America - 1.1

Question 1

republicans

Answer 1

party that came to be associated with the ideas of minimal government intervention n business and daily life, low taxes and conservative social policies

Question 2

democrats

Answer 2

party that was associated with the ideas of civil rights (exceptions esp in south), union in the workplace and progressive reform. Gov intervention for social and economic reform

Question 3

congress

Answer 3

the law making body of the USA. it has two elected bodies the senate and the house of representatives that both have to agree laws before they become active

Question 4

senate

Answer 4

the small group of elected people within conger who decide the laws of the country. senators represent their entire state

Question 5

house of representatives

Answer 5

composed of congressmen and women elected by the people

Question 6

what was the American dream?

Answer 6

• Truslow jointed the term ‘American Dream’ whereby life could get better, fuller and richer for everyone
• phrase began to be used by politicians in there promises to fight for equality
• was also a search for a better way of life

Question 7

how did the political environment change?

Answer 7

• despite the economic benefits of WW1 many felt entry has been a mistake
• return to normalcy and prewar life yet this had caused large amounts of social discontent

Question 8

how was the American civil war an influence on US politics?

Answer 8

• the war divided the US and so called ‘reconciliation of the south’ after the war with the northern states was never completed
• the left the south bitter and not as economically developed

Question 9

how did the situation of US minorities and especially the blacks influence politics?

Answer 9

• blacks were discriminated against by both law and custom
• mostly (de jure) in the south of the US and by habit and custom (de facto) in the north
• the native Americans were all in reserves having lost their historical lands

Question 10

how did WW1 influence US politics?

Answer 10

• most Americans thought they have been conned into entering the war by the British and their own arms making companies
• this made it more isolationist then pre 1917

Question 11

how did the behaviour of Wilson lead to a decline in republicanism?

Answer 11

• he believed the president should be involved in law making so drafted bills and introduced them to congress
• many felt he took far to big of a role in gov decision making, not consulting about league of nations and taking America into the war
• leader of democrats in house of representatives was see as speaking for Wilson, many saw this as an unwelcomed change that was close to breaking the separation of powers principle
• key reason for turn to republicanism

Question 12

what is isolationism?

Answer 12

the USA should be supportive of other nations but not become entangled with them, focusing on itself and becoming a significant world power

Question 13

how did isolationism lead to a rise in republicanism?

Answer 13

• helped Europe re build their economy and brokered the Washington conference which set limits on national navies. depression also made then less internationalist forcing many to focus on their domestic problems
• congress passes a series of neutrality acts which restricted the help the USA could give other countries if they went to war
• helped lead to a boom encouraging people to buy American goods
• led to cut backs on number of incoming immigrants and staying out of foreign affairs

Question 14

how did Harding’s ‘return to normalcy’ lead to a rise in republicanism?

Answer 14

• defined as a stable, steady way of life which many understood as a return to pre-war life
• said a committee should be set up to address the race question as well as looking after the least well off
• following WW1 the US entered a short, sharp economic depression caused by part the increased unemployment
• therefore returning to pre war life meant balancing gov books, reduce taxation, introduced tariffs to protect US industry, countrywide radio

Question 15

what was the appeal of republicanism?

Answer 15

• Wilson’s unpopular democratic stance meant Harding’s slogan of less government action
• this encapsulated the republican notion of ‘laissez-faire’
• government roles was to keep its spending under control rather than spending to manage social problems
• didn’t want to draft laws or drag the USA into international affairs
• when Coolidge came to power he restored morality and dignity letting congress go its own way. previously harding was corrupt giving roles to friends, several of whom exploited positions, tarnishing administration

Question 16

what was the decline of republicanism?

Answer 16

• the boom had many flaws and by the time hoover came the growing social and economic problems were growing
• despite hoover’s attempts to change thinking on welfare provisions (e.g. realising Laissez-faire didn’t work) many still blamed him and his views and actions as too little too late
• republicanism wasn’t fitting for economic situation of time
• Hoover set up President’s emergency committee for employment in 1930 moving towards federal help. when this fell short he asked conger to give direct help, this was seen as unwelcome so was rejected

Question 17

Supreme Court

Answer 17

this body can declare any laws legal if it thinks they break the rules of the constitution
-judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by congress

Question 18

separation of power

Answer 18

laws were made by a legislative group (congress) carried out y an executive group and enforced by a judicial group
-each group could curb the action of some of the others, making sure no one group had all the power

Question 19

what was the bonus army?

