Economic Dislocation and Reform in the Age of Empire and World War (1890-1945) Flashcards
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Historian and retired admiral who stressed the importance of naval power and colonies in achieving and maintaining world influence.
The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 (Alfred Thayer Mahan)
1890 book that pushed for the US to develop a strong navy and create an overseas Empire, as opposed to the current state in which the US kept their influence to the North American continent.
The White Man’s Burden (Rudyard Kipling)
Argued that it was the duty of white Americans to civilize the less fortunate.
Josiah Strong
Protestant clergyman who argued that the Anglo-Saxon race had a responsibility to “civilize and Christianize” the world.
World’s Columbian Exposition
1893, where a sideshow of “exotic” peoples of the world was presented to showgoers.
The Reason Why the Colored American Is Not in the World’s Columbian Exposition (Frederick Douglass and Ida B. Wells)
Pamphlet critical of the racism in the World’s Columbian Exposition.
Queen Liliuokalani
Ruler of Hawaii.
Sanford Dole
Identify:
- Reasoning behind his actions
Pineapple grower who urged the US to intervene in Hawaii after tensions between businessmen - whose massive sugar plantations undermined the Hawaiian economy - and the Queen emerged.
Coup in Hawaii
Americans staged a coup in 1893 and instated Sanford Dole as the leader of a provisional government. Annexation did not occur until 1898.
American Anti-Imperialist League
Identify:
- Important member
Formed after the Spanish-American War. It was a coalition of conservative Democrats (Bourbon Democrats) and progressive elements.
Mark Twain was the vice president from 1901 to 1910 and wrote scathing criticisms of imperialism.
Difference between American Imperialism and Earlier Acquisitions
Opponents of Imperialism argued that previous acquisitions (Louisiana Purchase, Mexican Cession) were intended to absorb Americans and create the opportunity for statehood. However, ruling far off islands would be ruling a foreign people, much like how Great Britain ruled over the 13 colonies.
Racist Argument against Imperialism
They feared that acquiring new territory (eg. Philippines) would result in an influx of non-whites. They feared that an influx of people from American colonies would undermine the bargaining power of American workers.
Valeriano Weyler
Spanish governor of Cuba who suppressed an independence rebellion using concentration camps, resulting in the death of about a quarter of Cuba’s rural population.
American Intervention in Cuba
Identify:
- 2 reasons why
- Americans saw parallels between Cuba’s struggle against Spain with their own independence war.
- American businessmen were angered by the interruption of the sugar harvest.
Yellow Journalism Effects on American Perception of Spanish Cuba
Used sensationism, with disregard of objectivity and truth. Newspapers used it to build support for war against Spain, condemning the actions of “Butcher” Valeriano Weyler.
Sinking of the USS Maine
Blown up in harbor at Havana. Many thought this was done by Spain, especially after American newspaper blamed Spain, despite a lack of evidence. This triggered the Spanish-American War.
George Dewey
Allied American forces with Filipino rebels to take the capital.
San Juan Hill (Spanish-American War)
Key battle for Cuba.
Rough Riders
Used to describe Theodore Roosevelt and his men in Cuba. It made headlines in American newspapers, elevating Roosevelt’s status.
Treaty of Paris (Spanish-American War)
Signed in 1898. Spain gave up the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam to the US, and the US paid Spain 20 million.
Cuba After Spanish-American War
Gained nominal independence. The US was allowed to intervene with Cuban affairs, and the US leased a naval base at Guantanamo Bay.
Platt Amendment
Allowed the US to militarily intervene in Cuban affairs if deemed necessary. It limited the Cuban government’s foreign policy and the ability to manage its debts. American troops intervened 3 times between 1902 and 1920.
Follow the Flag
Expansionist argument that residents of American colonies should not expect citizenship or basic constitutional rights.
Insular Cases
Series of 1901 cases that deemed it unnecessary to give constitutional rights to colonial subjects. The decisions were based on the assumption that colonial subjects were an inferior race.
Philippine-American War
3 year long war for Filipino independence from the US, with skirmishes continuing for a decade after. The US held onto the Philippines until after WWII. It was far deadlier than the Spanish American War.
