post-war america

• G.I. Bill of Rights prevented a post-war recession in America


  1944
• G.I. Bill of Rights

  • Allocated $13 billion for education, training, housing, and business loans to military veterans
• Increase in population due to baby boomer generation in 1946


  Created a significant housing demand
• Homes in new suburbs like Levittowns


  • Characterized by a white picket fence, lush lawns, and modern appliances
  • Became affordable for millions of Americans
• Growth of suburbs


  Created a new lifestyle and fuelled consumerism
• Products in high demand

  • Refrigerators
  • Cars
  • Television
• Federal Aid Highway Act led to the construction of a national system of highways


  1956
• National system of highways

  Improved the road network and connected the country, enabling access to new shopping malls as well as drive-in movie theatres and restaurants
• President Franklin D Roosevelt died

  April 1945
• Harry S Truman


  Succeeded Franklin D Roosevelt as president
• Truman was elected to the presidency

  1948
• Truman

  • Continued Roosevelt's New Deal
  • Implemented his own social reform plan called the Fair Deal
• Truman's actions

  1. Desegregated the military through Executive Order 9981

  2. Raised the minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents per hour

  3. Expanded social security coverage

  4. Funded slum clearance and low-cost housing development

  5. Formed a commission to address racial injustice issues
• Truman faced opposition in Congress

  Preventing the implementation of national health insurance and civil rights laws
• Truman faced opposition in Congress from Republicans and southern Democrats
• America enjoyed an economic boom


  After World War Two
• American dream

  Gave Americans hope that they could enjoy a comfortable standard of living and be successful if they worked
• The American dream was becoming more of a reality again for millions in the post-war period
• In the post-war period, Americans enjoyed peace, prosperity and new forms of popular culture
• Accessibility of education increased as a result of a growing economy, allowing more young people to pursue higher education


  After WW2
• Teenager


  Emerged as a term, with more leisure time and financial independence compared to previous generations
• Rock'n'roll music gained popularity among white teenagers who were drawn to its energetic rhythm and danceability


  1950s
• DJ Alan Freed


  Played a significant role in popularizing the rock'n'roll genre by labeling rhythm and blues music as rock'n'roll, bridging the gap between white and black audiences
• African American artists

  • Chuck Berry
  • Little Richard
• Elvis Presley


  • Propelled the popularity of rock'n'roll with his chart-topping hit "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1956
• Television ownership surged during this time

  Replacing radio as the primary source of entertainment and news, further unifying American popular culture
• The film industry responded to the rising popularity of television

  By enhancing the movie-going experience through vibrant colors, widescreen formats, and special effects like 3D
• Film stars


  Represented either glamour or rebellion
• America faced the Red Scare, a fear of communism


  1920s
• After World War Two

  Communism was seen as contradictory to American values of capitalism and democracy
• Communist states

  Dictators led them and directed their economies towards creating classless societies, which many Americans viewed as a threat to their way of life
• Tension between the communist Soviet Union and capitalist USA


  Eventually led to the Cold War
• 1947 Truman Doctrine


  Pledged to contain communism globally
• China became a communist nation under Chairman Mao Zedong in 1949
• Concerns grew about communist infiltration, leading to loyalty programs and security checks within the federal government, resulting in the dismissal of supposed security risks
• Truman's new loyalty program and security checks in federal government:

  were debated as either protecting America's security or infringing upon civil liberties, as 'sympathetic association' with and un-american organisation could lead to loss of jobs