Answer 19

• in 1924 the US gov gave the who had fought in the WW1 a bonus payment calculated on their years of service , most went on a fund to be paid in 1945
• many asked for early payment and were refused
• in June 1932 they marched on Washington to make their demands in person
• police tried to break up the camps with little success
• 28th July troops sent in with tear gas, bayonets and machine guns

Question 20

what was the effect of the bonus army?

Answer 20

• reports suggested they were communist agitators in an attempt to make the incident less blameworthy
• hoover denied losing control losing a significant degree of popularity

Question 21

why did Roosevelt win the presidential election of 1932?

Answer 21

• assistant secretary for the navy and relatable war veteran
• emphasis on his ‘bold’ government
• the loss of republican popularity

Question 22

what was Roosevelt’s inaugural speech like?

Answer 22

• emphasises the greatness of the nation
• inclusive pronoun of ‘we’ and imputative ‘must’
• must be and end to speculation, strict supervision of banking and investment, provisions for adequate currency
• executive power

Question 23

what were fireside chats?

Answer 23

• a series of radio broadcasts in which he explained policies to people as if he was personally chatting to them
• allowed people to relate on a more individual level, taking a personal interest in him (e.g. sending letters)
• kept the public informed helping them to regain trust in government meaning everyone had the same understanding, feeling involved
• understood the power of the media and need for their support

Question 24

what changed after Roosevelt’s legacy?

Answer 24

• gov now seen as welfare throughout the country
• many people now looked to the president to solve all their problems
• presidents are expected to be involved in the forming of policy and legislation
• the White House was expected to tell the media and the public about policy

Question 25

what remained the same after Roosevelt’s legacy?

Answer 25

• theory of separation of powers still held. Supreme Court has upheld state rights against a great deal of federal legislation and the president still needed the agreement of congress
• personality of the president still affected how much he could do and how people reacted. as did the way the media presented his ideas

Question 26

why was there a decline in confidence in the presidency between 1968-1980?

Answer 26

• media
• scandal
• mishandling of events
• White House administration
• social factors
• the presidents

Question 27

statistics about gov trust

Answer 27

• in 1960, 70% of Americans said they trusted government most of the time
• by 1974, less than 40% said this reflecting a clear lack of trust

Question 28

why did the Watergate scandal come about?

Answer 28

• in 1971, Nixon arranged for the White House to be bugged in order to record most senior level conversations
• set up undercover groups to discover the source of leaks which has plagued the White House for years
• in 1972, four men were arrested for breaking into the democratic headquarters, one was on Nixon’s staff

Question 29

what happened in the Watergate scandal?

Answer 29

• Washington post investigated and discovered £25,000 from Nixon’s re-election campaign in one of the burglars bank accounts establishing links
• White House kept denying involvement and if it hasn’t been for the election year government may have confessed from the start
• it was the extent of cover up and Nixon’s behaviour during it that was most shocking
• many of Nixon’s associates resigned or were sacked showing he was keen to get rid of anyone to keep himself out of trouble
• White House asked for tapes as evidence, and when finally given over they were clearly edited
• Nixon resigned

Question 30

what was rugged individualism?

Answer 30

• a shift in emphasis not a change direction allowing people to take responsibility for themselves
• it encouraged people to become self reliant both domestically and internationally
• this notion encapsulated previous republican agendas under a single policy

Question 31

what did the New deal do?

Answer 31

• promised to end the economic crisis by providing relief, recover the economic systems and reform it to prevent future crises
• utilise resources in the US
• provide support to the banks and investors
• yet the relief provided was the absolute minimum and the tests people had to pass were often so demeaning that some people chose not to take them

Question 32

what did FDR during the depression period?

Answer 32

• stressed the importance rapid, national action meaning the fed gov took over roles previously considered state led
• asked congress for special powers to deal with the economic situation which was granted.
• he promised to balance budgets yet saw provided appropriate relief as more important even if it left the gov in debt
• Roosevelt got congress to accept this because of the ‘war’ rhetoric suggesting that the increase in federal powers was only temporary and also that some of his plans like the Tennessee Valley could only happen with a federal agency to coordinate

Question 33

what was the AAA?

Answer 33

• aimed at overproduction and surpluses
• regulated major crop production by subsidising farmers to grow less of those being overproduced (e.g. cotton) in the hope to drive prices up
• improved farm income and conditions

Question 34

what was the NRA?

