Unit 7 Key Terms Flashcards
Hegemony
- An established nation’s authority and influence over other nations, usually as a result of an economic or military advantage.
Alfred Thayer Mahan
- An American naval officer and writer who wrote two novels called “The Influence of Sea Power Upon History”
- Stated that naval power was essential to a nation’s political and commercial success
- Believed we should expand to the Pacific, Hawaii, and The Caribbean
- Created the idea of a canal connecting the Pacific and Atlantic, grew to become the Panama Canal
“The White Man’s Burden”
1899
* A poem written by Roger Kipling, saying that Americans should “help” weaker nations and exert influence on them
James Dole, Hawaiian Pineapples
1899
* 5/6 farmers went from the United States to Hawaii and found the soil was perfect for sugar cane and a new plant, that being pineapple.
* Farmer James Dole became the “pineapple king” by getting Hawaiians to work for him
* Dole convinced the US Gov to overthrow Hawaii’s monarchy and establish a military base for economic interests
William Henry Seward
1861-1869
* The secretary of state who argued for the US to have a presence in the Caribbean, arguing it would help the US economy
* Helped with the purchase of Alaska for oil and more territory
James Blaine
1881, 1889-1892
* The secretary of state who looked to refine the Monroe Doctrine to create the Pan-American Union in 1890
* Created an alliance with most of North, Central, and South America so the US could benefit economically and exert influence
José Martí
- A Cuban poet who advocated heavily for Cubans to rebel against the Spanish and become independent
Cuban War of Independence
1895-1898
* Cuba attempted to gain its independence against Spain, using guerilla warfare
* The Spanish put Cubans into re-concentration camps with limited resources to get them to give up
* American journalists jumped on the story, giving hyperbole reports to get a reaction
The Teller Amendment
1898
* When the US began assisting Cuba, they wrote this to say the war was to liberate Cuba, not to govern it
* The US violated this treaty multiple times later on
Spanish-American War
1898
* The US sent ships to Cuba to intimidate Spain, the USS Maine exploded due to a fault in the ship
* Spain refused to take the blame for the attack, so the US declared war against Spain in their territories
* Attacked Puerto Rico and the Philippines when Spain was busy in Cuba
* Theodore Roosevelt became a national hero after he led the Rough Riders, using the momentum to become president
Treaty of Paris (Spanish-American)
1898
* Granted Cuba independence from Spain, while Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines went under US control
* US treatment led to the Filipino War, where the US treated them like the Spanish treated Cuba
Platt Amendment
1903
* Made the US Cuba’s main ally by blocking them from signing treaties without permission
* Gave the US Guantanamo Bay
Panama Canal
1904-1914
* The French attempted to build the canal, but the project took too much money
* The US intimidated Columbia into giving Panama independence and letting them build the canal
* France + Panama were paid millions to let the US take on the project, and completed it in 10 years.
* In 1977, President Jimmy Carter gave the Panama government control of the Panama Canal, much to the dismay of US economists
Progressivism
- A reform movement in reaction to heavy immigration and industrialization
- Looked at improving living, working, education, corruption rates, and women’s suffrage
- Challenged traditional attitudes, mainly WASPs who led progressivism
Social Gospel Movement
- A movement to use Christian principles and ethics to resolve social issues
- Believed “cleaning” the streets and ridding society of evil meant Jesus would return
Muckrakers
- Journalists, photographers, authors, etc., who exposed corruption and social issues to the public
Magazines
- Magazines like McClure’s and Cosmopolitan began as platforms for muckrakers and grew in popularity during the Progressive Era
Upton Sinclair, “The Jungle”
- A muckraker known for exposing conditions for immigrants and factories
- Wrote The Jungle in 1905, exposing the disgusting conditions of meat-packing factories
- The Jungle was so popular President Roosevelt passed the Meat Inspection Act, which evolved into the FDA
Jane Addams
- A WASP who grew up rich and wanted to give back to the community, especially to the poor/immigrants
- Built the Hull House, which taught people important life skills and acted as a daycare for kids
- Had major effects on the employment for women and for educational institutes similar to rise up
Margaret Sanger
- A WASP and former nurse who taught young people how not to get pregnant to prevent deaths from bad abortions
- Her pamphlets drove her out of the country, but she established the National Birth Control League, which evolved into Planned Parenthood
- Was controversial for supporting eugenics, saying the “unfit” should not procreate
Mann Act
1910
* Made prostitution illegal to “clean the streets” for the social gospel movement
Banning of Alcohol
- The 18th Amendment was passed in 1919 which made all non-medical/religious production of alcohol illegal
- People began making illegal booze and created speakeasies to get alcohol
- Cops were often bribed to not report the alcohol, which was a time of lots of corruption
Creation of NASCAR
- Alcohol would often be smuggled in the middle of the night, with smugglers racing to deliver alcohol as if it were a game
- This competitive racing would soon evolve to become NASCAR
National Child Labor Committee
1904
* A committee founded to advocate for kids not to work in factories, arguing it was very harmful to their health.
