Unit 1.1: The Changing Political Environment Flashcards
Republican
Centre right to right conservative, unprogressive, reactionary political party in the US that focuses on everyone having liberties, limited government intervention and low taxes
Democrat
Centre to centre left, liberal, progressive, political party in the US that advocates for more social liberties, and equality through government intervention, trade unions and social welfare
Congress
Legislative branch of the US government - contains the House of Representatives and the Senate who both have to agree on laws before they are passed - President can veto these
Senate
Upper chamber of congress - they’re voted by the state and there are 2 senators per state guaranteeing equal representation
House of Representatives
Lower chamber of congress - youre voted by the state, the size of the state dictates the number of representatives in the chamber - bigger state means more representation and vice versa
Reactionary
They only make change if it is needed not for no reason
Democracy
A system of government where the whole population or all eligible members of a state has a say, typically through elected representatives who vote for their constituents in Congress rather than the members of the states themselves
Why is the US a democracy?
They had just led a revolution to remove the monarchy and wanted to be free and vote as they wanted which is the opposite of what was allowed during King George’s times
When was the US constitution created?
1787
Can the US constitution be changed easily? Why?
No it cannot, this is because legislation can be declared unconstitutional meaning that the constitution near impossible to change
Does the US have a separation of powers? Why?
Yes it does, so that the power of the President can be checked, members of the Supreme Court can be nominated by presidents and approved by senate and the president can only serve 2 4-year terms (passed after Roosevelt’s death) - made up of judicial branch, executive branch and judicial branch
How did the founding fathers try to stop a future president from becoming a dictator?
They introduced the US constitution and created a separation of powers and checks and balances
What are the 2 main political party’s in the US?
Republicans
Democrats
What were 3 key influences on US politics?
The American Civil War
The situation of US minorities and especially the blacks
WWI
When was the American Civil War?
1861-1864
How did the American Civil War influence US politics?
It divided the US
The reconciliation of the south after the war with the northern states was never completed - the northern states won
The south was left bitter and not as economically developed the north - this is still impactful today with southern states being very obviously less developed
Slavery was abolished in 1865 by Abraham Lincoln - leading to his assassination - impacted civil rights movement but showed the idea of equality with black people wasn’t common
Why was there an American Civil War?
The disagreement between southern and northern states on slavery, economic policies and the role of the federal government
How did the situation of US minorities and especially the Blacks influence US politics?
The Blacks were discriminated against by law and by custom e.g. lack of rights, slavery etc. - meant that for years black people didnt have equal rights
Mainly discriminated against by law in the south of the US (de jure) - racism still more popular in south than in north
Mainly discriminated against by custom in the North of the US (de facto)
Native Americans were also forced into reserves and lost their historical lands - still used today, most Native Americans still live in reserves
How did WWI influence US politics?
The US became even more isolationist than they were before 1917
Led to the use of isolationism in the US
This was mainly because the Americans thought they were conned into joining WWI by the British and their own arms making companies
How many Native American reserves are still present today?
326
What is communism?
Communism is a political viewpoint that was created by Karl Marx (and Engles, who helped summarise and clarify Marx’s ideas) - they believe in fairness and equality for all, they also believe there should only be one political party and that everyone should work for the state.
Where is communism in the stages of a society’s development, in an ideal world?
It is the final stage in a society’s development after the government has been abolished - the most ideal and perfect way a society should be
What are the stages of society’s development?
- Primitive communism - cavemen etc.
- Feudalism
- Capitalism
- Socialism
- Communism (once the government is destroyed)
What is the symbol for communism? What does it represent?
A hammer - for the workers
A sickle - for the peasants and the farm labourers
When were there communist revolution in Russia?
1905-1917
When was the most impactful communist revolution led in Russia? What did this lead to and what was the impact of this?
1917 - the USSR was created after the monarchy was abolished in the communist revolution when the bolsheviks took power - this shocked the world and worldwide revolutions began by workers against their capitalist masters
Why was there a Red Scare?