Answer 34

• set up and enforced codes of practice for businesses (working houses and minimum wages)
• this was optional to join yet the public were encouraged to support the businesses which complied
• certain aspects were declared unconstitutional however.

Question 35

what was the communist revolution?

Answer 35

• 1905-1917 Russia went through a series of revolutions
• monarchy was toppled and replaced by soviet governments in 1917
• revolutions sent shockwaves around the world sparking global revolutions from workers against their capitalist masters

Question 36

why did America fear communism?

Answer 36

• undermined the ideals so rotted in the society they had created
• contradicted the American dream which encouraged a national sense of equal ambition
• many communists would also be prepared to work for lower wage menial jobs that many other Americans turned their noses up at, many felt their jobs were being threatened because of this

Question 37

what was the origin of the first red scare?

Answer 37

• following ww1 unemployment rates took their toll creating a struggle between workers and management, spurring creation of unions
• strikes started (e.g. in Seattle) and marked an ongoing series of anarchist movements
• using police to calm the red fuelled chaos
• all of this plunged Americans into hysteria in a fear of a communist takeover

Question 38

what was the espionage act of 1917?

Answer 38

incarcerated radical organisations with Bolshevik ideals and also made it a crime to not be patriotic

Question 39

what were the palmer raids?

Answer 39

thousands of people were arrested without trial many of whom has nothing to do with radicalism (they weren’t legitimate warrants)
-highlighted a loss of American democracy and freedom of speech

Question 40

what was May Day?

Answer 40

• 1920
• fabricated and exaggerated evidence suggested there was to be a revolution
• nothing ended up happening leading to a decline in fear and coming the the end of the red scare

Question 41

• CLP

- CPUSA

Answer 41

communist labour party

communist party of America

Question 42

what were some key events in the red scare?

Answer 42

• 1919 more than 3600 examples of strikes
• April 1919 US post discover 36 bombs dresses to various sate officials
• June 1919 bombs explode in eight cities
• august 1919 radical division to seek out communist conspiracies

Question 43

what happened in the case of Sacco and venzetti?

Answer 43

• two Italian immigrants were accused of murder in a shoe factory in 1920
• convicted on weak evidence of which much was discredited, they were sentenced to death
• global protests cried for their release

Question 44

what did the case of sacco and vendetta show?

Answer 44

• lack of officially and legal procedures used in the case reflected how many immigrants were unfairly treated due to an axiomatic bias against then
• the fact both were anarchists and therefore associated with increasing radicalisation showed the extent gov would go to protect the American dream and capitalist ideologies

Question 45

HUAC

Answer 45

house of un-american activities commission

• set up in 1938 made permanent in 1945
• focused on rooting out communists

Question 46

what did the HUAC become concerned with?

Answer 46

-became concerned with the movie industry and their power to persuade people with subversive messages
-they tried many individuals like Walt Disney
-some co-operated yet many were contempt and refused (e.g. the Hollywood Ten)
this led to many being blacklisted or eve jailed
-many movies adopted an anti communist stance acting as a form of propaganda

Question 47

what was the second red fear?

Answer 47

• had more basis than the first
• more context due to possible prelude of communist advances around the world
• espionage from the USSR
• Elizabeth Bentley was one example who told the HUAC she had been part of the Moscow spy ring and named other gov employees
• many counties facing post war deprivation may fall to domino theory
• FBI and Hoover led trials against communists with no real protection of their CR

Question 48

what did Joseph McCarthy do with a list?

Answer 48

• had a list of over 200 people as suspected communists many whom were part of state secretary and hence had the ability to shape national policies
• when asked to see the list, he revised this list showing his muddle of ill-substantiated facts

Question 49

what else did Mccarthy do?

Answer 49

• Tydings committee was set up to investigate his charges
• his apparent convictions and use of speeches, interviews and tv appearances carried many ordinary people along with him
• spurred vigilante groups around the country creating a deep fear and need for protection
• propaganda fuelled the ‘reds under the beds’ campaign
• worked alongside the HUAC

Question 50

when did McCarthy start to lose prominence?

Answer 50

• remained powerful until 1953 when he started to investigate the army
• televised to roughly 20 million
• his treatment of interviewees was so unreasonable questioning their decency and morality after having defended the country he lost support
• senate passed a vote of censure against them and the red scare died down

Question 51

how did the second red scare impact the internal political environment?

