Influences On The Political Landscape Flashcards
When was the first red scare
1919-20
Why did the first red scare occur
The monarchy was replaced by communist government in 1917 in Russia
Workers went on strike in the USA in large numbers due to conditions not improving after the war
Communist party of America founded and communist Labor party of America
Anarchists distributed pamphlets in many cities and urged revolution
1919: over 3600 strikes (1 in 4 workers on strike)
Main event leading up to the first red scare
21 January 1919: 35,000 shipyard workers went on strike in Seattle
6 February: general strike of 60,000
Rumours of communist revolution spread
Became national news
‘Red hunting’ began
Effects of the first red scare
Anti-communist feeling escalated
Businesses sacked employees suspected of left-wing views
People were paranoid of others or being accused
Some violence e.g. from the KKK
Thousands arrested as suspicious, 556 deported
What was ‘rugged individualism’
Shift in emphasis on the ‘laissez-faire’ policies to focus on allowing people to take responsibility for themselves, not on inaction
Beliefs:
- people were weakened by government support, sapped self-reliance
- gov shouldn’t help people with jobs and homes, no regulations on working hours, pay, or working conditions
- government shouldn’t fix bank interest on mortgages or loans, businesses had to be free to run themselves, even if they exploited the workforce
- USA should isolate from other countries
- immigration should be restricted (didn’t bring wealth)
Policies of New Deal thinking
- government is responsible for welfare of the people
- importance of rapid, national action (federal government took over policy-making that was role of individual states under the constitution)
How were Roosevelt’s powers different in the New Deal
Asked for powers as if it were a war, congress granted them
Meant he could increase federal powers and take over policy-making that would usually be done by the states (although the federal institutions set up were temporary)
What was the NRA
National recovery administration: set up and enforced codes of practices for businesses, e.g. setting working hours and minimum wage
- businesses could choose to join but public were encouraged to support businesses that displayed NRA symbol (blue eagle) in windows
What was the AAA
Agricultural adjustment agency: regulated major crops, e.g. wheat cotton and milk, bought up surplus crops and subsidised farmers to grow less of crops that were being overproduced
Features of the alphabet agencies
Provided work and helped different sections of society
Provided help on state-by-state basis, states had some control but accountable to federal agencies that supplied them with money
When was the second red scare
1947-54
Why did the second red scare happen
The Cold War and the Korean War: China turned communist in 1949 and USSR held first nuclear weapon test
After WW2, USSR occupied countries had soviet governments, fear of communist takeover of other countries
31 July 1948: Elizabeth Bentley told HUAC (house un-American activities commission) that she had been part of a Moscow-led spy ring and named other government employees involved
3 days later Whittaker Chambers told HUAC about other people involved, all accused were in important government jobs
Actions of Joseph of McCarthy
A senator who headed the 2nd red scare
9 February 1950: made anti-communist speech to republican women’s group, announced he had names of 205 communists working in the state department, pretended to have left it on an aeroplane when asked by reporters for the list
Changed the supposed number to 57 the next day and then to 81 when called by the senate
Effects of Joseph McCarthy’s claims
Tydings committee set up, he led series of investigations
‘Red baiters’ hounded people at work and home, often violently
14 July, Tydings committee issued majority report saying McCarthy had said a muddle half-truths and lies
He remained powerful, investigated the army in 1953, 20 million people watched as they were televised, treatment of interviewees by McCarthy lost him support, senate passed vote of censure against him
Red scare then died down
When was the HUAC set up
Set up in 1938 and made permanent in 1945
Effects of the second red scare
Anti-communism:
- FBI given powers to investigate people and bring them to be questioned by the HUAC on little evidence
- FBI allowed to open letters, tap phones, bug offices and homes
- freedom of speech and expression limited by worries of expression liberal views
-by late 1950s, a third of librarians removed books such as Karl Marx’s work
-1953-62, not one senator publicy supported softening attitudes towards USSR or China
-committee on the present danger set up in 1950, to press government to take a hard line in relations with communist countries, had powerful government advisors as members
What was the liberalism that emerged after the second red scare
Under JFK, whilst campaigning he said that if ‘liberal’ meant forward-thinking, flexible, concerned about welfare of people, and being less suspicious abroad then he would be happy to be one
These were values of the American dream, both democrats and republicans agreed with him
Supported equality, civil rights, and social welfare
Positive discrimination created by liberal politicians: preferential treatment in employment, education, social welfare, or other areas for minorities
Support for liberal measures increased in the 1960s (civil rights act, voting reform act, great society shows that congress was more liberal-minded)
What was counter-culture that emerged in the 1960s
Young people trying to remake society and rejecting values from their parents generation, distrusted political machine
Wanted to change society by changing culture, if people lived differently then they would behave differently
Counter-culture movement in the 1960s: hippies
Wanted loosen family system and live in communal societies, believed in peace and simple way of life, rather than working hard to earn money to buy goods
Many took drugs and supported wider sexual freedom
Prepared to live according to their beliefs separate to others
Most famous gathering: Woodstock Festival in August 1969, under 200,000 tickets sold and 400-500,000 came, loud music, drugs, sexual freedom
Counter-culture movement in the 1960s: radical student groups
Wanted to change society to produce a more equal world, closer to their view of the American dream
Wanted to change the way their courses were organised, ending the war in Vietnam
Not the majority on campus, but most noticeable, affected how people saw all students
Groups in the counter-culture movement in the 1960s: radical student groups
Students for a Democratic Society set up in 1960 (SDS), Port Huron statement in 1962 denounced conventional politics as having forgotten that all men are created equal, urged return to equality, rejected all bigotry (racism and anti-communism),
- protested violently against war in Vietnam, organised first mass rally against it in 1965
Free speech movement: radical group that led campaign on university of California campus at Berkeley in 1964
- used sit-ins, peaceful protest, other tactics by civil rights movement for free speech on campus
- when a student was arrested for campaigning for the civil rights group CORE, students took over the main square
- during 2 months of protest, 700 students arrested for sit-ins
Events in the counter-culture movement in the 1960s: radical student groups
Originally peaceful protests, this had a limited effect so people moved to violence and so did the police sent to stop them
State National Guards called in when violence got out of hand
4 May 1970: Ohio National Guardsmen shot 4 unarmed students, injured 9 during student protest against invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam war
Small, very radical, groups planted bombs at military targets
24 August 1970: bomb detonated outside army research base in Madison, Wisconsin, killed one researcher, injured 4 and caused $60 million in damage
Conservative reaction to counter-culture in the 1960s
Challenged family values, rejected consumer culture and values of hard work and striving for success
Rejected Christian religious values and patriotism
Thought students were being ungrateful
Violence added to the feeling that liberal government wasn’t working
Politicians campaigned the ‘New Right’ to restore law and order and traditional values
Nixon campaigned with the ‘New Right’ policies
Religious reaction to counter-culture in 1960s
Late 1960s: religious groups (especially evangelical) held campus campaigns
Bill Bright was an evangelical preacher who’s 1967 ‘Campus Crusade for Christ’ went to campuses all over the USA (including very radical Berkeley)
1970s: religious right movement emerged, campaigned for return to traditional family values, move away from ‘liberal’ policies e.g. abortion and contraception
Groups campaigned to keep laws against homosexuality and remove people from offices found to be homosexual
