Chapter 27:America at Midcentury

American Communities

1. Rock’ N’ Roll and society

a. Pro’s and con’s

b. Loved by teenagers

c. Had consumer power

d. Celebration of being young

e. Independent and rebellion

f. Generational shift

27.1 : American Society @ Midcentury

A. Galbraith’s Affluent Society

1. Economist who theorized that the economy was good due to personal consumption

2. “Good life”

3. Sense that prosperity would never end

B. 1952 Election

Dwight D. Eisenhower (R)AKA “Ike”

Adlai Stevenson (D)

I like Ike!

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1952

B. “Middle of the Road” Eisenhower (Rep.1952-1960)

1. Political Philosophy:

a. run country like a business

b. Cooperation, not regulation

c. businessmen to cabinet

d. No deficit spending

e. felt gov’t resp. for social welfare of citizens Created Dept. of Health, Edu and Welfare;

C. Subsidizing Prosperity

1. Federal Housing Admin.

a. Loans backed by federal gov’t

b. Long term effect?

c. Downside?

Racism/”retain stability”

2. Impact of the GI Bill

a. Edu

b. Increased loans/home shortage

3. Levittown

30 a day/$8,000/$58 mos.

Prewar kitchen

                                                                                                                                

                                  

Postwar kitchen

Postwar

4. Federal Highway Act 1956

a. Long term impact/trickle effect…

b. Decreased mass transit

D. Suburban Life1. Women’s happiness

based on taking care of home and family!

2. Not!

3. Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique: women unhappy with domesticated roles

4. Suburbia focused on conformity, security, and status

5. Can you say “Conformity?”

E. Labor Unions

1. Eisenhower anti-union

2. AFL-CIO merged to keep gains made during WWII

3. Within service sector membership grew; decreased in the general workforce

F. Expansion of Higher Education

1. GI Bill and NDEA – subsidize edu for students; math, science

2. R & D for defense related project

3. Turn to businessmen to run schools; on board of trustees

G. Health and Medicine

1. NIH = better tech and tx

2. Jonas Salk = cure for polio; viral

3. Problem?a. Not all Americans had

same access to health care; too expensive

b. AMA against “socialized medicine;”- can you say “Obamaplan?”

27.2:Youth Culture

A. Youth Culture/Market

1. Easy target

2. Influence large family purchases

3. School a commonality

4. Influenced media and teen publications

B. “Hail to the King”

1. Rebellious

2. Reinvented popular music/R’N’R accepted

3. Revitalized popular culture/crossed cultures and styles

C. Almost Grown

1. Driving

2. Clothes and make-up

3. Periods earlier

4. Marrying earlier

5. Working

6. Going “steady” in H.S.

D. Deviance and Delinquency

1. R’N’R to blame

2. Increase crime

3. Exaggerated by media

4. Censor media

5. Senate subcommittee

27.3:Mass Culture and Discontent

A. Discontent & Television

1. Advertising: from radio to tv commercials

2. from live to taped; reruns $

3. No real issues addressed

4. Beats/Beatniks dissenters from

conformity, mass consumption, militarism, technology

5. TV and Politics

27.5:JFK and the New Frontier

A. Election of 1960

1. John F. Kennedy (D)a. 43 yrs. old?

b. Catholic?

c. Wealthy family?

d. Civil Rights issues

e. Martin Luther King supporter =good with/for the AA

community

A. Election of 1960

2. Richard M. Nixon (R)a. Experienced

b. Sweaty and nervous

c. Not able to work the camera

3. What if the debate was over the radio? Would the election results have been the same?

B. Television & Politics

1. Programming superficial; not dealing with “issues” until…

2. 30 min. news programming (1963)

3. Exposed politicians

4. Helped political candidates with their “image”

B. New Frontier Agenda

1. Education

2. Medicare

3. Dept. of Urban Affairs* Today: Dept. of Housing and Urban

Development – increase homeownership, urban development, affordable housing free from discrimination

4. Increase minimum wage to $1.25/hr

5. Increase social security benefits

C. How well did he do?

1. Successesa. Created jobs through

deficit spendingb. Decreased business

taxesc. Jobs via space programd. Asked co. to keep

prices downe. Asked union to not ask

for raisesf. Increase minimum

wage

g. Developing housing

2. Failuresa. Tax cut for middle

classb. No health ins for

elderlyc. Minimal federal aid

for education

D. Kennedy and Vietnam

a. 1960: JFK now in office; continues to support Diem, as did Eisenhower

b. Diem is corrupt but nationalist, not communist; cancels election of 1956

c. Repressed Buddhist practices =

Ngo Diem Nationalist

Buddhist who sets himself aflame to protest Diem’s repression. Diem was a Catholic.

E. Cuban Crises & Fidel Castro

1. Cuban Dilemmaa. 1959- overthrew Batistab. Supported by Cubans;

promised democracyc. What they got: dictatorship

and communismd. Takes over American &

British owned oil refineries, mines, sugar plantations

e. US places embargo on Cuban sugar

f. Soviets befriend himg. Cubans exiled to Miami

2. Bay of Pigs April 1961

a. US to train Cuban exilesb. Goal: to overthrow Castroc. Success or failure?d. Plan failed on several counts

(air strike on Cuban air force failed, special forces did not land on time; Cuban forces waiting for them backed by Soviets, taken hostage)

e. Public relations success for Castroi. US and JFK humiliatedii. JFK considered incompetent. iii. US provides $53 million in food and medical supplies for

release of American soldiers.

“The Best and the Brightest”

R. Kennedy

R. McNamara

Dean Rusk

                                       

M. Bundy

                          

JFK on Cuban missile crisis

3. Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

a. Alliance between Cuba & SU

b. Soviet Union/Khrushchev sets nuclear missiles in Cuba

c. American U-2 planes confirm missile bases

d. Attack from Cuba = attack on Soviet Union

e. US quarantines Cuba = SU ships do not pass

f. Khrushchev & Kennedy make agreement:

a. US removes missiles from Turkey; we promise not to attack Cuba

b. SU removes missiles from Cuba

4. Fallout of Agreement between Khrushchev & JFK

a. Kennedy1. Used

brinksmanship not negotiations

2. Missed opportunity to overthrow Castro

3. Cuba had many more missiles than US thought

4. Amer. Cuban go Republican

b. Khrushchev1. Lost face in SU &

worldwide

5. Trying to ease tensions

a. Hotline- direct telephonic line between the White House and the Kremlin (1963)

b. Limited Test Ban Treaty- stopped nuclear testing in the atmosphere (1963)

F. Kennedy’s “Flexible response”

1. Preparing for a variety of military responses rather than just focusing on nuclear weapons

2. Kennedy built up all branches of military

3. Special Forces AKA Green Berets

G. Cold War Continues

1. Berlin Crisis (West Berlin)

a. West Berlin was thriving. Why?

b. 20% of East Berliners migrating

c. Khrushchev builds “Berlin Wall”

i. August 1961

ii. Ended crisis but tensions remained

iii. Wall symbolized communist oppression

Building of the “Death Strip”

Death Strip

Wall Falls November 1989