Answer 51

• led to a curb on civil liberties (e.g couldn’t speak of liberal views, 1950s librarians removed there work of Karl Marx)
• the FDI was given powers to investigate people and bring them to be questioned
• opening letters and phone tapping became commonplace showing behaviour was moving towards the repressive communist regime

Question 52

what legislation was passed in the SRS?

Answer 52

• despite objections congress passed internal security bill in 1950 which allowed gov to go against anyone who deemed a security threat
• present danger set up in 1950 took hard line in relations with communists it had any powerful gov advisors as members

Question 53

how did the SRS affect the government political climate?

Answer 53

• in 1959 when Khrushchev came to the USA he was met with large anti-communist demonstrations -Truman saw these actions as perversive and undermining democracy arguing it wasn’t the best way to deal with left wing totalitarian parties
• united the republicans and democrats as between 1953 and 1962 not one senator publicly supported a softening of attitude towards the USSR or china.

Question 54

Truman- relations with the media

Answer 54

• newspapers didn’t like him because he criticised bug businesses
• saw it as important to work with the media
• gave careful briefings with flip chart and pointer in order to describe his economic policies but sometimes didn’t explain enough (e.g. the atomic bombs)

Question 55

Truman- communications with the public

Answer 55

• initially didn’t like him because didn’t connect with him yet gradually relations improved as they saw him as hard working and honest
• speeches were often rigid and rehearsed

Question 56

Truman- ability to organise and communicate

Answer 56

• worked well with White House Administration
• replaced many officials with men of his own choosing, some saw this as corrupt
• president staff continued to grow helping to formulate new policies, treating them as advisors rather than an independent body to make sure it remained under his control

Question 57

Eisenhower- personality

Answer 57

• deliberately cultivated, optimistic and friendly manner

- determined and passionate man who had been a general in the army making him relatable and respectable

Question 58

Eisenhower- media relations

Answer 58

• saw the media as an important way to connect with the people
• held over 200 press conferences over his two terms
• his presidency was known as the ‘happy days’

Question 59

Eisenhower - ability to organise and administrate as well as with conger

Answer 59

• when making decisions he would debate with the top planners of each of the agencies to iron out any policy disagreements
• hesitant to act in realms of CR as was quite indecisive but did a lot go negotiating in regard to military strength
• when Eisenhower won the election, the republicans also won control of the house of representatives and the senate making them easier to work together

Question 60

JFK - personality

Answer 60

• very charismatic and passionate about making liberal reforms meaning he connected effortlessly with the public
• outspoken character led him to making some enemies
• the first televised news conference he attended was views by 65 million people
• one average had news conferences once every 16 days keeping people informed and included

Question 61

JFK - ability to organise and administrate

Answer 61

• democrats held majority in congress making them easy to work with
• often let his advisors have petty arguments meaning work wasn’t always done effectively

Question 62

Nixon - personality

Answer 62

• quite an awkward and suspicious person meaning many people distrusted him
• majorly distrusted the media so refused to co-operate with them
• regular meetings with his administration but wasn’t very good at listening and taking their advice

Question 63

Johnson- personality

Answer 63

• had been in politics a while understanding the importance of winning people over so could change his styles and opinions to get what he wanted
• not a natural with the media but kept them informed
• relationship with the public oscillated as could give patchy/stiff speeches but also better communications with smaller groups

Question 64

Johnson -ability to organise and administrate

Answer 64

• blocked legislation before taking it to congress
• worked very well with congress was had political background understanding how to use connections to persuade
• could think on the spot (e.g. when school funding became a problem because of the issue of funding religious schools he had the funding go to children instead)

Question 65

what did liberalism propose?

Answer 65

• took off under Kennedy and his campaign for presidency where he encouraged a forward thinking, flexible and welfare orientated approach. This was backed by both democrats and republicans
• supported cicil rights, equality and social welfare
• encouraged positive discrimination and preferential treatment in things like employment, education and other aspects of society for the five minorities (Indians, Asians, Blacks, Hispanics and women)
• wanted to end the war in Vietnam
• policy was decided in 1968 at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago

Question 66

what was counter culture?

Answer 66

• many young people made efforts to change society altogether, rejecting the values of their parents’ generation and distrusting politics creating a new attitude at variance with the social norm
• wanted to adapt culture as if people lived differently then they would behave differently without gov prompt
• this umbrella term split into many subsections with different ideological differences

Question 67

what did hippies want?

