Postwar AmericaTruman and Eisenhower

IntroductionAfter WWII the country enjoyed economic

prosperity.Television became a favorite form of

entertainment.America’s prosperity did not extend to

Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans, or people in Appalachia.

Return to a Peacetime EconomyA Return to the Great Depression?

Americans spending money on luxury items that were not available previously because of the war prevented it

The GI Bill: provided generous loans to veterans to establish businesses, buy homes, and attend college

Return to a Peacetime EconomyInflation and Strikes

A greater demand for goods led to higher pricesThe cost of living increasedDuring the war strikes were not allowedAfter the war, workers demanded higher pay and

went on strike to get itThe automobile, steel, and mining industries had

workers go on strikeTruman, fearing an energy crisis, forced

miners back to work, and pressured the mine owners to give in to most of the worker’s demands

Return to a Peacetime EconomyRepublican Victory

Labor unrest and high prices prompted many Americans to call for a change Republicans won both houses of congress in 1946

Taft-Hartley Act: outlawed closed shops—the practice of forcing

business owners to hire only union members Right-to-work laws: outlawed union shops—shops

in which new workers were required to join the union

Featherbedding—prohibited the practice of limiting work output in order to create more jobs

Truman’s Domestic ProgramTruman’s Legislative Agenda

Expand Social Security BenefitsRaise minimum wage from 40¢ to 65¢ an hourIncrease employment through federal spendingPublic housing and slum clearanceLong range environmental and public worksA system of national health insuranceProtect African American’s right to vote

A Republican congress blocked most of these measures

Truman’s Domestic ProgramThe Election of 1948

Truman was given very little chance of winning Reacting angrily to Truman’s support of civil

rights, a group of Southern Democrats formed the States’ Rights or Dixiecrat party and nominated Strom Thurmond

Also, the Democrat’s more liberal party members were frustrated with Truman’s inability to pass domestic policies through congress and his anti-Soviet foreign policy

The Republican candidate, Thomas Dewey, was very popular

Truman won by a slim marginThe Chicago Daily Tribune incorrectly

predicted Dewey the winner and had printed newspapers declaring Dewey the winner

Truman’s Domestic ProgramThe Fair Deal

Truman’s State of the Union Message: “Every segment of our population and every individual has a right to expect from…government a fair deal.”

The Eisenhower YearsThe Election of 1952

Mostly the Korean War gave Truman a low approval rating in 1952 and Truman chose not to run for President

Adlai Stevenson ran as the Democratic nominee

Dwight D. Eisenhower, with his vice president Richard Nixon, won the election easily as the Republican candidates for President Richard Nixon had a dog named “Checkers”

that was given to his family from a business as a gift. Nixon was accused of receiving other gifts as a Senator in California in the form of $18,000 as well but Nixon denied it.

The Eisenhower YearsIke as President

“Middle of the Road” described Eisenhower’s political beliefs

Eisenhower did not believe that government should aid businesses which he called, “creeping socialism”

The Eisenhower YearsExtending the New Deal

Although a Republican, Eisenhower… extended the Social Security System to an

additional 10 million people extended unemployment compensation to an

additional 4 million citizens and agreed to increase minimum wage from 75¢ an

hour to $1Eisenhower won a second term as President

quite easily as Americans successfully transitioned from war to peace and enjoyed a decade of prosperity

As president, Eisenhower had a conservative side and activist side. Describe some of his programs and actions that reflected these two sides.

As president, Eisenhower had a conservative side and activist side. Describe some of his programs and actions that reflected these two sides.Eisenhower showed his conservative side by appointing

several business leaders to his cabinet. He ended government price and rent controls and tried to curb the federal budget by voting against a school construction bill and slashing government aid to public housing. To accompany these cuts, he supported some modest tax reductions. In other conservative actions, he abolished the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and slashed funding for the Tennessee Valley Authority. He displayed his activism by advocating passage of the Federal Highway Act and authorizing construction of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway. Although President Eisenhower cut federal spending and worked to limit the federal government’s role in the nation’s economy, he agreed to extend the Social Security system to an additional 10 million people. He also extended unemployment compensation, increased the minimum wage, and continued to provide some government aid to farmers.