Theodore Roosevelt
- Known as the 1st modern president
- Introduced press conferences to connect with the public
- Was the first president to travel internationally while in office
- Believed in using a calm voice and a strong military
Roosevelt Corollary
1904
* Stated that the United States would intervene to fix “wrongdoings” in Latin America
* The definition of “wrongdoings” was vague and up to congress
Great White Fleet
1907
* A fleet of the USA’s biggest navy ships that traveled the world to show off their military
Boxer Rebellion
1899-1901
* The USA was overproducing goods and traded with China, but a group of the Chinese known as “Boxers” were unhappy about foreigners
* The Boxers began attacking US merchants, which led to Roosevelt getting the US military involved
* Showed that the US was willing to exert power in foreign domestic affairs
Roosevelt’s Consumer Protection
- Roosevelt planned to use the federal government to inspect and fix businesses
- Passed the Meat Inspection and the Food & Drug Acts to make sure food was of good quality
- Passed the Elkin and Hepburn Acts to prevent corporations from becoming “bad” trusts
Bureau of Forestry
1905
* Preserves millions of acres of US land to be used for recreation and to preserve the beauty of the land
William Howard Taft
- Focused on “trust busting,” with one of the major targets being Rockefeller’s oil monopoly
Dollar Diplomacy
- Created by Taft to ensure financial stability while protecting US interests
- Lined the pockets of American corporations and got them to invest in Latin America, growing the US economy
1912 Election
- Roosevelt disapproved of Taft’s actions while he was president and asked to be the Republican candidate, but Taft was chosen instead
- Woodrow Wilson ran as the democratic candidate with support from William Jennings Bryan
- Roosevelt ran in the progressive part, which was a mirror of the Republican party but more progressive
- Eugene V. Debbs ran in the socialist party and advocated for full government control.
- Wilson won the election with 42% of the popular vote, another non-majority
Woodrow Wilson
- Was infamously racist, segregated Congress, and supported eugenics
- Had a foreign policy of moral diplomacy (support democratic governments, ignore non-democratic)
Underwood Simmons Tariff
1913
* Lowered the tariff to promote national trade, was the first time it was lowered in around 100 years
Federal Trade Commission Act
1914
* Created the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to regulate the circulation of money
Wilson’s Support of the Working Class
- Passed The Adamson Act, The Workman’s Compensation Act, and Child Labor Acts to support the working class
16th Amendment
1913
* Created a federal income tax without having to determine it by census
17th Amendment
1913
* Instead of being chosen by the state legislature, citizens now voted for their senators
18th Amendment
1919
* Prohibited the production of alcohol, which was impossible to regulate and led to organized crime
19th Amendment
1919
* Gave white women the right to vote, meaning only black women couldn’t vote
Woodrow Wilson’s Stroke, Edith Wilson
- Woodrow Wilson had a stroke which left him paralyzed and unable to act, so his wife, Edith Wilson, filled in for him
- Edith went to conferences and made decisions as if Wilson was making those decisions.
The “Lost” Generation
- The generation that fought in the World Wars, known as “Lost” because of war casualties
WW1 Causes: Imperialism, Industrialism and Capitalism
- As countries began to industrialize, many wanted to expand to get resources they didn’t have and find more markets
- Africa was a major target, getting split up by Europe and Cecil Rhodes
- War is very good for the economy and factories, as production skyrockets
WW1 Causes: Militarism
- As Europe carved up Africa, their militaries expanded to stop peasant uprisings and protect their territory
WW1 Causes: Nationalism
- Many people began creating a national identity that supported their nation’s interests at the expense of others
- Austro-Hungary had many minority groups which wanted to separate and become their territory
WW1 Causes: Entangled Alliance Systems
- European countries realized with the right alliances, they could stay safe during the war
- Serbia allied with Russia, France, Britain, and eventually the USA
- Austro-Hungary was allied with Germany
Assassination of Archduke Franz Fernidand
1914
* Archduke Franz Ferdinand, leader of Austro-Hungary, planned to drive around the country, even though many minorities hated him
* The Black Hand was a group of 7 students who planned to kill the Archduke, Gavril Prinzip was ultimately successful
* The serial numbers were traced back to Serbia, and Austro-Hungary wanted them to take the blame for the attacks
Blank Checks/Carte Blanche
- Used to refer to a diplomatic commitment without specific terms or conditions
- In WW1, usually refers to the entangled alliance systems.