Answer 67

• wanted to lose the tight family system and live in communal societies, whilst wanting change the were prepared to live according to their beliefs separate from others.
• believed in peace and a simple way of life
• some smoked dope and took part in other mind altering drugs, supported wider sexual freedom
• Woodstock festival of 1960s supported this culture

Question 68

what did radical student groups want?

Answer 68

• Students for a Democratic Society set up in 1960s, they organised the first mass rally in 1965
• wanted to change society in the USA to create a more equal world
• they had a large scope for change from the modification of their course to the ending of the Vietnam War
• rejected all forms of bigotry including racism, anti communism and the violence in the Vietnam War
• Free Speech Movement was a group that led a campaign on cali uni in 1964 using sit ins and peaceful protests. they also got involved with groups like CORE on CR
• some became increasingly militant using violent methods like planting bombs and establishing military targets

Question 69

what was the conservative reaction to counter culture?

Answer 69

• many older generation were bewildered by counter culture and the problems they saw it creating
• It rejected the values of hard work and striving for success as well as ideals like patriotism
• concerned by the spiralling violence that accompanied protects meaning many politicians both Rs and Ds alike began campaigning as the ‘New Right’ to restore law and order.
• many felt that despite change being necessary they still wanted traditional values to be upheld (e.g. campaigning to keep homosexuality illegal)

Question 70

what impacts did WW1 have on domestic policies through a return to normalcy?

Answer 70

• African Americans understood this as greater equality whilst WASPs a return to pre war life
• between the end of the war and 1921 there had been a short sharp economic depression caused in part by the increase in unemployment
• lots of social discontent and normalcy would involve resolving these and creating a stable way of life, shifting the focus back to America
• balance gov books, reduce taxation, introduce tariffs and create countrywide radio
• committee to study the race question and looking after the least well off through a department of public welfare to direct state efforts.

Question 71

what impacts did WW1 have on domestic policies through isolationism?

Answer 71

• the USA should be supportive of other nation but not become entangled with them
• introduced tariffs that favoured US businesses, not joining the league of nations, not setting up colonies, reducing incoming immigrants
  (e. g. the 1921 Emergency Quota Act restricted immigration to 357000 a year, then revised to 150,000 in 1924
• Between 1935 and 1939 conger passed a series of neutrality acts restricting the help the USA could give to other countries if they went to war
• Yet the USA still helped to rebuild post-war Europe and brokered the Washington conference which set limits on national navies
• depression fuelled this encouraging people to focus on domestic issues
• tariffs encouraged the purchase of national produce

Question 72

Impact of WW2 on domestic policy

Answer 72

• led to more US involvement abroad unlike the isolationism that followed WW1
• following the defeat of the Nazis, America became increasing concerned with assuming a new superpower status, and therefore this desire thrust the USA into the Cold War, ensuring the country remained locked in overseas involvement for the next thirty years. -cataclysmic nature of world war two, there were more international organisations that aimed to ensure world peace. For example, the United Nations set up in 1945 with the USA as a founding member, thus setting precedent for increased actions overseas.

Question 73

how did the Cold War affect domestic policy through nuclear defence?

Answer 73

• once there was a threat of nuclear war, the US had to be seen as prepared, encouraging people to look out for themselves as well.
• in the 1950s, the federal defence administration was set up to organise evacuations and give out pamphlets with advice (e.g. wearing wide brimmed hats to protect from the the blinding light)
• schools ran regular duck and cover campaigns
• 1956 Interstate Act Road Network was designed for rapid evacuation from cities, but the federal-state legislative divide made a national system of defence difficult

Question 74

how did the Cold War affect domestic policy through the Arms Race?

Answer 74

• Between June 1947-48, the US holdings of atomic bombs rose from 13 to 50. When the USSR also started to make weapons it created an arms race at huge economic costs
• both were locked in competition due to the threat of MAD, the funding became a usual contention for debate

Question 75

how did the Cold War affect domestic policy through the armed services?

Answer 75

• the creation of a large, permanent military force started to impose huge economic cost whilst also providing many jobs ranging from the food to fabric industry
• the existence of all these created not only a democratic/republican divide but also a ‘hawks’/’‘dove’ divide that crossed political boundaries

Question 76

what impact did the Cold War have on the presidency’s power?

