Title: Post World War II 1945-1989
Course: Grade 6 Minnesota Studies

What was the Cold War?

The Cold War happened after WWII, between the late 1940s and the early 1990s. Historians don't totally agree on the exact date this "war" began, but  It was a time when many countries struggled to get along with other countries. The struggles were mainly between communist countries and democratic nations.  Americans were consumed by the fear of communism spreading to the United States. As communism spread through Eastern European countries, the US joined Western European countries, Canada, Great Britain and France to create NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

What Economic Changes Happened in Minnesota During the Cold War?

After World War II, industrial development quickened. New technology increased farm productivity through automation of feedlots for hogs and cattle, machine milking at dairy farms, and raising chickens in large buildings. Planting became more specialized with hybridization of corn and wheat, and the use of farm machinery such as tractors and combines became the norm. University of Minnesota professor Norman Borlaug contributed to these developments as part of the Green Revolution

In the 1940s and 50s, Minnesota became a center of technology. A group of scientists and engineers who had worked on code breaking during the war started up ERA (Engineering Research Associates), a company that developed computers for the US Navy. Control Data Corporation, Cray Research and Medtronic were also strong technological companies based in Minnesota.

Suburban development increased do to postwar housing demand and convenient transportation. Increased mobility, in turn, enabled more specialized jobs

State agribusiness has changed from production to processing and the manufacturing of value-added food products by companies such as General Mills, Cargill, Hormel Foods Corporation (prepackaged and processed meat products), and the Schwan Food Company (frozen foods).

3M (formerly Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.) today is a manufacturer of industrial and consumer products. The port of Duluth was created by the mining boom and today continues to be an important shipping port for the Midwest's agricultural and ore products.

What Role Did Minnesotans Play in The Civil Rights Movement?

The US was declaring that our form of government, democracy, was the best way to run a country. We were saying that Communism reduced human rights and individual freedoms. The irony was that in the US these rights and freedoms were being denied to American citizens, especially African Americans.

African Americans were not the only people being treated unfairly. Most minority groups and women were also beginn

ing to speak out about unfair practices. In this section, you'll understand that although Americans were experiencing an economic boom, protests and rights movements to improve the status of racial minorities, women and American Indians helped transform American society as we know it today.

What State and Local Policies Concerned Minnesotans and How Did They Respond?

Human rights are the rights people have simply because they are HUMAN. These rights (in the US) include freedom of Speech, of religion and the right to participate in government. Our rights also include the right to an education, health care and the right to work.

Human rights are strongest when citizens hold government accountable. The establishment and expansion of our rights has changed over time. There have been many court cases and protests to make these changes. In the US there is a strong history of human rights movements. In the 1900s the Women's Suffrage Movement gave women the right to vote and in the 1960s the human rights movement helped to guarantee equal rights for Black Americans.