July Crisis
1914
* Serbia calls on Russia as an ally, Austro-Hungary responds by calling on Germany
* Russia and Germany both state they will let the two resolve it peacefully, but will get involved if things get ugly
Guns of August
1914
* The first official month of warfare in WW1, where a series of diplomatic and militaristic events unfolded making it clear this was a full-fledged war
* Originally believed to be a short and quick war, but after thousands died in mere days, people realized this would be a long war
Schlieffen Plan
- Germany planned to invade France by storming through Belgium
- Britain said if Germany invaded Belgium, the Brits were joining war
- Germany persisted, so the Brits entered WW1
Trench Warfare
- After mass casualties in the first few days, people began trench warfare
- Soldiers dug out trenches and stayed there, with a space in between known as “no man’s land”
- Trenched were often dirty and psychologically tormenting, not knowing when enemies were going to charge
Chemical Warfare
- The French began using tear gas on the Germans, so the Germans began to perfect the use of chemical warfare
- The Germans created Mustard Gas, which was odorless and colorless, with most not knowing they were poisoned until it was too late
- Mustard Gas led to the invention of gas masks, which became a staple item for many soldiers.
The Dreadnaught
- A British ship that was the first of its kind, was run on fuel and had wireless technology before anybody else discovered it
U-boats, Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
- Germans created submarines known as U-boats which could hide and attack underwater
- Germans used unrestricted submarine warfare by attacking any suspicious ship because the British weren’t playing fairly
Declaration of London
1909
* Declared that neutral countries in wars could trade with whoever they wanted
* The USA began trading with both sides, but the Brits began to seize American ships and take anything they thought was “suspicious”
* The Germans called it unfair that the USA wasn’t doing anything about the seizing, believed they were taking sides
The Lusitania
1915
* A British passenger ship carrying citizens from the USA and Britain
* The ship was sunk by the Germans because they thought there were weapons on board (there were)
The Sussex, The Sussex Pledge
1916
* A French passenger ship which Germans sank because they suspected there were weapons on board
* The British and USA forced Germany to sign the Sussex pledge to stop sinking civillian ships
Zimmerman Note
1917
* A German telegram meant to be received by the German representative for Mexico
* Called for Mexico to attack the USA, said Germany would get them their land back
* The telegram was intercepted by the MI5 and decoded, leading to Woodrow Wilson & his cabinet declaring war on the US
Committee on Public Information (CPI)
1921
* Created by the US to give Americans information on the war daily, led by muckraker George Creel
US Propaganda in WW1
- The US relied on propaganda to convince the people to go to war
- Displayed Germans as brutal enemies who needed to be dealt with, used Uncle Sam to convince people to act
Military Funding in WW1
- People were asked to donate bonds to the war effort, believing they would make money back
- Most factories shifted to similar goods that would help workers out, creating lots of jobs
Espionage Act
1917
* Made it very clear that giving out information that would harm the US/help enemies of the US was illegal, and carried heavy punishments.
Sedition Act
1918
* Extended the espionage act by making it illegal to use abusive language regarding the United States, the flag, or the US military.
Selective Service Act/Selective Draft Act
1917
* This act required all men from ages 21-45 to register for military service and possibly be drafted to fight in wars
* Not very relevant in WW1 (enough people signed up on their own) but very relevant in later wars
Military Training during WW2
- American troops got extensive training before going to Europe, something most European soldiers didn’t do.
- Troops were taught with progressive principles, being taught about things like proper hygiene and US history
Racial Segregation in the Military
- Because Woodrow Wilson was a racist, the military was split up by race, with non-white soldiers usually not fighting and working jobs like cooking or grave-digging
- Native Americans joined the military in the hopes that they would become citizens, but they weren’t until the 1950s
Women in the Military
- Women were rarely soldiers but worked in services like nursing, operating calls, and translating
Bolshevik Revolution/Russia leaves WW1
1917
* Most Russians were upset with Tsar Nicholas II for fighting in WW1 while the country suffered in poverty
* Russians wanted to leave the war and began rising, led by Vladamir Lenin
* Lenin led the Bolshevik Party, saying he would leave WW1 and make resources like land and food available to everyone
* Lenin ends up in power through a very bloody coup and leaves WW1, forfeiting a lot of land
Americans enter Europe (WW1)
May 1918
* The US began sending troops to fight, giving Europe a second wind to defeat Germany
* The war officially ended on November 11, 1918, which became Veteran’s Day
Treaty of Versailles
1919
* Britain, Italy, France, and the USA meet up at the Paris Peace Conference to create a treaty (Germany was not allowed to attend)
* Woodrow Wilson argued for no punishment, but everyone else disagreed
* Germany lost all of its African colonies, lost a lot of its land, had their government replaced with the Weimar Republic, and had to take full responsibility by paying all the war debts.
