The United States and the World: Key Concepts

Leaving Cert > The United States and the World, 1945 - 1989

Consumerism
The stage in an industrial society when many goods are bought and sold. It can also be called the Consumer Society.

Corporate Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic, political and social system based on private property. Corporate capitalism is the control of this system by large corporations which wanted to increase profits.

Discrimination
Treating a group of people differently because of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation etc.

Feminism
The belief that women should be treated equally as men with the same rights and responsibilities.

Fundamentalism
A conservative, religious movement among Protestants in the US which emphasised the strict truth of the Bible. It became particularly influential in southern states and fundamentalists became involved in politics.

Globalisation
The spread of institutions, organisations and culture on a global (worldwide) scale. Goods, services and culture eventually become the same around the world.

Internationalism
A political movement that encourages greater political and economic co-operation between nations for the benefit of all.

Imperialsm
Occurs when one country has a great deal of power or influence over others, especially in political and economic affairs.

Liberalism
The political belief concerned with personal freedom and social progress. Liberals favour gradual reform of political and economic matters, and an active government role in the economy.

Mass Media
A medium of communications (TV, newspapers, magazines) which reaches a large population.

Military-Industrial Complex
The combination of the armed forces, the politicians who support them and the industries who supply them. They have a strong influence on government decisions.

Moral Majority
A group which supported the application of strict Christian standards on society.

Presidential Bureaucracy
The civil service which delivers the President's policies. Presidents since 1945 have expanded cabinet posts and federal agencies. Most are approved by the President, but some need approval by Congress.

Public Opinion
The views and attitudes of the people. Governments need public opinion to be favourable to them so they can be re-elected, so they try to influence it through mass media.

Technological Development
The application or use of scientific discoveries in industry.

The United States and the World: Key Personalities

Leaving Cert > The United States and the World, 1945 - 1989

Below is the complete list of Key Personalities for The United States and the World, 1945 - 1989.

Each of these personalities are linked on their own relevant pages (e.g. Truman is linked on the US Foreign Policy 1945-72 page).

 

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SITE UPDATE: All pages for the Dictatorship and Democracy in Europe Leaving Cert topic are now complete. I'm working on the other Leaving Cert topics at the moment, hope to have Pursuit of Sovereignty and the Impact of Partition up very soon, as it's the prescribed topic for the 2014 Leaving Cert examination. I can't make any promises with time as I work full-time myself, but I'll do my best!

The prescribed topic for the 2016 and 2017 Leaving Cert exams will be Dictatorship and Democracy.

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11 Time-Travelling Photos of World War One: Then and Now

Key Personality: Betty Friedan

Leaving Cert > The United States and the World > Key Personalities

Friedan is a Key Personality for:

Society in the United States, 1945 - 1989

• Early Life:
  Where did Friedan go to college? What did she earn a degree in? What beliefs did she develop there? What did she do in 1949?

• Friedan and the Feminine Mystique:
  What discovery did she make from the questionnaire she gave at her 15-year reunion? When did Friedan write The Feminine Mystique? How well did it sell? How did she incorporate her findings into the book? What kind of person does the book talk about? What is the "feminine mystique" mentioned in the title?

• Friedan and The Problem That Has No Name:
  What expectations were there on middle-class women in the US at this time? How did Friedan feel this was restricting women? Why did she call it The Problem With No Name? What did she compare the second-class status of women to?

• Friedan and her Critics:
  What did her critics say about her? What did they say about her sources? How did her marriage play in to this? Despite the criticism, what effect did her book have on US society?

• Friedan and NOW:
  When did Friedan found the National Organisation of Women? What was their aim? What other group did she found in 1971, and why? What did she write about in The Second Stage in 1981? What was her opinion of extreme feminism?

Women in early and middle parts of the 20th century suffered an enormous amount of discrimination and were seen as second-class citizens.

Friedan (second from left) with other founders of the National Organisation for Women.

President Jimmy Carter signs an extension for the deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment to be ratified.
Despite the extension, it still failed.

Not all women were united behind Friedan's ideas. Some, such as conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, saw ERA as an attack on the traditional role of women in society.

Friedan in later years. She died in 2006.

Key Personality: Billy Graham

Leaving Cert > The United States and the World > Key Personalities

Graham is a Key Personality for:
Religion, Mass Media and Higher Education

• Early Life:
  Where was Graham born? Where did he go to university? When was he ordained? What denomination is he?

• Graham the Evangelical:
  What did he found in 1950? How did he develop religion as a form of mass entertainment? How did he use media to his advantage? How many people did he preach to in his 16 week mission in 1957?

• Graham's Beliefs:
  What are the main tenets of Graham's evangelical Protestantism? How did he differ from Christian fundamentalists such as Jerry Falwell? How did he continue to use the media? How influential did he become?

