1949: Turning Point In American Domestic And Foreign Policy

The end of World War II marked an important time in American history – once again, America had proven its military and economic prowess. In the years following 1944, much change was instituted regarding both foreign and domestic affairs. 1949 was a turning point in American domestic and foreign policies to the extent that it supplemented and amplified developments that had already been put in place. Many of these developments were the results of the Cold War or World War II, however 1949 marks when these policies and political ideals were further developed. An important change made clear after 1949 was that America had started to turn back on its long history of neutrality. Since Washington’s Farewell Address, advising the government not to get involved in foreign entanglements and to instead remain unbiased, America had been adhering to this separatist ideology. In 1948, however, The European Recovery Program (ERP), or the Marshall Plan went into effect. Its purpose was to aid Europe with rebuilding, and the United States gave $13 billion in economic support. Similarly, in 1945, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the United Nations were created. The goal of the
After 1949, the change that had been demanded was finally significant. With the Executive Order 9981, issued in 1948 by Truman, the armed forces were no longer segregated, and there was to be no racial discrimination in the military, creating the Fair Employment Practice Committee. Another example of the beginning civil rights movement before 1949 was the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), which was founded in 1942 to campaign for equal rights for African Americans. After 1949, the civil rights movement really started to blossom, starting with the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case in 1954. It marked the end of segregation, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson. After 1949, the Civil Rights movement had started