Change in Presidential Focus, 1917-1960 Flashcards
What was the republican government policy following the First World War?
Laissez-Faire
Harding became President in 1921, but what policy did he put in place and for what reason?
- He offered the American people a ‘return to normalcy’
- This was because of a short but sharp economic depression caused by the end of the war
- The involvement in European affairs during the First World War told Harding that the priority had to be shifted back to domestic affairs and isolationism
Harding expressed what many Americans believed when he said what?
“The United States should be supportive of other nations but not become entangled with them”
Why did Woodrow Wilson lose support?
He brought America into the war when he campaigned not to
Why did President Harding appeal?
- His campaigns were nicely vague
- Fixed the Republican party as the party of big business, not willing to control wages, working hours or strikes
- He didn’t try to draft laws, nor did he try to drag the USA into international politics
Fordney-McCumber Tarriff Act
An example of a measure that the US government made to reduce the amount of international money in their own economy and convince Americans to ‘buy American’
What policy did Hoover introduce when he was elected in 1929?
Rugged Individualism - A spin on laissez-faire that dwelt less on inaction and more on allowing people to take responsibility for themselves
What did those who believed in Rugged Individualism believe in?
- People, even the poor and the homeless, were weakened by government support because it sapped their self-reliance
- The USA should isolate itself from other countries
- The USA should restrict immigration
The Bonus Army
- Army of war veterans who had their pension sorted by the government
- Paid $50 at once and told they would have the rest of their money in 1945
- Once the Great Depression hit, they asked for their money back but they were denied
- Consequently, approximately 200,000 army veterans marched to Washington, staying in camps around the city
- Police tried to break up the crowds and camps but were largely unsuccessful
-Some violence followed, and on the 28th of July, army troops were sent in with tear gas, bayonet, cavalry and even tanks and machine guns - Camps were finally dispersed and a report published later suggested that many of those in the camps were communist agitators and criminals in an attempt to make the attacks seem less blameworthy
Why did Franklin D. Roosevelt appeal?
- His proposed New Deal
- His campaign song went “happy days are here again”
- He was an excellent communicator and an effective government of New York
- His campaigns pointed out that Hoover’s Republican campaign was being led by the ‘New Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Destruction, Despair, Delay and Doubt”
Hoover’s speeches had none of the vitality of Roosevelt’s
New Deal thinking
- Hoover had tried, but failed, to balance the federal budget - Roosevelt promised to balance the budget, however he put this promise aside to prioritise government intervention in domestic matters
- Roosevelt saw government intervention as more important than government spending, even if it led the US in debt
- Insisted that the government was responsible for the welfare of people
- Stressed the importance of rapid, national action
NRA
National Recovery Administration
- enforced codes of practice for businesses, including setting working hours and a minimum wage
- Businesses could choose not to join the NRA; however, the public were encouraged to support businesses that displayed the NRA symbol of a blue eagle in their windows
AAA
Agricultural Adjustment Agency
- Regulated the major crops, such as wheat, cotton and milk
- Brought up surplus crops and subsidised farmers to grow less crops that were being overproduced
The First Red Scare
- Russian Revolution and the outbreak of Communism happened in 1917
- Between 1919 and 1920, capitalist America felt very threatened by the increasing popularity of the communist regime, not helped by the increasing number of strikes in large numbers
- People were going on strike because of their working conditions and wages not improving following the end of WW1, however several government supporters thought this was motivated by the threat of the communist regime
The Second Red Scare
- 1947-54
- Following the end of WW2, the focus switched to the race for nuclear weapons and the Cold War
- There were Russian spies spotted constantly across the US
- HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Commission) set up in 1953, focused on Communism
- Joseph McCarthy headed the pursuit of Communist spies from 1950 onwards, saying he had the names of over 200 Communist spies working in the State Department
- He maintained support until he started investigating the army in 1953 - some of his interrogations were televised and when people saw how harshly he treated the interviewees he lost support and was removed from his position as senator