• Graham Over Time:
  What was Graham's attitude to Communism? How had his views changed by the 1980s? What awards has Graham received? Why is he still held in high regard today?

With Dwight Eisenhower, President 1953-61

With John F. Kennedy, President 1961-3

With Lyndon Johnson, President 1963-9

With Richard Nixon, President 1969-74

With Gerald Ford, President 1974-7

With Jimmy Carter, President 1977-81

With Ronald Reagan, President 1981-9

With George HW Bush, President 1989-93

With Bill Clinton, President 1993-2001

With George W. Bush, President 2001-9

With Barack Obama, President 2009 -

Key Personality: Norman Mailer

Leaving Cert > The United States and the World > Key Personalities

Mailer is a Key Personality for:
The Collapse of Consensus, 1968 - 1989

• Early Life:
  Where did Mailer go to university? What was his degree? What did he do during World War II and what did he later write about this? What was the critical reaction to his writing?

• Mailer the Writer:
  How many books did Mailer write? What else did he write? What was Village Voice? What work did he do with Dissent? What is "New Journalism"? Why is Mailer hailed as the "prophet of machismo"? What was his opinion of the US and the USSR? What were his opinions on totalitarianism and conformity?

• Mailer's Writings:
  See the pictures below.

• Mailer's Later Life:
  What awards did Mailer receive? What work did he do besides writing? What political office did he unsuccessfully seek?

The White Negro (1959): He wrote about the hipsters who rebelled against conformity.
These hipsters were around before being a hipster was cool.

Why Are We in Vietnam (1967) and Armies of the Night (1968) both concern US involvement in Vietnam.

Of a Fire on the Moon (1970) was an account of the 1969 moon landing.

Miami and the Siege of Chicago (1968) is an account of the 1968 Democratic and Republican conventions.

The Prisoner of Sex (1971) criticised the women's liberation movement. They didn't like him very much either.

The Fight (1975) was an account of Muhammad Ali's "Rumble in the Jungle" with George Foreman.

Key Personality: Martin Luther King

Leaving Cert > The United States and the World > Key Personalities

King is a Key Personality for:
Problems in US Society, 1945 - 1989

• Early Life:
  Where was King from? What career did he want to pursue? What did his father encourage him to do instead? Where was he appointed a pastor?

• King and Protesting:
  Who was King's main inspiration for protesting? What was his role in the Montgomery Bus Boycotts in 1955 and 1956? What was the outcome? What did King found afterwards and why? How was he able to use the media to his advantage?

• King's Dream:
  What march did King lead in 1963? How many people attended? What was King's dream? (You should be able to quote from his speech!) What was he awarded in 1964? What successes did the civil rights movement enjoy in 1964 and 1965?

• King's Problems:
  What was King's relationship with more radical black leaders like Malcolm X? Why did the FBI investigate King? What was his opinion of the Vietnam War? What happened to him in Memphis in 1968? What was the result?

King leading a protest in Memphis in 1968.

King meeting with President Lyndon Johnson.

King standing behind Johnson as he signs the 1964 Civil Rights Act into law.

King with Malcolm X.

Key Personality: Marilyn Monroe

Leaving Cert > The United States and the World > Key Personalities

Monroe is a Key Personality for:
The Age of Consensus, 1945 - 1968

• Early Life:
  What was Monroe's original name? What was her upbringing like? What did she say about this later in life? What did she experience as a teenager?

• Becoming Marilyn:
  Where was she working in the war years when a photographer spotted her and advised her to become a model? How successful did she become as a model? Why did she change her name to Marilyn Monroe? What was her early movie career like?

• Monroe the Movie Star:
  What films did she star in when her career took off in the 1950s? What controversy from her past encouraged her fame? How did Hollywood exploit this controversy? What kind of roles did she play in her movies?

• Monroe in the "Fish Bowl":
  What was Monroe's private life like after she became famous? Why did her marriage to Joe Di Maggio fail? Who did she marry after him? What did she suffer during this marriage? Who was she rumoured to have have had affairs with?

• Monroe's Death:
  How did Monroe die in August 1962? Why is her death still controversial? What effect has her death had on her fame? What is her legacy?

The future Marilyn Monroe working in a munitions factory during World War II. She was discovered there by a talent scout from the US Army Motion Pictures unit, in charge of producing morale-boosting films for US soldiers. The scout had been sent by his commanding officer, Captain Ronald Reagan.

 

Some Like It Hot: Monroe and her co-stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.

Monroe talks to President John F. Kennedy after famously singing him Happy Birthday at a special celebration.
This is the only (genuine) photo of the two of them together, but they are rumoured to have had an affair.

Monroe's death in 1962 shocked the world.