Emilio Aguinaldo
Led the Filipino insurgency against the US.
Sphere of Influence
A port city and surrounding territory in China. One was each claimed by Britain, Japan, Germany, Russia, and France. All other nations were excluded from a country’s sphere of influence.
Secretary of State John Hay on China
Called for an “open door” policy, where China could freely trade with all nations. The US claimed it was interested in territorial integrity of China, but was more interested in gaining a foothold in trade with China.
Open Door Policy
Policy that called for major powers to allow China to trade. It was begrudgingly accepted.
Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists
The Boxers, who opposed Christian missionaries in China. The US participated in the multi-nation force to fight them.
Ascension of Theodore Roosevelt to President
Was VP under William McKinley, until McKinley was shot by an anarchist.
Speak Softly, but Carry a Big Stick”
Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy. He envisioned the US acting as the world’s policeman, and asserted that “civilized nations” had to police the “backward” nations. He claimed that the; US had the right to intervene in Latin American.
Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
Theodore’s Roosevelts assertion of American might. It was demonstrated when he warned Germany to stay out of the Americas when Venezuela failed to repay a loan.
Theodore Roosevelt Policy on Panama
Was focused on building a canal through Panama. He did this by supporting a Panamanian rebellion against Gran Columbia, since Gran Columbia refused the 10 million offer to build a canal.
Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty
1903 Panamanian American treaty that allowed the US to build the Panama Canal.
Nobel Peace Prize of 1906
Granted to Theodore Roosevelt, despite his aggressive actions in Latin America.
Roosevelt on Russo-Japanese War
Mediated the peace conference.
Gentleman’s Agreement
Japan agreed to limit immigration and T. Roosevelt convinced California authorities to end discriminatory practices against the Japanese.
Dollar Diplomacy
William Howard Taft’s aggressive foreign policy that focused on commercial interest, rather than Roosevelt’s global strategic goals.
Taft on Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic
Coerced to sign commercial treaties with the US. It reflected Taft’s dollar diplomacy strategy.
William Jennings Bryan
Anti-imperialist who became secretary of state under Woodrow Wilson. He sought peaceful accomodations with many nations.
Woodrow Wilson Foreign Policy
Focused on domestic policy, breaking with his Republican predecessors. However, he still authorized continued occupation of Nicaragua to suppress a rebellion against the American-backed president. He also sent troops to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Mexican Revolution
Lasted through the 1910s, and started with the ousting of an autocratic leader in 1910. It degenerated into a civil war. Wilson sent troops to Mexico to overthrow the regime, and a new Pro-American government came to power. However, a further rebellion arose. By 1917, America turned away from Mexico to focus on WWI.
General Victoriano Huerta
New Mexican leader following the start of the Mexican Revolution. He was deposed by American forces.
Francisco “Pancho” Villa
Rebel leader against pro-American government following Mexican Revolution. He intercepted a train carrying American gold and led a raid into American territory that left 18 Americans dead.
Progressive Movement
Middle-class response to the excesses of rapid industrialization, political corruption, and unplanned urbanization. It focused on benefiting the working class.
Progressive Presidents
Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.
Social Housekeeping
How women framed their involvement in the Progressive movement, so it did not seem like a radical break from their traditional domestic activities.
Florence Kelly
Progressive activist for reform of factories and inspections.
Frances Perkins
Head of New York Consumer’s League, secretary of labor under FDR.
Pragmatism (William James, John Dewey)
Questioned the philosophical quest for eternal truth, and argued that the value of an idea lied within its ability to positively impact the world.
University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
Founded by John Dewey. It focused on the process of learning and on student participation rather than the the content itself.
Reform Darwinism
Progressives rejected social Darwinism. However, they did embrace the idea of evolution, but believed that human society at its highest required more than laissez-faire approach.
Muckrakers
Progressives who journaled in order to shed light to social ills and to inspire action.
Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, Frank Norris
Important muckrakers.
The Shame of the Cities (Lincoln Steffen)
1904 muckraking book that highlighted the inefficiencies of urban governance, especially in relation to political machines.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
146 workers died in a fire. It led to the creation of fire safety laws in New York.
