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Higher education in Ireland, 1908–84

John Coolahan

in A New History of Ireland Volume VII: Ireland 1921-84

In Ireland, the history of higher education in the twentieth century falls into a number of distinct periods. The first period corresponds to the years following the passing of the Irish Universities ... More

In Ireland, the history of higher education in the twentieth century falls into a number of distinct periods. The first period corresponds to the years following the passing of the Irish Universities Act of 1908 down to the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921. A second period dates from the treaty to the end of the Second World War in 1945. The postwar years to 1959 mark another era. A fourth period, from about 1960 to the early 1980s, was a time of great expansion and development. During the first three periods, the fortunes of the individual universities are followed within the general political and economic context. During the final era, higher education became much more diversified, greater public attention was focused on the issues, and the developments are best dealt with in a general, trans-institutional way.Less

Reenvisioning Japan

Simon Partner

in Assembled in Japan: Electrical Goods and the Making of the Japanese Consumer

This chapter focuses on the significant new developments after the war—developments that were the product of a catastrophic defeat attributable in part to the failure of Japanese technology. It ... More

This chapter focuses on the significant new developments after the war—developments that were the product of a catastrophic defeat attributable in part to the failure of Japanese technology. It explores the visions that established business leaders, bureaucrats, and entrepreneurs, as well as ordinary Japanese people, developed during the formative years of the Allied Occupation of Japan (1945–1952). The chapter explains that during these early postwar years, Japanese businessmen and others began quite consciously to search for the keys to the immense prosperity of the United States—a prosperity which was all the more tantalizing given its contrast with life in a Japan prostrate from defeat. It notes that although these visions were diverse and often contested, key protagonists in this story focused on a few common themes which were to unlock, for them, the gates to prosperity.Less

The Vision of America: Bringing Television to Japan

Simon Partner

in Assembled in Japan: Electrical Goods and the Making of the Japanese Consumer

This chapter argues that despite the gloomy economic conditions of the early postwar years, some entrepreneurs found immense business opportunities in the emerging new technologies of mass ... More

This chapter argues that despite the gloomy economic conditions of the early postwar years, some entrepreneurs found immense business opportunities in the emerging new technologies of mass communication. One man in particular—Shōriki Matsutarō, a newspaper magnate who well understood the power and profitability of the media—forged alliances with politicians, bureaucrats, and investors to bring television to Japan much sooner than conventional economic logic would have suggested. In doing so, he both formed a new industry and contributed to the transformation of Japanese society.Less

Embryo Scientists: Finding and Saving Postwar “Science Talent”

Rebecca Onion

in Innocent Experiments: Childhood and the Culture of Public Science in the United States

The Science Talent Search, started by the Westinghouse Corporation in 1942, aimed to identify and support the most scientifically talented young people in their senior classes. This chapter uses the ... More

The Science Talent Search, started by the Westinghouse Corporation in 1942, aimed to identify and support the most scientifically talented young people in their senior classes. This chapter uses the archive of the Science Talent Search to argue that in the postwar years, the adults who ran the contest were invested in depicting scientifically interested young people as both “normal” and exceptional.Less

Postwar Hopes and Promises

Patryk Babiracki

in Soviet Soft Power in Poland: Culture and the Making of Stalin's New Empire, 1943-1957

This chapter examines the Soviet-Polish negotiations over the terms of cultural initiatives in the immediate postwar years. In their approach to Polish culture, the Soviets displayed a mélange of ... More

This chapter examines the Soviet-Polish negotiations over the terms of cultural initiatives in the immediate postwar years. In their approach to Polish culture, the Soviets displayed a mélange of aggressive overtures, tactful involvement, and plain inaction. On the whole, the mid-level Soviet officials and cultural figures often mixed the desire to intervene with the prudent impulse to disengage. Thus, the Soviets' approach frequently contributed to the confusion about the future of Soviet-Polish cultural relations. But the Poles' resulting disorientation mixed with a potent postwar optimism. Their perceived sense of open ground easily fostered hopes that a Soviet-Polish modus vivendi in the cultural sphere could be sustained. In this way, cultural cooperation had a hopeful start in Poland after the war.Less

