UNit 7 Stuff and things

During the episode, the host discusses World War II, the Cold War, and 1950s society in America. The causes of World War II include the Treaty of Versailles and the economic hardship faced by Germany. Hitler's rise to power and the lack of resistance from Western countries are also mentioned. The war ends with the Allied forces defeating the Axis powers. After the war, there is a baby boom in America. The 1950s see the rise of conformity and the Red Scare, as well as the threat of the Soviets and the start of the Cold War. The Korean War is discussed, with the US supporting South Korea against the spread of communism. The consequences of the war include the establishment of the Southeastern Asian Treaty Organization. Other topics mentioned include McCarthyism, the space race, the Civil Rights Movement, and Eisenhower's foreign policy. The episode concludes with a mention of the Geneva Convention. Welcome back to the studio episode 3 of 587 and today we're going over World War II in the early Cold War. This also relates to 1950s society as a whole and how America progressed after World War II. Let's get into the video. Alright so up first we have the start of World War II. Many causes were, of course, World War I, that useless war, you know, people don't talk about. But, you know, the Treaty of Versailles, stuff like that, the absolute guilt and hardship that it put on the German economy and its people. They felt ashamed to be German, much like after World War II, but we won't talk about that until after. But the economy was in shambles. The Weimar Republic was questionable at the very least. And so what this led to was Hitler taking power, promising economic gain and a strong unified German people, and people liked that. They were tired of living sad lives and he resonated with that. This led to the rise of Nazi Germany and building up a power, stuff like that. Also, Western countries not standing up to Hitler enough, just giving him what he wanted, so they didn't want another world war, which is where that led. Of course, Axis, Allied forces, we all heard, you know, the old two-step, the old Pearl Harbor, the old nuclear bomb, finishing that war off, V-E day and V-Day, and kissing a nurse on the street you've never met. That's the America I want. The American involvement in World War II, of course, started after Pearl Harbor, and there's a beginning and an end. After World War II, we had this massive influx of babies being born, called the baby boom. You know, these soldiers get back after war and they're sick of having the right hand as their girlfriend, so, you know, they get wives and everything, and they go crazy. The U.S. mobilization happened in World War II, a whole entire combined arms just to fight this threat of Nazism and these Japs. In the 1950s, the idea of conformity began with McCarthyism and the Red Scare, and the second Red Scare, I say it, pardon me, and especially McCarthyism, that blew up a whole new idea of conformity in the American people and how they should not stick out. They should live in the suburbs, like Levittowns, pardon me, that's a, yes, Levittown, and the suburbias, and start living the American dream with a white picket fence, a dog, and some kids. There you go. Also, the threat of the Soviets continued to rise. People thought they'd be a nuclear exchange at any moment. Tensions kept rising and rising, starting the Cold War pretty much right after World War II, and the occupation of Berlin and Germany. As the Cold War escalated, both countries began arming themselves, and with, like, Rosenbergs being spies and allowing the damn commies to get those nuclear bombs in their hands, that's quite bad. So that was a direct lead-up to the tension, as well as the threat of the Cold War that it posed, and how people didn't want to stick out. Truman remained president after World War II, and his foreign policies and such, and the idea of containment with, you know, that ketchup bottle, that continued in the Korean War. They wanted to stop the, say, the unright spread of communism, the disease itself, and the plight that it gives people, and they wanted South Korea to live free, as did its people. So they helped fund the war and eventually joined it themselves. This was a resounding success up until they reached past the 30th parallel and went into North Korea, where they were kind of stomped back by the volunteer army of China, so they could remain neutral. But it ended with pretty much where it started, the 30th parallel and the ceasefire. This led on to the continued idea of containment, and how spreading communism actually works when you're fighting proxy wars. This, of course, led to the birth child of the Vietnam War and other such things, but the big idea was that the USSR, those dirty commies, were not stepping another foot into free people's land, and if they asked for help, by golly, the U.S. was going to send them troops and a whole lot of cash. A lot of consequences of the Korean War. Very little public attention. It's called the Forgotten War. Containment worked, but also the Southeastern Asian Treaty Organization, the kind of Asian version of NATO, was established so that they could protect each other. As all this is going on, of course, McCorkeyism, the Red Scare, and other such things. But many consequences of the Red Scare were speedy trials like the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg trial, where they were found guilty, but the speed and haste of which was unlike any other, such as seen in the Senko and Vincenzi trials. Many people didn't really understand if they were truly guilty or not. After we had Truman, we had Eisenhower, the man himself, helped lead D-Day, and his election in 1952 against Stevenson, the Democrat, was a success. He won, and he helped develop the GI Bill, which helped soldiers get affordable college, so they could grow human capital and expand the economy. He also did the National Interstate Highway Act, which was pretty big, building massive highways all across the U.S. interstates, so we could move troops and supplies. Pretty big success, I'd say. The domestic approach to the Cold War, of course, worrying about the hydrogen bombs that could rain on their head any second, duck and cover, come on, hide under a desk, and they'll survive from a nuclear bomb, probably. The space race was a big thing. If we couldn't fight proxy wars or fund people to assassinate each other or to scare each other with nuclear threats, hey, we can send a couple men to space, you know, send a rock up there, a little satellite probe. People out there are spying on them, but come on, it's the 1950s, you're not getting any spy technology up there. But yeah, that's pretty much it. Also, during this time, the Civil Rights Movement kind of began with a Brown v. Board of Education. Brown v. Board of Education. I always say that too fast. In 1954, ended segregation in public schools. Little Rock 9 was the first school of that, in which Eisenhower helped to desegregate it, support integration. It's pretty nice. Eisenhower's foreign policy continued, of course, continued building tensions, arming themselves, both sides, and Eisenhower's doctrine was that financial military aid could be sent to any country that was threatened by communism. Places like the Middle East and Cambodia areas, Vietnam, South Korea, other such places. I suppose not Cambodia, but they had their own little slaughters going on. During this time, the Geneva Convention happened in 1954, and pretty big stuff, yeah. No more war crimes, they're never going to try them. That's not what I said, it doesn't count though. All right, that about wraps up our episode today. I hope you enjoyed. I sure did, and you should have a good one, yeah. Sleep tight.