International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union
Created after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.
Woodrow Wilson on African-American Rights
He ordered the segregation of government offices and praised Birth of a Nation.
Birth of a Nation (DW Griffith)
1916 film that portrayed the KKK in a positive light.
Progressivism on African-American Rights
Generally accepted prevailing notions surrounding race.
Henry Street Settlement (Lillian Wald)
Progressive who was active in the fight for racial integration.
W.E.B. Du Bois
Militant civil-rights activist who wrote about the injustices carried out against African Americans in the South. He was African-American himself.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Founded in 1909 by W.E.B. Du Bois.
Niagara Movement
NAACP leadership first met in 1905 on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.
Marcus Garvey
Urged African Americans to return to their ancestral homelands in Africa. Not many made the journey, but he instilled a sense of pride in many African-Americans.
Drift and Mastery (Walter Lippmann)
1914 book that argued for governance based on rational scientific idea could overcome societal drift (society lacking direction and discipline).
Hurricane and Flood in Galveston, Texas
1900 disaster that was the deadliest natural disaster in US history. The city government was inefficient, and local leaders spearheaded recovery.
Commission Form of Government
Elected commissioners ran the city and headed various departments. It’s purpose was to prevent city officials from being swayed by powerful political bosses. It arose following government inefficiency following the Hurricane and flood in Galveston.
Democratic Empowerment
Pushed by progressives. It aimed to make governments more responsive to popular will, but did not address the lack of voting rights that African-Americans had.
Nineteenth Amendment
- Gave women the right to vote.
National Woman’s Party
Founded in 1916. They organized parades, hunger strikes, and civil disobedience.
Alice Paul
Founded the National Woman’s Party.
Referendum (Progressivism)
Progressive idea where it allowed people to vote directly on legislation.
Recall (Progressivism)
Empowered the people of a city or state to remove an elected official before their term ended.
Initiative (Progressivism)
Allowed citizens to introduce a bill to local or state legislature by petition.
Direct Primaries (Progressivism)
Pushed for these, since in many areas, one political party dominated. In this way, the only meaningful election was at the primary stage.
Seventeenth Amendment
- It allowed voters to directly vote for US Senators. Previously, senators were chosen by state legislatures. This was because the framers of the constitution wanted the Senate to be a body of even-tempered men who would counterbalance the supposed rashness of the House of Representatives. Progressives deemed this to be elitist.
Secret Ballot (Progressivism)
Adopted by Massachusetts in 1888, and became the norm in 1910. Previously, voter intimidation by political machines was easy.
The Jungle (Upton Sinclair)
1906 novel that highlighted the horrible conditions in the meat-packing industry.
Meat Inspection Act
- Passed following the publication of the Jungle.
Pure Food and Drug Act
- Laid the foundation for the FDA.
The History of the Standard Oil Company (Ida Tarbell)
1904 book detailed the rise of Standard Oil. It exposed the ruthlessness of Rockefeller’s oil company and contributed to the Sherman Antitrust Act and the dissolution of the Standard Oil Trust.
Lochner v. New York
1905 decision that ruled that a New York State law restricting hours for bakers was unconstitutional.
Muller v. Oregon
1908 decision that limited the number of hours women could work. While it was a major victory for progressives, it also pushed the image of female frailty.
Brandeis Brief
A type of legal argument that used copious amounts of scientific, psychological, and sociological evidence. It was used by future Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis on behalf of Oregon to limit women’s hours of work.
Photographs of Lewis Hine
Highlighted children working in industrial settings.
Keating-Owen Child Labor Act
1916 law that prohibited the sale across state lines of goods produced by factories that employed children under 14. However, they could do nothing about local factory rules, since that was state law. It was struck down in 1917.
Hammer v. Dagenhart
1917 decision that ruled that the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act was unconstitutional.
Square Deal
Theodore Roosevelt’s domestic policy where he championed of conservation of natural resources and his legacy as a “trust buster”.
Anthracite Coal Strike
- Roosevelt called in representatives from both management and labor, and threatened to take over the mines if the owners did not act in good faith. The miners received 10 percent wage increase, but not union recognition. This reflected Roosevelt’s Square Deal approach to public issues.