-Americans were big capitalists - they wanted to keep what they worked for and the idea of losing everything scared them
-Communism got rid of political opposition - Americans believed in a democracy and free elections
How did the end of the Bolshevik revolution and the end of WWI play a role in the built up of the red scare?
Increased the red scare - Bolshevik’s came to USA which spread the ideology of communism - creation of the Communist Party of America and the Communist Labour Party - created fear
When did the Bolshevik revolution and WWI end?
November 11 1918
Why did unemployment rate rise after WWI? How did this increase the red scare?
Unemployment rates rose as 4 million soldiers returned from war - it led to strikes and inflation rose which led to even more strikes - Marxists known for strikes
How many soldiers came back to the US after WWI?
4 million
When was the Russian revolution? Who led it?
1917 - Russian revolution led by Lenin and Trotsky
Why did the Russian revolution increase the red scare?
Communism made workers and labour unions, so in the USA they believed the communists could overthrow capitalism to gain management over working conditions to introduce unions and showed the great power of communism and the mass movement it could gain
When was the general strike? How many people partook in them?
Feb 6 1919 - 60,000 general strikers
Why did the general strike increase the red scare?
The strikers were labelled as ‘reds’ who were attempting to establish communism in USA - created fear amongst the rich and powerful and made the communists seem aggressive
How did the government deal with the strike?
After 5 days, 30,000 policemen and troops were sent to stop the strike
What did Charles Ruthenberg do? When?
May 1st 1919 - Charles Ruthenburg gathered unionists, communists, anarchists and socialists to protests against the jailing of Eugene Debs
Who was Eugene Debs?
A radical socialist
What happened to the revolt led by Ruthenberg?
Tanks and police stopped it
When did steel workers strike?
September 22nd 1919
How many steel workers striked?
275,000 steel workers withdrew from their jobs
Why did the steel workers strike? Why did this generate more fear?
They withdrew from jobs as they wanted more unions but also because the bad working conditions that didnt improve after WWI - generated more fear as it showed that the idea of unions was growing more popular, communism and its ideas gaining more support
How many strikes were there in 1919? Give an example of a strike that occurred that hasnt been mentioned yet.
1919 - more than 3600 strikes e.g. 21 Jan 1919, 35,000 shipyard strikers in Seattle
How many bombs were sent to anti anarchists? An example of someone who one was sent to
36 bombs - sent to anti anarchists officials and company owners e.g. John D Rockefeller
Who was John D Rockefeller?
An oil rig owner
When were there police strikes in Boston? Why? How did the influence the red scare?
1919 - police strikes in Boston - they were seeking recognition for their trade union and improvements in wages and working conditions - even those who were meant to be protecting the people of America and its capitalist system, were revolting against it which caused fear to the government
How did the Boston strikes impact America?
It caused disruptions, havoc and was just dangerous in general
What did businesses and the people do in response to communism being ‘on the rise’ in America?
Businesses sacked employees
Anti communists feeling escalated - KKK began to target non American groups like the communists
What was an early example of the corruption of the government and it going against its constitution?
People no longer felt free to express their opinions - first amendment said free speech
No free speech allowed - communists arrested and deported on grounds of expressing political opinion
How many people were deported after being reported by their neighbours? What did this show?
556 people actually deported for being communists after many reports from neighbours - showed that there were no real reason to be so scared by the communists as there were very little who ‘posed threat’ - the fear created was due to propaganda
What happened as a result of letters being sent to anti anarchists?
Due to the bombs being sent in letters, it caused fear and paranoia - letters had to be checked before someone got them
What did Woodrow Wilson use to allow communists and other immigrants to be deported?
Woodrow Wilson used espionage act of 1917 and the sedition act of 1918 - lead to labour disputes and disloyalty of America becoming illegal and allowed the deportation of innocent immigrants
Who did Wilson appoint to use his methods to deport anyone with connections to the bolsheviks? What did they do?
General Palmer and J Edgar Hoover were appointed to use the acts to incarcerate, deport or fine people or organisations that had Bolshevik conspiracies - were so on edge that they started to send people with the slightest connection to communism
Give an example where palmer wrongly arrested people of being communists? Is there any evidence that proves lots of people were wrongly accused?
