The Changing Political Environment Flashcards
what are some powers of the president?
propose legislation, submit the annual budget, sign legislation and act as chief executive
what was the “return to normalcy”
People expected a return to life before war, in reality is was just the promise for a steady and stable way of life
how much had unemployment rose between 1919 and 1921
from 950,000 in 1919 to 5,010,000 in 1921
What was the red scare?
The widespread fear of potential infiltration by communists or ‘reds’
When was the first ‘Red Scare’?
1917 to 1920 and was marked by a widespread fear of Bolshevism after the Russian Revolution
What influence the political landscape after 1945?
- anti communism
- counter culture
-climate of fear - joseph mccarthy
- liberalism
- conservative reaction
What powers were given to the FBI due to anti communism
they could investigate and question people by the Loyalty boards or HUAC, open letters, tap phones and bug offices and homes
How many books were removed from the libaries to avoid seeming communist
1/3 of books > including work of Karl Marx for example
What was counter culture?
young people were tryning to remake society by rejecting the values of their parents generation and distrusting the political machine
What did the younger people advocate for instead?
They wanted to live without government telling them what to do
what did racial student groups want?
they wanted to create a more equal world, closer to the American dream
What happened on the 4th May 1970?
Ohio National guardsmen shot 4 unarmed students and injured 9 during a student protest at the invasion of Cambodia
What happended on August 27th 1970?
A bomb was detonated outside an army research base in Madison, Wisonsin. It killed 1 researcher, injured 4 and caused $60 million of damage
What events built a climate of fear?
- On 31st July 1948 Elizabeth Bentley told HUAC she has been part of Moscow led spy ring
- Trials of Alger Hiss in 1949 resulted him in having to retrial as the jury were indecisive, he was later found guilty
- 1949 China became communist and held first nuclear weapon test
Who was Joseph Mccarthy?
Between 1950-54 he headed the second red scare.
What was liberalism?
foward thinking, concerns about welfare, supported equality, civil rights and social welfare
What was the conservative reaction?
Many older Americans were bewildered by the counter culture and saw it as creating challenges and challenging family values
what was watergate?
Nixon was caught spying on the Democratic party: On the 17th June a hotel security guard noticed the door handles had been tampered with. They arrested 5 democratic men and found $2300 in sacks. The dollar bills had serial numbers that traced back to Nixons ‘plumbers’. Nixon taped every conversation for security purposes so had evidence against him of mass corruption
Why was there an economic crisis in the 1970s?
- wages stayed the same but
prices went up - 7.9% unemployment
- poverty rate rose to 5.1%
- 1973 Arab Israeli War
- Oil prices increased by 70%
What was the crisis of confidence?
The American public felt like Jimmy Carter was blaming them for the economic downfall