The Octopus: A California Story (Frank Norris)
1901 novel that depicted the coercive and violent tactics of the railroad industry.
Elkins Act, Hepburn Act
1903 and 1906 acts that strengthened the ICC.
Bad Trusts
Roosevelt’s way of addressing trusts that interfered with commerce, not necessary the largest. He targeted bad trusts with the Sherman Anti-Trust Law.
Northern Securities Co. v. United States
1904 decision that upheld the power of government to break up Northern Securities under the Sherman Anti-trust Act. This victory earned Roosevelt the nickname “trust buster”.
1908 Election
R: Roosevelt’s Secretary of State, William Howard Taft
D: William Jennings Bryan
Taft won the election.
Taft on Progressivism
Progressives were disappointed at this lack of skill in politics and the failure to develop a base of support. He pursued anti-trust suits, but his public rhetoric did not reflect this.
Payne-Aldrich Tariff
Signed into law by Taft in 1909. It occurred despite the progressive goal of lowering tariff rates to reduce consumer prices.
Gifford Pinchot
Chief of the United States forest Service. Clashed with Taft’s development-orientated Richard Ballinger. Pinchot was fired.
Richard Ballinger
Secretary of the Interior under Taft.
Progressive Party (Bull Moose Party)
Roosevelt’s third party that ran against Taft, who Roosevelt regretted backing.E
Election of 1912
Republican Party: Taft
Democratic Party: Wilson
Progressive Party: Roosevelt
Socialist Party: Debs
Wilson won the election since the Republican vote was split between Taft and Roosevelt. Wilson won the majority of electoral votes, despite only 41 percent of the popular vote.
Waved the Bloody Shirt
Republican strategy of invoking memories of the Democratic Party’s role in secession and war. This was effective, since Wilson became the first Democratic candidate to serve as President since Andrew Johnson.
Federal Reserve Act
Created a central banking system in 1913.
Federal Reserve System
Partly privately controlled and partly public controlled. It is comprised of twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks, and aims to regulate economic growth by expanding or contracting the currency supply. It does this by controlling the interest in which is loans money to other banks, who follow suit with the public.
Wilson on Business
He supported small business and took a dim view on the growing power of big business.
Clayton Antitrust Act
1914 act that now exempted labor unions from being targeted by anti-trust actions. This was because the Sherman Anti-trust law was often used to break up strikes.
Federal Trade Commission
Backed by Wilson and created in 1914. It had the ability to regulate business practices and enforce provisions of the Clayton Anti-trust Act.
Anti-Saloon League
Founded in 1893. Saw saloons as profiteering off alcohol abuse.
Eighteenth Amendment
Banned the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol started 1920.
Boone and Crockett Club (George Bird Grinnell and Theodore Roosevelt)
- Promoted outdoor activities and lobbied for environmental protection.
T. Roosevelt on Environmental Conservation
Appointed Gifford Pinchot to head the US Forest Service.
T. Roosevelt on National Park System
Expanded the system to create 5 additional national parks. He also established 150 national forests.
Yellowstone Park and Yosemite Valley
First national parks.
Shoshone National Forest
Established by T. Roosevelt.
Conservationism vs. Preservationists
Conservationism: Emphasis on regulation and responsible economic utilization of resources. It tapped into Progressive ideas
Preservationists: Wanted society to have a hands-off approach to the remaining relatively untouched natural areas.
Sierra Club (John Muir)
Preservationist organization founded in 1892 to preserve wilderness and monitor the federal government’s oversight of protected lands.
Destruction of Hetch Hetchy Valley
Targeted by San Francisco as a possible water source. It became the source of contention between preservationists and conservationists, as San Francisco dammed the valley following the San Francisco earthquake and following fire. Wilson approved of the damming after a 7 year battle with the Sierra Club.
HMS Dreadnought
Exemplified the arms race between Great Britain and Germany.
US Isolationism
Only applied to conflicts on European soil. The US initially stayed neutral during WWI, since it allowed them to trade with both sides of the conflict.
US Population View on WWI
German and Irish (due to resentment of Britain) favored the Central Powers, while Americans favored great Britain.
