RAH Day 7 AgendaRAH Day 7 AgendaRAH Day 7 AgendaRAH Day 7 Agenda

Goal – to understand that fear affects people’s decisions exemplified by McCarthyism.

• Finish page 14 about Truman’s second term and the vital center– Why did some Fair Deal programs pass & others fail to pass?

Complete pp 14– Explain Schlesinger’s view of the American political culture Define

the Vital Center – identify the 3 assumptions– How is the vital center consistent with the major Paradox? How does

it relate to the political spectrum? Did the beliefs of the “Vital Center” work in reality?

• Complete PP 15 Cold War in Asia?• NSC-68 – Why is this report important?

– How does it compare to Kennan regarding the perception of USSR’s goals and how the US should deal with the USSR? complete bottom of PP 15

• Fear and suspicion in the US – PP 16-17• McCarthy video – How did McCarthy come to power? Describe

McCarthy’s methods. What were the results of his investigations?• Review for test

1948 Election1948 Election• Democrats split over :

– civil rights plank in the national platform that HST pushed for. Therefore, with civil rights as an issue, souther Demos left to support the States’ Rights Democratic Party (Dixicrats)

– direction of government – the old New Deal coalition wanted more federal programs and expanded New Deal – When Truman was unable to get that done and seemed less liberal than they wanted, former VP and Commerce Secretary Henry Wallace fronted the Progressive Party

1948 candidates1948 candidates

Henry Wallace Progressive Party

1. very liberal 2. more New

Deal,3. cooperation

with USSR4. Civil rights

Harry Truman Democratic Party

1. liberal 2. Fair Deal,3. Containme

nt of USSR4. Civil Rights

Thomas Dewey Republican Party

1. conservative

2. Smaller gov’t lower taxes,

3. Confront USSR

4. Anti-union

Strom Thurmond States’ Rights Democratic Party

1. Socially conservative

2. Opposed to civil rights

3. Confront USSR4. Opposed to civil

rights

49.6%49.6%

WinnerWinner

2.4%2.4%

0% electoral 0% electoral votevote

45.1%45.1%

35.5% 35.5% electoral voteelectoral vote

2.4%2.4%

7.5% electoral 7.5% electoral votevote

PP 14 - Truman’s Fair Deal – Jan. 5, PP 14 - Truman’s Fair Deal – Jan. 5, 19491949

Proposal Provisions Did it pass? Why?

Minimum wage increase

Increase wage to .75 cents

Passed people wanted it - just extended a New Deal policy people already liked

External rent controls

Temporary fixed price for 1947

Passed because of housing shortage post WWII

Displaced Person’s Act

400,000 refugees allowed in

Passed due to guilt and altruism

National Housing Act 1949

810,000 new low income housing units built with Fed $

Passed – housing pressure on localities and good for veterans

Increase in social security

80% increase in benefits and 10 ½ million more eligible

Passed – continuation of popular New Deal plan

PP 14 - Truman’s Fair Deal – Jan. 5, PP 14 - Truman’s Fair Deal – Jan. 5, 19491949

Proposal Provisions Did it pass? Why?

Aid to education

Money to improve schools

Failed – too liberal and too costly

Crop subsidies

Money to help farmers Failed – too liberal

Repeal of Taft-Hartley act

End limits on organized labor

Failed – people still anti-strikes and anti-communist

Ntnl health plan

Federal gov’t to pay doctors

Failed, too liberal - called socialist

Civil rights Anti-lynching, end poll tax, protect blacks, end disc in work

Failed – Dixiecrats and most Republicans opposed

Truman, the Vital Center and paradoxTruman, the Vital Center and paradoxCold War 1. Americans wanted the troops home from WWII but wanted to

stop the spread of Communism and Soviet power abroad.2. The Implied threat of atomic bombs was meant to keep the

USSR at bay, but pushed the USSR to obtain the a-bomb.3. To prevent war, more and more dangerous, powerful weapons

were created and deployed – so that they would not be used.4. Wanted taxes lower and the government to focus on post-war

domestic problems, but politically blamed Truman for the loss of China to communism and for being weak on the commies in Korea.Post-war domestic issues

1. elected conservative Republicans to lower taxes and shrink the power of the federal government – but blamed Truman for high inflation and wanted solutions to housing, employment, wages and to stop crippling strikes.

2. Wanted government to stay out of the economy so that business could be business and the economy would boom – so that the government would have more money to spend on social programs.

The Vital CenterThe Vital CenterEconomic Growth

Growth in the economy due to capitalist activity will lead to employment and productivity increases which will lead to socio-economic equality, the end of class divisions, create social harmony and provide money for social programs

Gov’t action to promote economic growth in the private sector will provide money through taxes for increased social welfare spending by gov’t – operationally liberal – philosophically conservative

Foreign affairs

Interventionist internationalism to contain communism and soviet power

Wanted the troops brought home, low taxes and a focus on domestic issues but needed to keep the commies down & out.Wanted smaller gov’t but blamed Truman for losing China and Korea

Prosperity With the economy doing well every boat would rise. The people will be consensual, standard of living will rise, farmers, workers, businesses will do better and everyone will be happy.

