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Unit 8 apush notes
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Lecture notes of 18 pages for the course APUSH at Junior / 11th grade (Unit 8 apush notes)
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8.1 Truman and the beginning of The Cold War (1945 - 1953)The end of World War II raised two major issues:
1. Survival of combatants and rebuilding of war-torn countries
2. Political and economic shape of the new world and formation of new political alliances
● The Cold War was a power struggle between the two leading political-economic
systems, capitalism and communism
● The major powers, United States and Soviet Union, were the two new superpowers, but
their ideologies made them enemies.
● Truman's Foreign Policy:
1. Differences between Soviet and American goals became clearer after the war
2. Truman Doctrine and Containment Policy to prevent spread of communism
3. Marshall Plan - sent $12 billion to Europe to help rebuild its economy and
promote economic growth
4. Formed NATO with Canada and Western European countries in 1949.
● Berlin Crisis in 1948:
1. Germany was divided into 4 sectors after the war
2. Berlin was also divided into 4 sectors
3. The three Western Allies merged their sectors and planned to bring the country
into the Western economy
4. Soviet response - imposed a blockade on Berlin
5. Truman ordered airlifts to keep the Western portion supplied with food and fuel
6. The blockade continued for close to a year and was a political liability for the
Soviets, who eventually gave it up.
8.2 McCarthyism
Red Scare and Anti-Communism in America
● After World War I, anticommunism swept America during the Red Scare.
● Truman ordered investigations of 3 million federal employees in search of "security
risks."
● Those found to have a potential Achilles’ heel (association with "known communists" or
"moral" weaknesses) were dismissed without a hearing.
● Alger Hiss, former State Department official, was found guilty of consorting with a
communist spy.
● Fear of the "enemy within" began to spread.
● The Screen Actors Guild attempted to purge its own communists.
Rise of Joseph McCarthy
● In 1950, McCarthy claimed to have a list of over 200 known communists working for the
State Department.
, ● He led a campaign of innuendo that ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people.
● McCarthy held years of hearings with regard to subversion, not just in the government,
but in education and the entertainment industry.
● Industries created lists of those tainted by these charges, called blacklists.
● Eisenhower was worried about McCarthy and refused to speak against him.
Downfall of McCarthy
● McCarthy accused the Army of harboring communists and finally chose too powerful a
target.
● The Army fought back hard, with help from Edward R. Murrow’s television show, and
made McCarthy look foolish in the Army-McCarthy hearings.
● The public turned its back on McCarthy, and the era of McCarthyism ended.
● Public distrust and fear of communism remained.
8.3 Truman’s Domestic Policy and the Election of 1948
The End of War and its Effects on the Economy
● The end of war led to the end of wartime production (Jeeps, airplanes, guns, bombs, and
uniforms)
● Businesses started laying off employees, leading to a rise in unemployment levels
● People started spending more, causing prices to rise, with an inflation rate of 20% in
1946
● The poor and unemployed were hit the hardest
● Truman offered New Deal-style solutions but was met with conservatism in American
politics
Deals offered by Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Harry Truman
● Square Deal: Theodore Roosevelt promised to regulate business and restore
competition
● First New Deal: Franklin Roosevelt focused on immediate public relief and recovery of
banks
● Second New Deal: Franklin Roosevelt addressed shortcomings of the First New Deal
and responded to changing political climate
● Fair Deal: Harry Truman extended New Deal vision and provided provisions for WWII
veteran reintegration into society (e.g. G.I. Bill)
The Rise of New Conservatism
● Antiunionism emerged
● Strike in essential industries (coal miners) led to layoffs, tensions rose
● Truman seized mines when settlement couldn't be reached, which alienated labor
, ● Threatened to draft railroad strikers, further alienating labor and one of the core
constituencies of the Democratic coalition
Civil Rights and Truman's Alienation
● Truman pursued a civil rights agenda, but upset many voters (especially in the South)
● Convened President's Committee on Civil Rights, issued reports calling for end to
segregation and poll taxes, more aggressive enforcement of antilynching laws
● Issued executive orders forbidding racial discrimination in federal hiring, desegregating
Armed Forces
● Advances in civil rights provoked an outbreak of racism in the South
Anger among Core Democratic Constituencies
● Labor, consumers, Southerners all upset with Truman
● Republicans take control of 80th Congress in 1946 midterm elections
● Truman's popularity receives boost from conservative Republican-dominated Congress
● Passes anti-labor acts, Taft-Hartley Act restricts labor rights, gives government power
to intervene in strikes
● Rebukes Truman's efforts to pass health care reform, aid schools, farmers, elderly,
disabled, promote civil rights for Black people
Truman's Re-election Victory
● Truman trails chief opponent, Thomas Dewey, in election
● Makes brilliant political move by recalling the conservative Congress and challenging
them to enact their platform
● Congress meets for two weeks and does not pass significant legislation
● Truman goes on grueling public appearance campaign deriding the "do-nothing" 80th
Congress
● Wins re-election, coattails carry Democratic majority into Congress
8.4 The Korean War
Introduction:
● The Korean War began in June of 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea.
● The U.S. took swift countermeasures, intending to repel the invasion but later trying to
reunify Korea.
● U.S. troops attacked North Korea under the umbrella of the United Nations, which led to
China's entry into the war.
● U.S. Involvement:
○ Truman's Early Decisions: Truman decided to attempt a reunification of Korea
after early military successes.
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