Freedom of the Seas
Wilson indicated that the US would trade and sell weaponry to both sides of the conflict. However, Britain blockaded Germany, so trade shifted substantively to Britain.
Lusitania
Sunk by a U-boat, infuriating America. However, the ship was listed as an auxiliary war ship and was carrying munitions.
Arabic Pledge
1915 Germany pledge to make no attacks on passenger ships without prior warning.
Sussex Pledge
1916 Germany pledge to reaffirm the promise of the Arabic Pledge and extending it to include merchant ships. The US took advantage of this to trade extensively with Great Britain.
Social Possibilities of War
Expansion of federal government, sense of unity and national purpose, and renewed focus on issues of social justice. Dewey proposed that this could be achieved by joining WWI.
Media on WWI
Depicted the Central Powers as barbaric. When Russia withdrew from the war, Americans saw the Allied Powers as the democratic side.
He Kept Us Out of War
1916 Wilson campaign slogan.
Safe for Democracy
Wilson’s shift toward joining the war after the 1916 election. It divided Americans, and the government went to great lengths to alter public opinion.
Zimmerman Note
Moved many Americans to pro war. It was a telegram that indicated Germany would help Mexico regain territory lost to the US if Mexico joined the war on Germany’s side.
German Naval Policy (1917)
Rescinded sussex pledge and reintroduced unrestricted submarine warfare against the Allies and the US. It was the final straw that drove the US toward war.
Committee of Public Information (CPI)
Established in 1917 following US declaration of war. It organized pro-war propaganda.
Four-Minute Men
Sent by the CPI to give brief impassioned pro-war speeches to gatherings.
George Creel
Former muckraking journalist who led the CPI.
I Want You for U.S. Army (James Montgomery Flagg)
One of the most famous pro-war posters.
War Industries Board
Directed industrial production. It sought to bring together labor and management.
Bernard Baruch
Led the War Industries Board.
Food Administration
Identify:
- Head
Led by Herbert Hoover. It was created to ensure sufficient food production to feed the troops as well as civilians.
National War Labor Policies Board
Dealt with labor disputes.
Progressives on Government Agencies During WWI
Exactly what progressives wanted on a permanent basis.
American Expeditionary Forces
2 million troops who proved to be crucial to allied offensives.
Battle of the Somme
- Resulted in 1M+ casualties with little results on either side.
Chateau-Thierry and Rheims
American sites of battle, joined by the French.
Fourteen Points
Wilson’s Post-WWI document that proposed international cooperation. He envisioned a world without barriers to trade and self determination for Europe. Both of these ideas were rejected by Europe, but it did lead to the creation of the League of Nations.
Irreconcilables
Identify:
- Reasoning behind actions
Group of isolationist Republican senators who outright refused to join the League of Nations by refusing to sign the Treaty of Versailles. They also wanted to humiliate Wilson.
Reservationists
Identify:
- Relation to Wilson
Group of senators that agreed only to vote to approve the Treaty of Versailles if the Senate put certain conditions on American participation in the League of Nations. Wilson refused compromise, and without the support of the Reservationists, the Treaty of Versailles was rejected by the Senate.
Espionage and Sedition Acts
Passed during WWI to limit public expressions of anti-war sentiment. The Espionage Act made it illegal to interfere with the draft or with the sale of war bonds, or to say anything “disloyal” to the war effort. The Sedition Act expanded the reach.
Schenck v. United States
1919 decision that upheld the Espionage and Sedition Acts. It asserted that freedom of speech is not absolute.
The decision would be further used as a weapon by the government in the Red Scare to crack down on organized labor, as they deemed it a “clear and present danger”.
Charles Schenck
Member of the Socialist Party that distributed anti-war flyers that encouraged dodging the draft.
“Clear and Present Danger”
Supreme Court’s argument on the constitutionality of the Espionage and Sedition Acts.
Actions Taken by US Government Following End of WWI
Identify 2
- Dismantled wartime agencies, such as the National War Labor Policies Board
- Inflation was no longer kept in check
Seattle General Strike
Seattle nearly closed down completely, but the strikers were still defeated.
