The United States and Canada: A New Era

• The United States obviously became one of the world superpowers and, with tensions against the Soviet Union, became a strong force to combat communism

American Politics and Security

• New domestic policies were mirrored on the New Deal by FDR which basically increased the role of the Fed. Gov’t and the rise of organized labor.
• The democrat presidents that followed FDR, Truman, Kennedy and Johnson and even the republican Eisenhower went with the New Deal policies.
• Wages went up after the War and so did consumer confidence.
• However, the fear of communism led to repercussions at home causing phobia that communism had infested the United States.
• Joseph R. McCarthy was a senator that intensified the “Red Scare” when he attacked “Communist conspirators” of the US Army but he was censured and eventually his anticommunist crusade was crushed.

Decade of Upheaval

• JFK- youngest elected president and also a Catholic. His administration was cut short by an assassin although during his presidency, he focused on foreign policy.
• Lyndon B. Johnson continued the New Deal with his “Great Society” including a healthcare for the elderly, “war on poverty” using food stamps, and the new Job Corps, New Department of Housing and Urban Development.
• In 1954, the Civil Rights Movement got a jumpstart when Brown Vs. Board of Education of Topeka ruled that segregation of schools was unconstitutional.
• This gave way to Martin Luther King Jr. crusade for racial equality and by 1963, Americans believed Civil rights to be the top issue.
• Civil Rights Act created the effort to end segregation and discrimination in the workplace and all public places. Johnson however, did not do enough and the African Americans were bitter. Also opposition to the Vietnam war made him extremely unpopular.
• Local areas of segregation gave way to ghettos for the Blacks. Malcom X of the Black Muslims used violence to protest. This lead to riots in major cities and when MLK was assassinated, even more riots broke out leading to severe division of the population.
• Protests against the war also led to violence when 4 students were killed for protesting by the Ohio National Guard causing anti-war movement to decline.
• Nixon decided to stop this with his “law and order” and the shift to the right in American politics began.

The Development of Canada

• Canada experienced similar developments to the United States such as electronics, industrial development, aircraft, and nuclear.
• Canada was financed by the US and businessmen were worried about being dominated by the US.
• Canada did agree to join NATO and sent military forces to fight in Korea the following year along with supporting the UN in order to avoid subordination to the US.
• North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) formed in the 1957 maintained cooperation of the two airforces in order to ward off potential missile attacks.
• Liberal Party continued to dominate Canadian politics until 1957 when John Diefenbaker  won it for the Conservative Party.
• However, major economic problems returned control to the liberals allowing for welfare state and the Canada Pension Plan by Lester Pearson.