Foreign Policy Following WW1 Flashcards
WAREN HARDING
What kind of president was Harding?
- Especially popular with women voters
- His presidency marked the return of the system of ‘96 - a close relationship between republicans and big businesses
- ‘Less government in business, more business in government’
- Notoriously corrupt EG Teapot Dome scandal and links with the Ohio Gang
What was his stance on African Americans?
He supported anti-lynching laws
What was the Mellon Plan?
Success?
THE MELLON PLAN 1923
Aimed to reduce national debts
- Harding successfully slashed federal budgets from $6.4 billion to $3.1billion in just 3 years
What was the TEAPOT DOME scandal?
THE TEAPOT DOME SCANDAL
- In 1922, Hardings officials were accused of leasing oil reserves in return for bribes
- The truth didn’t come out until 1931, when several officials were jailed
THE SHEPPARD TOWNER ACT What year was it? What president? What did it do? Why was this significant?
THE SHEPPARD TOWNER ACT 1921
By Harding
An act of congress providing federal funding for maternity and child care
- First federal venture into social security legislature
- Marked female empowerment, largely due to Women’s Joint Congressional Committee
What did the Fordney-McCumber tariff do?
What year?
What president?
THE FORDNEY-MCCUMBER TARIFF 1922
By Harding
A protectionist act - imposed tax on goods coming in from foreign countries so their goods were more expensive, so people were encouraged to buy American goods
CALVIN COOLIDGE
What sort of president was Coolidge?
A republican president content to do what big businesses wanted
What did COOLIDGE do?
- Continued to support the Mellon Plan
- COOLIDGE REVENUE ACT 1924 - ‘app add big cuts in income tax and established US board of Tax Appeals
Was US foreign policy in the 1920s isolationist?
Give examples
YES - Washington conference, Kellog-Briand Pact Dawes and Young plans
NO -involvement in Latin America
THE WASHINGTON CONFERENCE
- What were the reasons for the conference?
- What did it achieve?
- However….?
THE WASHINGTON CONFERENCE
- Aimed to prevent the renewal of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1922, as the US feared Japanese expansion - US Secretary of State was keen for disarmament - aimed to protect US self interests
- Limited weapons, brought peace and stability, reduced tonnage of battle ships, Four Power Treaty, Japan removed troops from China
- HOWEVER… No limitations on size of army, no method of enforcing this, no punishment for those who broke treaty, Japan broke away in 1930s
THE KELLOG-BRIAND PACT What year? Between who? Why was the pact signed? However...
THE KELLOG BRIAND PACT 1928
Between US Secretary of State and French Foreign Minister
- French were keen on treaty with US
- US didn’t want commitments in Europe, but signed to placate the French
- Peace movements in US gaining momentum
- However, there were no means of enforcing this
What was the DAWES PLAN?
THE DAWES PLAN 1924
A plan for Germany’s annual repayment to US - reduced reparations to $250million per year, with payments increasing as the German economy grew
What was the YOUNG PLAN?
THE YOUNG PLAN 1929
Drawn up by head of General Electric Company
- Scaled German reparation repayments to $26 billion over 59 years
- USA lending Germany the money to repay allies
US INVOLVEMENT IN SOUTH AMERICA
Why were the US becoming involved?
How much was being spent?
What companies got involved in South America?
US INVOLVEMENT IN SOUTH AMERICA
WHY? Monroe Doctrine and good neighbour policy had cultivated good relations in South America, but largely due to their own economic interests
$1.5 billion in 1924 - $3 billion in 1929
General Motors wee manufacturing cars in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay and General Electrics were also involved