“Move On Up a Little Higher” (1945–1949)

Jerry Zolten

in Great God Aʼmighty! The Dixie Hummingbirds: Celebrating the Rise of Soul Gospel Music

The years after World War II were glory days for African American gospel as inventive performers started seriously to build on tradition. An overall healthy economy spawned thriving record and radio ... More

The years after World War II were glory days for African American gospel as inventive performers started seriously to build on tradition. An overall healthy economy spawned thriving record and radio industries as more slots on the radio dial were allotted to the entire spectrum of black music from jazz to blues to gospel. By the late 1940s, urban radio stations were beginning to introduce programs hosted by and directed to African Americans—although anyone could and did tune in. The Dixie Hummingbirds adapted to new postwar tastes and styles through personnel changes and the maturation of Ira Tucker as a lead singer, songwriter, and arranger.Less

The Second World War and Its Aftermath

Patricia Lim

in Forgotten Souls: A Social History of the Hong Kong Cemetery

This chapter illustrates stories of the Second World War that are important to the history of the Hong Kong Cemetery. It discusses other events that happened during the postwar years, such as the ... More

This chapter illustrates stories of the Second World War that are important to the history of the Hong Kong Cemetery. It discusses other events that happened during the postwar years, such as the discovery of unknown male bodies and the story of Cyril Wild, who had detailed knowledge of Japanese behavior towards the prisoners-of-war. It also looks at the Pearl River Incident and the final rearrangements made in the Hong Kong Cemetery in 1976.Less

The Cold War Begins, 1946–1953

Laurence Senelick and Sergei Ostrovsky

in The Soviet Theater: A Documentary History

This chapter describes events in the history of Soviet theater and arts from 1946 to 1953. In the postwar period, authors and theaters were called on to represent in their plays and their shows the ... More

This chapter describes events in the history of Soviet theater and arts from 1946 to 1953. In the postwar period, authors and theaters were called on to represent in their plays and their shows the life of Soviet society in its “uninterrupted movement forward”, to contribute in every way to the ulterior evolution of the best features in the character of the Soviet man, those features which appeared with particular strength during the “Great Patriotic War.” This involved the vilification of all things bourgeois and the glorification of all things Soviet, particularly Stalin. The Ministry of Culture also took control of theaters in the country. The functions of the artistic director came to an end in 1949, being replaced by the chief producer, usually a political boss with little or no knowledge of the theater.Less

Mavericks

James Wierzbicki

in Music in the Age of Anxiety: American Music in the Fifties

This chapter focuses on the concept of “maverick,” a term as American as the Stars and Stripes that the notion of the “maverick composer” is likewise unique to the United States. An important handful ... More

This chapter focuses on the concept of “maverick,” a term as American as the Stars and Stripes that the notion of the “maverick composer” is likewise unique to the United States. An important handful of American composers in the postwar years demonstrated a comparable lack of interest not in music but in the traditional business of music-making. As much as they could, they avoided the universities that supported so many of the modernists. They avoided, too, the opera companies and symphony orchestras that through commissions and performances supported so many of the mainstreamers. Occasionally, they banded together in collectives whose members pursued similar goals and thus were mutually influential. However, most of the time, the maverick composers of the Fifties marched to the beats of very different drummers.Less

Preparing for a New Enemy

in From Hot War to Cold: The U.S. Navy and National Security Affairs, 1945–1955

This chapter discusses the emergence of the new enemy in the early postwar years. In the fall of 1945 the hopes of United States civilians and military leaders for a continuing period of peace were ... More

