Lecture 4 Flashcards

1
Q

Manifest Destiny

A
  • given right of expanding toward the West, used to legitimize conquering of native Americans
  • this idea was applied to the foreign realm in 1917, that America had a divine role to stabilize, democratize and profit from many parts of the globe.
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2
Q

Possible causes for change in US foreign policy: from Isolation to Intervention

A
  • the fading of the idea of staying out of Europe politics which was advocated by the Founding Fathers in the 18th and 19th century
  • the rise of interventionist presidents like Roosevelt and Wilson
  • the significant change in the power/position of the US in international affairs (geographical size, population. economic capacity)
  • the emergence and propogation of the idea of Manifest Destiny in foreign policy
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3
Q

The Roaring Twenties

A
  • 1925: the US was producing over 70% of the world’s oil
  • NY replaced London as the centre of the world’s economy.
  • an era of prosperity and consumerism, the nations wealth more than doubled (1920s)
    number of drivers rose from 8mil to 23 mil.
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4
Q

The Great Depression

A
  • after the October 1929 crash of Wall Street, the US went into the worst economic downturn in its history.
  • by 1933 15 mil Americans were unemployed and nearly half of the nations banks failed
  • GDP had fallen to half of its value
  • industrial production declined by more than 50%
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5
Q

Foreign Policy during the great depression

A
  • during the 1930s foreign policy went back to its isolationist roots
  • 1939, came out of the depression thanks to military spending.
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6
Q

World War II

A

September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland

  • 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union and Germany signed a treaty of non-agression
  • by 1941 the Nazis controlled most of continental Europe
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7
Q

Japan/Pearl Harbour

A
  • 1941, Japan invaded most of southeast Asia including parts of China, and French Indochina
  • US responded by halting oil exports to Japan and denouncing the invasion of China which went against the US open door policy
  • attack happened on December 7, 1941.
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8
Q

What was the goal of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour?

A

To neutralize the US Pacific Fleet before they could intervene to prevent Japanese expansion in Southeast Asia

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9
Q

What effect did Pearl Harbour have on Congress?

A

Galvanized support in Congress for the US to enter the War, something FDR was advocating for before the attack
Congress declared War on December 8, 1941.

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10
Q

Interactions with Stalin during WWII

A
  • The Soviets were devastated from Hitler’s attack
  • 1942-43, Stalin begged the US and Britian to open a second from in France (which was occupied by Germany). US and B refused (Roosevelt and Churchill)
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11
Q

When did the US/UK open a second front?

A

In June 1944, when the Germans were being defeated by the Russians

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12
Q

Post War Order

A
  • the war had decreased unemployment, increased industrial productivity (by 96%) and increased weekly wages (50%)
  • war led to innovation and the creation of new technologies
  • most of Europe was greatly weakened by the war, but the US was not.
  • the American dollar was the basis for the world economy, now acting as a reserve currency for most countries
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13
Q

What international bodies were created as a result of WWII?

A

UN, World Bank, IMF and GATT(later WTO).

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14
Q

Atomic Bomb

A
  • on August 6th and 9th, the US used nuclear weapons to attack Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrendered aug 15th
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15
Q

Why was the development of nuclear weapons important for the US

A

important as a demonstration of US superpower capabilities, game changer in international relations

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