Industrial Workers of the World and American Federation of Labor
Organized the Seattle General Strike.
Methods of Dealing with Organized Labor by Management Post WWI
Identify 3
- Paint striking workers as would-be Bolsheviks
- Corporate pushing for open shops, where the union could not require workers to join the union.
- Government intervention
Comintern
Identify:
- Effect on US
Created in 1919 by the Bolsheviks. It was an international organization of Communist Party leaders that aimed to duplicate the success of Bolshevism in other parties.
Conservative Americans took pronouncements of the Comintern at face value, even though the Communist movement in the US was small.
Red Scare on the Labor Movement
Targeted labor leaders to portray the labor movement as a communist radical front.
Emma Goldman
Russian-born anarchist/activist deported by the Justice Department in 1919.
Palmer Raids
Unwarranted raids on suspected radicals, carried out by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer.
Trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti
Were tried for robbery and murder in the 1920’s. The evidence was weak, but the judge was openly hostile toward them, since they were immigrant anarchists. After they were found guilty, Americans protested the verdict. Both men were executed in 1927.
Nativism in World War I
Anti-immigrant sentiment rose sharply in WWI, since government propaganda vilified Germans as “Huns” and ruthless killers.
Committee for Public Information
Encouraged people to report neighbors who they thought were underming the war effort.
Karl Muck
German-born director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra who was hounded by the public on where his loyalties lay. He was forced to resign.
Robert Prager
German immigrant lynched by an anti-German mob in 1918.
Immigration Restriction Act
Passed in 1917 to establish a reading test requirement for admission to the US and barred immigrant laborers from several countries.
Asiatic Barred Zone
Countries whose citizens could not immigrate to the US under the Immigration Restriction Act.
Great Migration of African Americans
Large numbers of African Americans left the Jim Crow Laws South to labor in the North after WWI.
Riot in Tulsa, Oklahoma
1921 race riot that is the deadliest race riot in American history. Greenwood District was destroyed.
Black Wall Street
Described the Greenwood District of Tulsa. It was destroyed in the Tula Riot.
Henry Ford
Identify:
- Contribution to labor system
Invented the assembly line for his cars.
The assembly line dealt a blow to skilled mechanics who previously built automobiles.
Effects of Automobile Usage on America
Identify 2
- Stimulated steel, chemical, oil, and glass industry
- Urban Sprawl
Scientific Management Techniques (Frederick Winslow Taylor)
Broke down the production process into monotonous and repetitive tasks, but improved efficiency. Workers, especially skilled, resisted the loss of control this brought.
Freudian Psychology on Advertisement
Advertisements tried to influence the public on a subconscious level.
Edward Bernays
Key figure in the shift in marketing toward elaborate corporate advertising campaigns.
The Many Nobody Knows (Bruce Barton)
1925 book that portrayed Jesus as a salesman and the spread of Christianity as a marking triumph. It reflected the new values of advertising and promotion in culture as a whole.
Westinghouse
One of the first corporations to utilize the radio to reach the masses.
The Amos ‘n’ Andy Show
1928 holdover from blackface minstrel shows, one of the first successful radio programs.
Weekly serials: The Shadow and The Lone Ranger
Comedians: Jack Benny and George Burns
Soap Operas: Painted Dreams and Clara, Lu, ‘n Em’
Orchestra: Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller
Popular on radio in the 1930’s.
The Jazz Singer
- It was the first “talkie”.
Gold Diggers of 1933, 42nd Street, Wizard of Oz
Escapist musicals of the movie industry during the Great Depression.
Monkey Business, Duck Soup (Marx Brothers)
Anarchic comedies that mocked authority figures and the wealthy.
Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin)
Satirized capitalism, portraying the assembly line and the corrupt law enforcement system.
The Grapes of Wrath (Movie)
1940 movie based on Steinback’s novel.
Mr Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra)
1939 movie that depicted the triumph of a decent, “everyman” politician.
Ralph Peer
Traveled to the South in 1927 for musicians in Southern traditional genres. This was important in the origins of Country music.
Jimmie Rogers and Carter Family
Prominent early Country musicians.