In the palmer raids, thousands arrested - 10,000 suspected communists and anarchists
Only 247 communists and anarchists were deported in the soviet arc - showed that most arrested were innocent and it was mainly just intimidation that led to the government arresting these people
When did Palmer think there would be more raids? Why?
May Day 1920 - Palmer thought there would be more attacks and bombings because the protests ceased
What happened with the suspected raids?
Nothing, time passes and there is no attacks or protests - Palmer as a result gets fired from his position - there was a build up of unnecessary fear
What did the US bending laws and its own constitution to deport communists show?
USA under high stress bent laws in order to reinforce them (free speech bill didnt matter) - showed that the US government was some what biased and corrupt when it comes to communism - highly intimidated - government and aristocrats more scared of communism than the average American
What does the republicans being elected continuously after the red scare, show?
Republicans kept on being elected - they were on the other end of the political spectrum of communism - people still somewhat fearful
Were the impacts of the red scare generally positive or negative? Why?
The impacts were unnecessarily negative - the people who protested just protected to have better working conditions not becuase they were communists - discrimination against the lower class who rioted to have better working conditions
What has been a long lasting impact of communism?
People are still scared of communism today - the fear never ended - even trump of accusing Harris of being a Marxist
Who were Sacco and Vanzetti?
Sacco and Vanzetti were Italian immigrants and anarchists and were accused of murder.
When were Sacco and Vanzetti arrested?
May 5th 1920
Why were Sacco and Vanzetti arrested?
They were arrested in connection with the murder of 2 men, who were transporting $15,700 in pay down the Main Street in South Braintree
What were Sacco and Vanzetti convicted of? Based on what evidence?
They were ultimately convicted of robbery and murder over a year later based on flimsy evidence and due to a prejudicial judge - who openly hated anarchists
What is the most extreme aspect of Sacco and Vanzettis conviction?
They were even convicted after a famous criminal admitted to the crime
What was Sacco and Vanzettis sentencing?
Sentenced to death in April of 1927 by electrocution - cruelest form of death
What 3 things did Sacco and Vanzettis case show?
- The complete and utter fear of the government when it came to anarchists, and anyone who was really fed up with the capitalist system of the US - lack of human decency and morality - the fact a famous criminal admitted to the crime, or that no money was found in the hands of the Sacco or Vanzetti still didnt stop the government from executing innocent people
- It purely showed that if you had any connection to Marxism, you were considered a criminal which thus showed how intimidated the government was and the threat that communism posed to them
- The judge was openly anti anarchist and prejudice - the government went ahead with him being the judge even though it went against the right of a fair trial - government weren’t for the good of the people, but for the good of themselves
Why was Sacco and Vanzettis case considered a turning point in the red scare by some historians?
Due to the Americans reactions to the unfair sentencing did actually show humanity and morality from them, they felt sorry for the innocents who were sentenced to death
Protests took place worldwide, in Latin America, China and mainly in Western Europe
A famous poet called Edna Millay said that ’the men were cast upon our shore and we have put them to death because their speech and manners were different from our own.’
Sacco and Vanzetti became philosophers and not criminals in many eyes of the people, the government remained reluctant but the people showed real compassion
What did the first red scare cause in relation to immigration? Why?
The Quota Act of 1921 and the Immigration Act of 1917 - ended mass immigration - to stop European ‘communists’
What did Sacco and Vanzettis judge called anarchists openly?
Anarchist bastards
How many people were killed in a demonstration in Paris to stop the murder of Sacco and Vanzetti?
20 people
What were the 3 factors of the rise of republicanism?
Isolationism
Behaviour of Woodrow Wilson
WWI and a return to Normalcy
Why was isolationism a factor of the rise of republicanism?