Answer 76

• power of the president to go to war or to make treaties without congress grew with the US’s involvement with NATO and the UN. its scale and hold of nuclear weapons meant it was the only power who could contest the USSR and so a commitment emerged to do so. He needed the power to act immediately due to the threat of MADo
• 1947 National Security Act reorganised US military forces under a new defence department based at the pentagon. the size of the armed forces was greatly enlarged after 1950, the president could now move forces around without the permission of congress.
• it also created the central intelligence agency (CIA) and the National Security council both reported to the White House not congress

Question 77

length of the Korean War

Answer 77

1950-53

Question 78

length of Vietnam War

Answer 78

1954-75

Question 79

background of the Korean War

Answer 79

• USSR backed the communist north and the anti-communist south was backed by US troops
• Chinese got involved filled with financial hatred of the west
• Douglas Mcarthur reclaimed South Korea and advanced into the north
• truce signed on the 27th July 1953 agreeing a dividing line at the 38th parallel
• led to the bipartisan foreign policy of containment as showed isolationism had failed in Asia

Question 80

results of the Korean War

Answer 80

• nearly 5 Million died
• 5 million homeless
• 40,000 US troops died
• 900,000 Chinese casualties

Question 81

the impact of the Korean War of Domestic policy

Answer 81

• Korea emphasised the way the Cold War shifted presidential attention away from domestic policy towards international policy
• all domestic policy had to go through congress presidents had more freedom to act alone in foreign affairs meaning the reins of domestic policies began to shift back to congress
• The Cold War led to an expectation that the USA should be involved in world affairs as it was the only country that could maintain a power balance with the USSR
• many republicans were tired of being part of a co-operative congress and wanted a real oppositional force
• encouraged criticism about cost (defence spending - 14% of US GNP coming from gov borrowing and increased taxation). this left a long term issue whereby every gov since had problems balancing tax

Question 82

how did the Korean War impact the presidency?

Answer 82

• marked a shift in the way the media dealt with the presidency, starting by initially promising support (yet Truman didn’t continue the extent of co-operation Roosevelt had, holding back from the media as to not inflame anti-communist feelings.
• this meant that in the 1950s when Truman started to televise briefings he found it hard to regain support. arranging for 200 reporters to go to Korea. yet he didn’t communicate well with the public so found it hard to regain support.
• sacked MacArthur in 1951
• The media turned to other sources like Republicans, indulging in critical speculation
• Truman was under pressure from both Rs and Ds to scale up the war in Korea to take a hardline against communism
• the White House and conger now bickered in the presence of the media. one of the cornerstones of the American Dream was a co-operative, self regulating government, so this war contributed to the beginning of the president-gov disillusionment.

Question 83

what was the Vietnam war?

Answer 83

• lasted 10 years with huge economic and human losses
• landscape meant it was far more conducive to a loss than that of the Korean
• Vietnam had no imperial or commodity value so the way was simply sparked by the anti-communist stance
• America ended up withdrawing and Vietnam fell to communism

Question 84

what impact did the Vietnam war have on domestic policy?

Answer 84

• spending on the war was said to have contributed to rising inflation during this period
• created a significant loss of credibility for the presidents involved as they introduced unpopular opinions which escalated out of control
• e.g. the unpopular draft which was a lottery held in December 1969 to select men aged 18-26 to fight in Vietnam. These men were sent draft cards and were told to report for duty on the date shown. the media covered this process as a game show to make the election seem fair
• these draft cards then became symbolic of anti-war protests and were burnt (could be fined up to $10,000 or spend five years in prison for this)

Question 85

what impact did the Vietnam war have on the media?

Answer 85

• media coverage was intense from the start and was focused around White House Conferences
• this then bridged into the close up horror of the events such as soldiers going to war high on drugs and the complete massacre of entire villages
• the media was shocked by the ethos prevailing in Vietnam which was far from honourable
• Cronkite was a highly influential television producer who increased public reaction against the war, Johnson blamed him for the loss of support for the war

Question 86

How was Eisenhower’s presidency affected by the Vietnam War?

Answer 86

• didn’t want to get directly involved as congress said it would be without their backing, but wanted to back the French and prevent the domino theory happening so sent financial aid
• in 1956 wanted to hold a vote to reunite North and South Vietnam but withdrew as they feared communism would win.
• Encouraged South Vietnam to join the South East Asian Treaty Organisation (SEATO) to talk about peace and control
• send more advisors to a convention at the Geneva accords
• was the first to put American personnel in SE Asia (300)

Question 87

How was Kennedy’s presidency affected by the Vietnam War?

