The 1950 s Affluence and Anxiety Setting the stage o The Bretton Woods Agreement July 1944 International monetary fund Oversight over this whole system Example France was forced to fight the war against on the cheap Eisenhower wouldn t give them more money to fight International bank for reconstruction and development Part of the world bank Other currencies US Gold Eventually the world s gold will be redistributed and then all countries will be able to have a gold standard US uses golf standard in 1970s The 1950 s o Economic stagnation in early 1950 s Entire war there were no consumer goods produced Relatively high unemployment Soldiers especially o Late 1950 s unprecedented economic growth o Reasons for growth Consumer spending in the post war Soldiers can spend all earned money so the money can finally get back into the economy Massive government spending programs Particularly in the realm of defense 1950 s Society o Baby boom 1920 1960 US sees a 19 birth rate increase o Education GI Bill 1944 Provided funds for higher education type of job training help on mortgages and a period of unemployment insurance Several million vets take advantage of GI Bill mainly higher education o Suburbs William Levitt Father of suburban America Levittown Assembly style and same floor plan Originally in New York Affordable By 1951 17 000 new homes built Dependence on the car Rise in drive in theaters Commuting lifestyle is developing More of Eisenhower o Truman Fair Deal 21 points Through executive action he accomplished much for the veterans o Eisenhower Never held an elected office position before Last general elected President o Federal highway act of 1956 Establishes the Eisenhower interstate system Any of the roads that have I in front of them were a part of this bill o Heavy military funding Mutually Assured Destruction MAD Build up as many atomic weapons and nuclear technology as we can If we can demolish the Soviets and they can demolish us no one will use them Beginning of the civil rights movement o Brown vs Topeka Board of Education 1954 Daughter had to walk 8mi instead of 6mi to go to school at a black school With the help of the NAACP they filed a claim Supreme Court viewed it as unconstitutional Nothing really changed o Montgomery Bus Boycott 1955 Rosa Parks o Integration of Little Rock High School 1957 9 back students wanted to enroll in this white high school Governor ends up barring them from the school using the state police and National Guard In response to the little rock high school issue Eisenhower federalizes the National Guard and has them train about 60mi away He also calls on paratroopers to help desegregate the high school They stand up at the school year round to defend the students o Jim Crow was alive well into the 60 s Literacy tests etc o Eisenhower Not a huge fan of civil rights movement but did not tolerate state funds to discriminate against people
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