-Harding said that the US should support other nations but shouldn’t be entangled with them after the war - which was in line with many other peoples views
-cut back the number of immigrants allowed in yearly e.g. 1921 Emergency Quota Act restricted immigration to 357,000 a year, it was changed to 150,000 in 1925
-Between 1935 and 1937, congress passed Neutrality Acts - restricted the help the US gave to other countries if they went to war
-The Great Depression of 1929 made people in the US want to focus on themselves not other countries making more people isolationist
-Fordney McCumber Tariff - encouraged to buy American products - encouraged a boom of the economy as consumerism was increased, products could be bought more cheaply (for example through hire purchase)
Why was the US not particularly isolationist?
The US did help Europe rebuild economically and brokered the Washington conference of 1921-22 (set national limits on navy’s) - wasn’t completely isolationist
Who was Woodrow Wilson?
US president from the democrat party between the years of 1913-1921
Why did the behaviour of Woodrow Wilson lead to a rise in republicanism?
-Took the US to war even though he was originally campaigning to stay out of it - hypocrite
-Didn’t consult congress about promoting the League of Nations (treaty and alliance) & Drafted bills and introduced them to congress by himself - he ignored the separation of powers principle
-Leader of the democrats in the House of Representatives spoke for him and expected the house to conform to his wishes
-Thus leading to people having a mistrust in the democrat party
When did the US enter WWI?
1917
When was the emergency quota act? What did it restrict immigration to?
1921 - limited immigration to 357,000 immigrants a year
When were neutrality acts passed? What did they state?
Between 1935 and 1937 - limited the involvement of the US when it came to wars in other countries
When was the fordney-mccumber tariff?
1922
How did WWI and a return to normalcy lead to a rise in republicanism?
-1917 - US entered WWI under Wilson against the Americans wishes, most thought that the US was tricked into joining the war by the British and that it was a mistake - didnt like the fact that America was getting involved in international affairs and not sticking to isolationism
-Warren Harding promised a return to ‘normalcy’ - how life was before the war with all of the Republican policies -WASPs wanted this - made up most of the population
-There was a small depression following the war - Unemployment rose from 950,000 in 1919 to 5,010,000 in 1921 - There were many strikes, protests and riots - political unrest
-Harding wanted to shift the focus back to the USA and remove the US from foreign affairs - said the government had to reduce taxes, introduce tariffs and introduce a countrywide radio to boost industry and communication
What was unemployment in 1919? Then what was it in 1921? (Mini depression after WWI)
950,000 in 1919 and then 5,010,000 in 1921
Who was Warren Harding?
Wanted less government in business and more business in government - Laissez Faire
Kept him campaign aims vague - appealed to everyone
Gave jobs to friends who exploited their positions to make money
Who was Calvin Coolidge?
Hardings vice president
Restored faith in the Republican Party
Allowed congress to go its own way
Oversaw a period of recovery and prosperity - roaring twenty’s because of him and helped recover after a small depression after WWI
Who was Herbert Hoover?
1922 - released America Individualism which was a pamphlet he wrote
1928 - during campaigns he introduced RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM - betters individual people not businesses and if you work hard then you can live the American dream
Announced that the republicans had eliminated poverty, encouraged equality and restored the economy
1929 - Wall Street crash which happened under him when he was president - led to him being called the do nothing president and under developed towns were called hoover villes
Why did Hoovers policies lead to a decline in republicanism?
Abandoned isolationism - he starts getting involved when republicans didnt before - it was unwanted - hoover wanted to introduced more acts but congress blocked this showed it was unwelcome - began to buy farmers products to limit overproduction
Only introduced 1-2 acts per year which didnt provide some people with enough support - ‘do nothing president’
He tried to stop the Great Depression too late - refused to do anything until it was too late
Increased government debt e.g. Federal Home Loan bank act only created in 1932
He was a figure of blame - he led the country and was blamed for the issues - the slums were called Hoover-villes
Bonus Army - the way he dealt with them was highly unpopular
What is rugged individualism? Who is it associated with?
Its belief that if people could look after themselves, they would prosper and realise the American Dream - associated with Hebert Hoover
The dealing of what situation was also a factor of the downfall of republicanism?
The bonus army
