Context and Aims of Postwar Policy (1945–1953)
- After World War II, the U.S. faced rapid demobilization, inflation, and housing shortages as millions of soldiers returned home.
- President Harry S. Truman aimed to continue and expand Roosevelt’s New Deal through his Fair Deal program, promoting social welfare and civil rights.
- Truman believed in federal responsibility for economic stability and equal opportunity.
- His domestic goals included expanding social security, raising the minimum wage, and introducing national health insurance.
- He faced major opposition from a conservative Congress, limiting the success of his social reforms.
Truman’s Fair Deal (1949–1953)
- The Fair Deal was announced in 1949 as an ambitious agenda for economic and social reform.
- Key measures passed: expansion of Social Security, Housing Act (1949) for low-income housing, and increases in the minimum wage.
- Failed measures: national health insurance and major civil rights legislation were blocked by southern Democrats.
- Truman advanced civil rights by desegregating the armed forces (1948) and supporting anti-lynching laws.
- Labor unrest (steel, coal, and railroad strikes) challenged his presidency, leading to the Taft-Hartley Act (1947) restricting union power.
- Outcome: limited reform, but Truman set a precedent for later federal activism in social policy.
Eisenhower’s Domestic Policies (1953–1961)
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower promoted “Modern Republicanism”, blending conservative economics with selective social welfare.
- He accepted key elements of the New Deal, maintaining Social Security and federal housing programs.
- Focused on fiscal conservatism: balancing the budget and reducing federal spending where possible.
- Major achievement: Federal Aid Highway Act (1956), the largest public works program in U.S. history.
- Supported moderate civil rights action: sent troops to enforce desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas (1957) and signed the Civil Rights Act (1957), though it was limited in scope.
- “Middle way” approach aimed to calm Cold War fears while maintaining prosperity at home.
Definition
Modern Republicanism
- Modern Republicanism is the moderate, centrist political philosophy championed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower during the 1950s. It sought a middle path between the New Deal liberalism of the Democratic Party and the traditional conservatism of the Republican Party's Old Guard.
Case study
Desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas (1957)
Background and Causes
- The Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Supreme Court ruling declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
- Many southern states resisted the decision, claiming it violated their state rights.
- In Little Rock, Arkansas, the local school board agreed to a gradual integration plan at Central High School.
- Governor Orval Faubus opposed the plan, arguing that desegregation would cause violence and unrest.
- The case tested whether the federal government would enforce civil rights laws in the face of state resistance.
Events and Federal Intervention
- In September 1957, nine African American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, attempted to attend Central High School.
- Governor Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to block them from entering the school.
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower responded by taking control of the National Guard and sending federal troopsfrom the 101st Airborne Division to escort the students.
- The soldiers ensured that the students could safely attend classes, though they faced daily harassment from white students and parents.
- This marked one of the first times since Reconstruction that the federal government used troops to enforce civil rights.
Consequences and Significance
- The Little Rock crisis showed that the federal government would uphold Supreme Court rulings and civil rights laws, even against state opposition.
- It strengthened the belief that presidential leadership was necessary to achieve racial equality.
- The event received global attention, exposing racial tensions in the United States during the Cold War.
- Many southern states reacted by closing public schools or slowing integration efforts.
- The courage of the Little Rock Nine inspired later civil rights movements and highlighted the need for stronger federal civil rights legislation.
Common Mistake
- Writing about foreign policy instead of focusing on domestic issues.
- Treating the Fair Deal and Modern Republicanism as opposites instead of recognizing continuity in social reform.
- Ignoring Congressional opposition and how it limited policy success for both presidents.
Self review
- To what extent did Truman’s Fair Deal continue the goals of Roosevelt’s New Deal?
- Assess the success of Eisenhower’s domestic policies in maintaining prosperity and social stability.
- Examine the role of political opposition in shaping domestic policy outcomes between 1945 and 1961.
