Frontier”
The economy,
education, medical
care for the elderly
and the poor, and
space exploration
were all part of his
vision
THE PEACE
CORPS
One of the first programs
launched by JFK was the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is a
volunteer program to
assist developing nations
in Asia, Africa and Latin
America
The Peace Corps has
become a huge success
RACE TO THE
MOON
On April 12, 1961,
Soviet cosmonaut
Yuri Gagarin became
the first human in
space
Meanwhile, America’s
space agency (NASA)
began construction on
new launch facilities in
Cape Canaveral, Florida
and a mission control
center in Houston, Texas
A MAN ON
THE MOON
Finally, on July 20, 1969,
the U.S. would achieve
its goal
An excited nation
watched as U.S.
astronaut Neil Armstrong
took the first steps on
the moon
Space and defenserelated industries sprang
up in Southern and
Western states
Armstrong
“One small step for man, one
giant leap for mankind”
KENNEDY ADDRESSES INNER
CITY
BLIGHT
AND
RACISM
In 1963, Kennedy called for “a national assault on the
causes of poverty”
He also ordered his brother, Attorney General Robert
Kennedy to investigate racial injustice in the South
Finally, he presented Congress with a sweeping civil
rights bill and a sweeping tax cut bill to spur the
economy
TRAGEDY IN DALLAS
On a sunny day on November 22,1963, Air Force
One landed in Dallas with JFK and Jackie
JFK received warm applause from the crowd that
lined the downtown streets of Dallas as he rode in
the back seat of an open-air limousine
JFK SHOT TO
DEATH
As the motorcade
approached the Texas
Book Depository,
shots rang out
JFK was shot in the
neck and then the
head
His car was rushed to
a nearby hospital
where doctors
frantically tried to
revive him
President Kennedy
was dead (11/22/63)
LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON
BECOMES
PRESIDENT
The Vice-President,
Lyndon Baines
Johnson, became
President after JFK
was assassinated
The nation mourned
the death of the
young president
while Jackie Kennedy
remained calm and
poised
A somber LBJ takes the oath
of office aboard Air Force
One with the Jackie next to
him
JFK LAID TO REST
All work stopped for
Kennedy’s funeral as
America mourned its
fallen leader
The assassination and
the televised funeral
became historic
events
Three-year old John Kennedy Jr.
salutes his father’s coffin during the
funeral
Like 9-11, Americans can
recall where they were
when they heard the
news of the President’s
death
LEE HARVEY OSWALD
CHARGED; SHOT TO DEATH
A 24-year-old Marine
with a suspicious past
left a palm print on
the rifle used to kill
JFK
He was charged and as a
national television
audience watched his
transfer from one jail to
another, nightclub owner
Jack Ruby broke through
the crowd and shot
Oswald to death
Jack Ruby, right, shoots Oswald,
center, to death 11/24/63
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
The bizarre chain of
events led many to
believe that Oswald was
part of a conspiracy
The Warren Commission
investigated the
assassination and
determined that Oswald
had indeed acted alone
Recent filmmaker Oliver
Stone isn’t so sure – his
film, “JFK,” is filled with
conspiracy theories
SECTION 3: THE GREAT
SOCIETY
A fourth-generation
Texan, Lyndon Johnson
(LBJ) entered politics in
1937 as a congressman
Johnson admired
Franklin Roosevelt who
took the young
congressman under his
wing
Johnson became a
senator in 1948 and by
1955 he was Senate
majority leader
Senator Johnson pictured in
1958
JOHNSON’S DOMESTIC
AGENDA
As soon as Johnson
took office, he urged
Congress to pass the
tax-cut bill that
Kennedy had sent to
Capital Hill
The tax cut passed
and $10 billion in cuts
took effect
CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964
In July of 1964, LBJ pushed the Civil Rights Act
through Congress
The Act prohibited discrimination based on race,
color, religion or national origin, and granted the
federal government new powers to enforce the
law
LBJ signs the Civil Rights Act as Martin Luther King watches
VOTING RIGHTS ACT 1964
"By the way, what's the big
word?"