Answer 87

• foreign policy was very much controlled by the White House. military spending are dramatically and a firm stand was taken in SE Asia for both foreign and domestic policies
• Kennedy was a strong believer of the domino theory especially like Vietnam believing the location of the Cold War has now shifted to third world countries, so supported containment
• more focused on foreign policy than domestic policy
• increasing involvement by sending advisors and supplies (1963, 23000 US personal were in Vietnam)
• established a neutral government in Laos in 1962 to improve their position in Vietnam by applying more anti-communist pressure

Question 88

How was Johnson’s presidency affected by the Vietnam War?

Answer 88

• death of Kennedy provided the perfect opportunity for America to withdraw from conflict but Johnson immediately increased the number of personal by 30%
• the attitude of the Johnson Administration towards the Vietnam war was that we want an ‘independent, non-communist Vietnam’ as the retreat of Vietnam would send a signal of Vietnam retreat elsewhere
• Johnson was primarily interested in domestic policy like the ‘great society’
• Johnson escalated American involvement in the war costing billions, thousands of lives etc
• halt in the war in 1965 in order to explore peace talks but the USA wouldn’t accent any communists as part of the government of Vietnam so they failed.

Question 89

How was Nixon’s presidency affected by the Vietnam War?

Answer 89

• when came to office in 1969, he wanted to end the war and develop relations with China which demanded peace in Vietnam
• Nixon Doctrine meant the USA would give aid to countries facing internal revolt but not ground troops (thus having to withdraw from Vietnam)
• wanted peace with honour in the same style as Korea leading to the solution of Vietnamization -getting the ARVN to take back the responsibility for fighting
• to put more pressure on North Vietnam during the peace talks, bombing intensified. Nixon wanted to convince the Vietnams that he could be mad enough to use an atomic bomb
• illegal bombing began in Cambodia and Laos led to immeasurable damage and was meant by forceful protests at home and abroad
• peace treaty signed in Paris on 27th January 1973 and a Committee of National Reconciliation was to organise the free elections
• gov continued to give aid to south Vietnam after 1973 with the hope of it remaining anti-communist (e.g. In q1974 conger voted $700 million in aid for Thieu’s government)
• north Vietnam launched an attack in 1975 leading to the collapse of the ARVN and loss of the war for the USA

Question 90

who protested pianist the Vietnam war?

Answer 90

• young and old, black and white, famous and unknown all protested against the war
• Vietnam veterans against the war (vvaw) began when six veterans marches in a peace demonstration in NY 1967 which soon had a membership of 30,000
• it campaigned to show the poor of the war and the shabby way in which veterans were treated on return (e.g. plagued with disabilities and PTSD)
• man faced abuse for the atrocities seen on television even if they hadn’t been involved in them.
• after 1967 about 75% of Americans opposed anti-war demonstrations however

Question 91

what role did the media play in the Vietnam war?

Answer 91

-at the start of the war the media reported on events as White House Press Conferences or how their military press officers in Vietnam described them
-yet as reporters saw the war close up they increasingly reported shocking stories, soldiers going into battle high on drugs and massacring entire villages (e.g Mai Lai), spraying agent orange the toxic defoliant on villages not empty fields, beers and ice cream of the mission had a high enough kill count
-this was not just because the stories made news (a mission that wasn’t a massacre wasn’t newsworthy) but also because the media was shocked by the ethos prevailing as it wasn’t fought honourably
-Walter Cronkite in 1968 reported scathingly about the Ten offensive, he was highly influential and respected increasing public reaction against the war
after that Johnson was hear saying he had lost the support of ‘middle America’ for the war

Question 92

what impact did the Vietnam war have on the presidency?

Answer 92

• presidents were seen as a driving force in the war and as more responsible for it than domestic policies.
• e.g. 1968 protests ‘hey hey LBJ how many kids did you kill today’ placing responsibly firmly on the president
• despite the idea of a planned withdrawal taking action it was very difficult to do without putting the south Vietnamese in danger
• the planned withdrawal reflected poorly on the gov as the American people saw footage on 1975 of a shambolic helicopter evacuation of Saigon taking out some Us troops leaving many more to north Vietnamese reprisals
• people were angered that the war had been fought dirty and many SV had been left in the lurch
• Vietnam = first war lost and first war ending humiliatingly meaning many looked critically at the role of gov in future wars.