This chapter discusses the emergence of the new enemy in the early postwar years. In the fall of 1945 the hopes of United States civilians and military leaders for a continuing period of peace were dashed by events in Europe and Asia. As the Soviet Union moved ever farther away from its wartime partnership with its Western Allies and began staking out its national interests more boldly in areas beyond its immediate military sway, the American interpretation of Soviet actions began changing from a neutral stance to a highly negative one. The Joint Chiefs of Staff started viewing the Soviet Union as a potential enemy and took actions accordingly. American war planning in the early postwar years was halting and somewhat disparate, as military staff officers tried to adjust their wartime concepts to the changing international situation and the likely effects of new weapon technologies such as the atomic bomb. Nonetheless, this planning increased in sophistication during the latter part of 1947, even though its focus shifted increasingly toward an overwhelming reliance on the employment of atomic weapons.Less

Swaddling the Russians (1947–51)

Peter Mandler

in Return from the Natives

This chapter discusses how there is a certain amount of difficulty in examining the Russians' national character during the postwar years. Margaret Mead knew of this, just as much as she tried to ... More

This chapter discusses how there is a certain amount of difficulty in examining the Russians' national character during the postwar years. Margaret Mead knew of this, just as much as she tried to avoid the analysis of both German and Japanese cultures. During the postwar years, the Russians were the foreign culture that the Americans most needed and want to know. If anthropology were to show its usefulness to international relations, it must then show something cultural about the Russians that other analyses could not possibly offer. Such analyses for the Russian culture would prove to be dangerous, as they could be used to provoke hostile responses from both the military and the government.Less

Conclusion: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

Stephen Meyer

in Manhood on the Line: Working-Class Masculinities in the American Heartland

This concluding chapter examines the changing work environments in the automotive industry after World War II, and traces the evolution of manhood in the postwar years. It argues that, despite ... More

This concluding chapter examines the changing work environments in the automotive industry after World War II, and traces the evolution of manhood in the postwar years. It argues that, despite incredible reshaping, the workplace problems of automobile workers after World War II remained much the same as existed at the time of the mass-production revolution. In the postwar years, the problems of technology, race, and gender persisted and in some instances even got much worse—postwar improvements in mechanization and automation meant that workers had to match the pace of more sophisticated technology. In addition, industrial unions brought the most dramatic changes in the relations between workers and managers.Less

Epilogue

James Wierzbicki

in Music in the Age of Anxiety: American Music in the Fifties

This concluding chapter urges readers to reflect on how American music from the Fifties is received today. Historians have described America's postwar years in various monikers: the age of doubt, the ... More

This concluding chapter urges readers to reflect on how American music from the Fifties is received today. Historians have described America's postwar years in various monikers: the age of doubt, the age of abundance, the proud decade, and the decade of fear. According to a 1972 article in Newsweek magazine, they were “The Fabulous Fifties,” a simple decade when “hip was hep and good was boss.” In America, the long decade of the Fifties was all of that. Even as it transpired, astute observers of human behavior noted the period's seemingly opposite trends. It can be argued that it is precisely these paradoxes—the national pride in America's wartime triumph versus a collective doubt about the nation's future directions—that gives the Fifties its special frisson.Less

Collective Action and the Threat to Free Enterprise

Tula A. Connell

in Conservative Counterrevolution: Challenging Liberalism in 1950s Milwaukee

This chapter underlines the role of anti-unionism in challenges to the New Deal consensus, further highlighting the influence of economic conservatism in the immediate postwar years. New Deal-era ... More

This chapter underlines the role of anti-unionism in challenges to the New Deal consensus, further highlighting the influence of economic conservatism in the immediate postwar years. New Deal-era laws increased workers' ability to form unions and set a minimum wage for many workers, fueling an economic prosperity that by the 1950s had created the century's narrowest income gap between the wealthy and middle-income workers. Corporate and conservative interests had challenged these laws from the start, and many emerged from World War II motivated by a renewed determination to slow labor's growing momentum and return workplace economics to the private sector.Less

Conclusion

Wing Chung Ng

in The Rise of Cantonese Opera

This concluding chapter summarizes key themes and presents some final thoughts. This study constructed a three-part narrative to chronicle the rise of Cantonese opera. At the outset, much information ... More

