Assessment 1 Flashcards
Kennedy’s Successes
o Cuban Missile Crisis o Peace Corps o Trade o Some CIA operations o Tax cuts and economy o ‘New Frontier’ and ‘get America moving again’ o Stock market success
Kennedy’s Failures
o Bay of the Pigs o Laos and Vietnam o Space Race loss o Public dispute with US Steel o Ignoring Medicare advice o No solution to the economic divide o Ignoring social pressure o Ignoring the Equal Rights Amendment
Cuban Missile Crisis
Krushchev ‘blinked first’ and humiliated Russia
This leads to the Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963
However, Krushchev is replaced by Brezhnev in 1964
But, the US had shown it was stronger than Russia
Peace Corps
To rebuild relations with Latin America
To stop Soviet involvement in these countries
Signed in Uruguay in 1961
Promised $20b over 10yrs, increase by 2.5% per capita
Eliminate adult illiteracy, promoting land reform and establishing a democratic gov.
Underfunded by Nixon, however, still operates today
Trade
key in superpower rivalry (economics, propaganda)
Administration wanted to improve the image of the US *programmes such as ‘Food for Peace’
A more humanitarian goal.
Still operates, has helped 3 billion in 150 countries
CIA operations (bar Bay of the Pigs)
1961 - remove Trujillo from power, Dominican Republic;
forced elected President Velasco to resign in Ecuador.
1963 - overthrew elected Bosch (Trujillo’s replacement after a coup).
In Brazil, they opposed the election of Goulart.
Bay of the Pigs Failure
Bay of the Pigs April 1961 in Cuba was a disaster.
Cuban exiles invaded under US instruction
aim to overthrow Fidel Castro
100s of exiles were killed, over 1000 made prisoners
after failure Operation Mongoose was initiated
Bad for Kennedy, it was the start of his presidency
Laos and Vietnam misjudgement
1962 peace conference (Geneva) to arrange a solution.
civil war resumed
Laos was a battlefield as Vietnam involvement grew.
Causes proxy war, humiliating US military
Space Race Losses
1957 - Sputnik, Sputnik 2 (1st dog in space, Laika)
1961 - Yuri Gagarin in space (USSR)
Lost the first two milestones
Additional funding is given to NASA (founded 1958)
1957 Satelite failure made it look worse
Tax Cuts and Economy
Absence of recession not = to economic growth,
Proposed a cut on income tax in 1963
*range 20 to 91 to 14 to 65% and corporate 52% to 47%
Growth returned
Republicans, conservative Democrats, it was unrealistic
Kennedy disagreed: “a rising tide lifts all boats”
60 per cent of Americans favoured tax cuts (poll)
New Frontier Policies
CEA encouraged a ‘new deal’ style spending plan
Kennedy followed his ‘New Frontier’ policies
Aim: encourage employment without heavy spending
Helped to reduce unemployment to 6%
It remained until 1963.
Get America Moving Again
Stock Market success
Aim: combine growth with social justice
Employment boom, stocks were soaring
By 1966 the economy was growing at a rate of 6.6%
unemployment had fallen to 3.8%
Increased minimum wage, unemployment benefits and continued spending on highway construction whilst lowering taxes.
Year after Kennedy’s death, the federal budget deficit shrunk, Dow Jones Industrial Average nearly doubled.
Public dispute with US Steel
Ignored Medicare advice
Weakness in economics
Over increasing steel prices
Reinforced the outlook that Kennedy was anti-business.
Increased prices, threatened to move factories abroad.
By 1962 economic issues seemed to be his weakness.
Unemployment was at 6%
Stock market hadn’t recovered, losing ¼ in last 2 years.
JFK ignored advice over Medicare
The Democrats turned against the bill.
Economic divide
southern black women were ‘the help’ or nannies
southern black men were sharecroppers
northern minorities mainly lived in ghettos
Average age of death = 42.
Urban renewal: approved >800k public housing units under Truman, but less than half were built by 1965.
Native and Mexican groups
Native American groups:
- National Congress of American Indians (1944)
- National Indian Youth Council (1961)
United Farm Workers Union 1962
Protect Mexican-American farmworkers
