post war america how does truman run the country after wwii?
TRANSCRIPT
Post War AmericaHow does Truman run the country
after WWII?
Mass Produced HomesMass Produced Homes• Lack of home building & GI Bill of Rights giving vets easy
home loans causes housing shortage
$7,000!$7,000!
• Assembly line method of production of homes creates affordable housing & birth of the suburbs (Levittown, NY first suburbs)
Truman’s Avoids DepressionTruman’s Avoids Depression
• Truman worried about new Depression, $35 mill in war contracts canceled, one million defense workers laid off
• 1) Gov encourages people to spend saved money, 2) Marshall plan gives $ to Europe, 3) GATT reduces tariffs
• Result: economy booms w/ new jobs in retail & manufacturing
Strikes Plague Recovery• Strikes cause shortages, Truman tries to limit strikers
(natl interests at stake )• Republicans to win back Congress, pass Taft-Hartley
Act limiting union’s powers
Truman & Civil Rights
- Truman wants to end racial discrimination- 1)Proposes Anti-lynching laws, 2)ban on
the poll tax & 3)permanent civil rights commission
- Congress votes all three down- In response, Truman orders integration of
the armed forces- Baseball integrates, Brooklyn Dodgers
sign Jackie Robinson, other MLB teams follow
- Truman announces “Fair Deal” supporting education, social security, and min wage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX3tv9uKj1I
1948 Election1948 Election
• Upset Southerners form States Rights Party aka “Dixiecrats” to challenge Truman:1)Democrats – Harry Truman2) “Dixiecrats”– Strom Thurmond3) Republicans- Thomas Dewey
• Truman wins in an upset, criticizes Republican policies, so Congress “kills” Fair Deal