High expectations were unmet leading to increased social, class and race tensions as well as ideological divisions

Guo Mindong – Chinese Nationalist Party led by:

Jiang Jieshi

CCP – Chinese Communist Party led by:

Mao ZedongUS tries to mediate war: but then helps Jiang

Chinese Civil WarChinese Civil War

Policy – military and economic assistance to Chinese government of President Jiang Jieshi

Purpose – to stop the spread of communist influence in China by giving military hardware and training to the Nationalist Army and to give economic aid so that Jiang’s government would be successful in helping his people

Soviet reaction – Soviets and Chinese Communists felt threatened Soviets briefly aided Mao Zedong’s Communists, and helped to lead to Korean War

Evaluation of success – failed – the Communists under Mao Zedong won the civil war in 1949 and kicked the Guo Mindong to Taiwan. Us begins to give financial and military hardware assistance to France in its war against Vietnam

Support for Jiang Jieshi’s Guo Mindong (the Nationalists)

government in China

Policy – military invasion by US and UN forces

Purpose – to stop the spread of communism into South Korea by defending South Korea after it was attacked by North Korea under the leadership Kim Il Sung

Soviet reaction – Soviets were happy that the US interest was not solely focused on Europe. Chinese Communists felt threatened and entered to war on NK side in November 1950. Continued animosity between US and China for 20 more years.

Evaluation of success – a success when looking at main goal of defending South Korea, which did not fall to communists and is an independent successful democracy today. But a failure if viewed as intending to rid all of Korea of communist control.

Korean War - Active map of Korean War

Chapter 3 – cold war in asiaChapter 3 – cold war in asiaSituation Explain the situation

by1950US response

Civil War in China

Fall of China leads US to

support France in Vietnam with

military and financial

assistance

Jiang Jieshi and his nationalist Guo Min Dong gov’t was fighting against Mao Zedong’s Chinese Communist Party. Truman did not want to see communism spread and Jiang had a lot of support in US congress.Jiang failed – Mao takes China

Up to 3 billion dollars to support Jiang, but he is too corrupt and dictatorial to win.Jiang and guo mindong leave mainland China to go to Taiwan.US does not recognize Chinese Communists as government of China.

VietnamFrance wanted to return to empire by taking back Vietnam from the Japanese. Ho Chi Minh, our Vietnamese ally during WWII, was leading the fight with his Viet Minh party against French forces.

US wanted to maintain French support for NATO in Europe so US allowed France to attempt to retake ‘Nam. Ho asked for US assistance, was denied to looked to USSR for support. By ’50 Us began funding French effort.

USSR gets A-bomb

Soviets test their first a-bomb in 1949

US is afraid it will lose military superiority so Truman authorizes money to research and build H-bomb.

Chapter 3 – Kennan v NSC-68Chapter 3 – Kennan v NSC-68Kennan in long telegram Paul Nitze’s NSC-68

Assessment of Soviet Threat

USSR is a RIVAL for global influence. It wants to slowly weaken the US and expand its influence at the expense of the US.

Soviets want to take over the world and spread their evil ideology while destroying the US.Soviets want absolute control in their own sphereWant to destroy the non-soviet governments in the world

Proposed response

Long, slow, patient, multi-faceted pressure to counter Soviet moves through diplomacy, politics, economics and military means, but without rattling US sabres.CONTAINMENT

Very rapid and massive buildup of US conventional, and nuclear forces. Need a big military shield to deter or defeat Soviet aggression and protect the global post-war systemContinue to expand capitalism

Tone of writing

Calm, patient concern, but confident of success and reasonable

Aggressive, worried, tough and immediate.

What were they accused of?

How were they affected by the accusations?

Were the accusations fair?

The Hollywood Ten

Being supporters and promoters of communism in films and not answering Congress’ questions

They lost their jobs and went to jail for contempt of Congress

No because being a communist cannot be illegal in the US due to the 1st Amendment

Alger Hiss At first spying for the USSR, but later lying to congress about being a spy

He went to jail for 5 years for the perjury charge

At first no, the evidence was fishy. But we now know he was a minor spy

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Stealing nuclear secrets

The were executed

On the surface, not really, but the evidence now is fairly overwhelming

The Cold War Comes Home

What motivated McCarthyism?

Why did it succeed at first? Why did it fall out of favor?

Motivated by personal desire for political power

Fear : of communists in US, fear of being accused of being a communist, fear of the consequences of accusations like blacklisting, loss of elections, social stigma.Politically expedient : Congress saw that supporting McC could help w/ reelection and opposition would result in election loss.Ike did not oppose McCarthy (for the above reasons)

McCarthy was seen in the Army-McCarthy hearings for who he really was, a brutish lout with no real evidence. Once the public saw him for real, and Ike had come out against him, he was finished politically.

McCarthyism

Fear and Suspicion of Communism in the US

Soviets Get A- Bomb

Expansion of

Communism

Espionage Rings

HUAC hearings (1946-1954

McCarthyism 1950-54

Blacklisting

FELP 1947

“Witch” Hunts

China Korea E. Europe

Alger Hiss

Rosenbergs

Fear and SuspicionFear and Suspicion