1. Unit 9 Gateway to US History Chapter 14 Postwar Prosperity and Civil Rights Part 1

2. I. Reasons for Postwar Prosperity A.During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the U.S. Gross National Product (GNP) and average income grew while unemployment decreased. There were political, social and economic reasons for this prosperity.

3. 1.Political Reasons: The G.I. Bill of Rights gave WW II veterans benefits like unemployment pay, loans, to buy a home or start a business, and money for education.

4. 2. Social Reasons: a.Demobilization – the return of soldiers to their civilian lives b.Baby Boom, the huge surge in birth rates that resulted when returning veterans quickly married and had children. c.Mass produced housing (Levittowns) many American were able to afford their own homes and moved to the suburbs.

5. 3.Economic Reasons: a.European economies had been devastated by the war. b.American manufacturers therefore faced less competition. c.The US became the world’s leading producer. d.New technologies developed during the war (plastics and drugs) e.Americans found jobs in the growing aircraft, electrical, and chemical industries. f.With new purchasing power, Americans could afford more luxury goods than ever before.

6. 4. Political and Economic Reasons: a. Government spending, which had increased during the Great Depression and WW II, continued to grow because of the Cold War and the Korean War. b.The Employment Act of 1946 announced the goal of federal economic policy to be maximum production and full employment. c.The US government also helped rebuild European economies by giving money through the Marshall Plan.

7. II. The Effect of Postwar Prosperity on American Society. A. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 1st Republican President in 20 years. 1.preserved most New Deal programs but also promoted American Business. 2.encouraged suburb growth and helped to unite the country by passing the Federal Highway Act, which created highways to link suburbs and cities.

8. B. Prosperity, mass production, and mass consumption led to conformity. 1.many Americans worked at large corporations, lived in suburbs and bought the same items 2.The mass media created a mass culture.

9. C. Some new policies were harsh on labor. 1.Taft-Hartley Act – passed after a series of strikes in 1946, reversed many of the gains made by labor during the Great Depression.

10. D. Prosperity was limited to some groups. 1.Suburbs imposed restrictions on minorities 2.Mass media ignored minorities and many jobs excluded them. 3.Minority veterans failed to obtain the benefits of the G. I. Bill.