Part of the Civil
Rights Act was to
insure voting rights
for all Americans
The act prohibited
literacy tests or other
discriminatory
practices for voting
The act insured
consistent election
practices
THE WAR ON POVERTY
Following his tax cut
and Civil Rights Act
successes, LBJ launched
his War on Poverty
In August of 1964 he
pushed through
Congress a series of
measures known as the
Economic Opportunity
Act
The Act provided $1
billion in aid to the inner
city
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACT
Project Head Start is still
going strong
THE EOA legislation
created:
The Job Corps
VISTA (Volunteers in
service to America)
Project Head Start for
underprivileged
preschoolers
The Community Action
Program which
encouraged the poor to
participate in public
works program
THE 1964 ELECTION
In 1964, the Republicans
nominated conservative
senator Barry Goldwater
of Arizona to oppose
Democrat Lyndon Johnson
Goldwater opposed LBJ’s
social legislation
Goldwater alienated
voters by suggesting the
use of nuclear weapons in
Cuba and North Vietnam
LBJ WINS BY A
LANDSLIDE
LBJ won the
1964 election
by a landslide
For many it was an antiGoldwater vote
Many Americans saw
Goldwater as a War
Hawk
The Democrats also
increased their majority
in Congress
Now Johnson launched his
reform program in earnest
LBJ easily defeats Goldwater in ‘64
BUILDING THE
GREAT SOCIETY
In May of 1964, LBJ
summed up his
vision for America
in a phrase: “The
Great Society”
By the time he left the
White House in 1969,
Congress had passed
206 of LBJ’s Great
Society legislative
initiatives
EDUCATION
Johnson considered
education “the key which
can unlock the door to the
Great Society”
The Elementary and
Secondary Education Act
provided $1 billion to help
public schools buy
textbooks and library
materials
This Act represented the
first major federal aid
package for education ever
HEALTHCARE
LBJ and Congress
enhanced Social
Security by
establishing Medicare
and Medicaid
Medicare provided
hospital insurance
and low-cost medical
care to the elderly
Medicaid provided
health benefits to the
poor
HOUSING
Weaver
LBJ and Congress
appropriated money to
build 240,000 units of
low-rent public
housing; established
the Department of
Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)
and appointed the first
black cabinet member,
Robert Weaver, as
HUD’s first leader
IMMIGRATION
REFORM
The Great Society also
brought reform to
immigration laws
The Natural Origins Acts
of the 1920s strongly
discriminated against
immigration by those
outside of Western
Europe
The Immigration Act of
1965 opened the door for
many non-European
immigrants to settle in
the U.S.
THE ENVIRONMENT
LBJ also actively sought to improve the
environment
The Water Quality Act of 1965 required states to
clean up their rivers and lakes
LBJ also ordered the government to clean up
corporate polluters of the environment
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Consumer advocates
also made gains
during the 1960s
Major safety laws
were passed in the
U.S. auto industry and
Congress passed the
Wholesome Meat Act
of 1967
LBJ said, “Americans can feel
safer now in their homes, on
the road, and at the
supermarket”
SUPREME COURT
REFORMS SOCIETY,
TOO
Warren
Reform and change
were not limited to the
Executive and
Legislative branches
The Judicial Branch led by
the Supreme Court and
Chief Justice Earl Warren
did much to protect
individual rights
WARREN COURT AND
SUSPECT’S RIGHTS
In Mapp v. Ohio (1961) the
Supreme Court ruled that
illegally seized evidence
could not be used in court
In Escobedo v. Illinois the
court ruled that the
accused has the right to
have an attorney present
when questioned by police
In Miranda v. Arizona the court
ruled that all suspects must be
read their rights before
questioning
IMPACT OF GREAT SOCIETY
The Great Society and the Warren Court changed
the United States
No president in Post-WWII era extended the
power and reach of the federal government more
than LBJ
The War on Poverty helped, the Civil Rights
initiative made a difference and the massive tax
cuts spurred the economy