This concluding chapter summarizes key themes and presents some final thoughts. This study constructed a three-part narrative to chronicle the rise of Cantonese opera. At the outset, much information on the latter half of the nineteenth century is provided, and the imperial period also is covered as additional background, but the principal time frame is the early part of the twentieth century. A key finding of this study is the resilience of the opera community and how it managed to find ways to tap into the underlying appeal of a plebeian theater and to make difficult adjustments in logistics and other long-held conventions in order to stay afloat and rebound. The changes made during the 1920s and early 1930s continued a larger process of ongoing evolution and showcased the remarkable adaptive capacity of Cantonese opera. They also underscore the tremendous resilience of the opera community band its art in facing the severe disruptions and dislocation caused by the Sino- Japanese War and even greater uncertainties in the ensuing postwar years.Less

Passage to India?

Mark Wahlgren Summers

in The Ordeal of the Reunion: A New History of Reconstruction

This chapter considers expansionism in the postwar years. The Civil War strengthened American power and demonstrated its potential for expansion. However, because of its costs and sacrifices, never ... More

This chapter considers expansionism in the postwar years. The Civil War strengthened American power and demonstrated its potential for expansion. However, because of its costs and sacrifices, never had the constraints against actually doing anything been so compelling: financial, military, and political. While race and Reconstruction played a large part in adding to the distaste Americans felt for new annexations, they were not the only force, nor indeed the most important.Less

Politics

David Damrosch

in Comparing the Literatures: Literary Studies in a Global Age

This chapter discusses the comparatists who reshaped the comparative literature in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. It mentions Anna Balakian, who became a leading figure in both the ... More

This chapter discusses the comparatists who reshaped the comparative literature in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. It mentions Anna Balakian, who became a leading figure in both the American and International Comparative Literature Associations. It also describes Anna and her family's emigration in 1921 from Turkey to western Europe and eventually to the United States. The chapter analyzes how comparatists sought to change the world in the postwar years, a time of rapid expansion in higher education and optimism about America's role in fostering international cooperation and understanding. It also focuses on the need of politics of comparative studies to have a dual focus on institutional politics, a wider political scene, and a postcolonial perspective.Less

Nathan Marsh Pusey and the Affluent University

Morton Keller and Phyllis Keller

in Making Harvard Modern: The Rise of America's University

on New Year’s Day 1953, James Bryant Conant made known his intention to resign, effective January 23—all of three weeks later. In June the Corporation ... More

on New Year’s Day 1953, James Bryant Conant made known his intention to resign, effective January 23—all of three weeks later. In June the Corporation announced his successor: forty-six-year-old Nathan Marsh Pusey, the president of Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin. Why this wholly unexpected choice? Who was Pusey, and what did he offer Harvard? He came from an old New England family transplanted to Iowa, graduated from Harvard College in the class of 1928, earned a Harvard Ph.D. in Classics in 1935, went off to stints of college teaching at Lawrence, Scripps, and Wesleyan, and in 1944 returned to Lawrence to become its president. This was a small, highly regarded college in Wisconsin, founded in 1847, with strong New England roots. Pusey did well there, recruiting able faculty and taking a public stand against Appleton native Joseph McCarthy when that sinister figure began to hack his way through American politics. All respectable enough; and, it appears, sufficient to secure Pusey a place on the short list of candidates. But enough to make him Harvard’s twenty-fourth president? Lawrence board chairman William Buchanan reported that Pusey had done little fund-raising for the college, and noted his cool personality and lack of popularity with students despite his manifest skill as a teacher. Another member of the Lawrence board doubted that Pusey had the administrative ability required by the Harvard presidency: “He is stubborn and uncompromising.” More weighty was Carnegie Corporation vice president (and Harvard president wannabe) John Gardner’s “serious doubts that he would have the particular leathery quality required to take on the great administrative job which Harvard is.” But positive views substantially outweighed these reservations. An Episcopal church source reported: “Pusey is stubborn at times but it is always a stubbornness on matters of principle and not with respect to his biases.” Another who knew him well said: “He is all mind, character, and perception. He is no promoter. . . . He is as firm as iron. He always succeeds in getting what he wants done. . . . His religion is top flight 100 percent all wool and a yard wide Episcopalian.” Less