* This treaty is the long-term cause for WW1
Wilson’s 14 Points
1918
* Woodrow Wilson proposed a 14-step plan for world peace, which included naval freedom, peace without suffering and/or victory, and self-determination
The League of Nations
1920
* Woodrow Wilson proposed the idea of a League of Nations to prevent further wars
* Congress didn’t allow Wilson to join because it likely meant the US would have to give out lots of foreign aid.
The Red Scare
1919 & 1920
* When Russia became the communist USSR, people in America began to panic over the possibility of something similar happening in the US.
USA as a World Power (WW1)
- The USA, along with most countries, decided to focus on domestic policy, entering a period of semi-isolationism
- The USA grew in most categories unlike most larger countries, becoming a world power
The Short Recession
1920s
* The economy was declining after the war, leading to a short recession and layoffs
* An overextension of more than just credit led to a big drop in the stock market and corporate profits
* Overproduction led to many markets being flooded with goods, leading everyone to make less money
Consumer Culture/Consumerism
- Lots of unneeded goods began being produced after the war and people had money to spend
- Many companies targeted women at home by saying their product would make their lives easier
Mass Culture
- Defined as a set of ideas developed from a common exposure to media
- Had its upsides but also could be dangerous because it gave a standard for how people should look/act that often wasn’t right
Radio
- A major development for home entertainment, helped create a mass culture, communicate with people worldwide, and influence them to buy products or vote a certain way
Movies after WW1
- Because people had time to themselves, they began to go to theaters and watch movies, with people like Charlie Chaplin becoming famous for their films.
Sports after WW1
- Sports began to rise as a form of entertainment, with athletes like Jack Dempsey in boxing and Babe Ruth in baseball
Republican Presidents in the 1920s-30s
- 3 Republican presidents, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover, were president during this time
- All three were very hands-off regarding business, unlike Roosevelt who busted trusts
Oligopolies
- Different from monopolies, now several corporations control a market rather than just one
Union-Related Contracts
- Union contracts require all workers to join a union
- Open-shop contracts make joining a union optional
- Yellow dog contracts made unionizing a firable offense
- Most companies with yellow dog contracts had other benefits to entice workers
Welfare Capitalism
- Capitalism involving social welfare to employees in the form of insurance, free food, etc.
- Was used to entice people to work for companies by outlining all these benefits
Growth of Suburbs
- More towns and cities began to grow, so suburbs began to grow on the brink of cities as a cozy place for people to live
The Great Migration
1910s-1970s
* Because of heavy racial discrimination, many black people moved from the South to the North, bringing their culture with them
The Harlem Renaissance
1920s
* A cultural revival of African American music, art, and literature beginning in the Harlem region of New York after the Great Migration
* Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes helped popularize African American literature, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong helped popularize jazz
Marcus Garvey, UNIA
- Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican activist who founded the Universal UNIA in 1914
- The UNIA promoted racial unity among African Americans to improve each other’s lives but led to another flare of the KKK
- Tried to get people to move to Liberia and develop further, but didn’t get enough attention
Speakeasies
- Bars in the back of restaurants where alcohol was sold illegally
- Kept out of trouble by either bribing the police or getting organized crime to take care of them
Flappers
- Women who rebelled against gender norms by dressing androgynously and leading a sexual revolution
- Young people would go to “petting parties” where they would snuggle and pet each other (yes, it’s as weird as it sounds)
- Flappers were portrayed as preying on “defenseless” men who were being “corrupted”
The Scopes Monkey Trial
1925
* John Scopes was charged with teaching the theory of evolution in Tennesee when it was illegal
* The trial was broadcast nationally, and even though Scopes lost, people still began to look forward and begin doubting things, a form of liberalism
Kellog-Briand Pact
1928
* A pact signed by 15 nations who said they would not use war as national policy, prioritizing democracy
* The pact was very weak and didn’t work, as seen by WW2
The Dawes/Young Plan
1924
* Europe didn’t have the economic growth the USA did after WW1, their trade declined and the gold standard was dropped
* Germany couldn’t pay back Europe, so Europe couldn’t pay off the USA
* The US decided to give Germany a loan for billions of dollars to help stimulate their economy so they could pay them back
* Allowed Europe to begin recovering their economy, but the US didn’t get fully repaid, leading to the Great Depression (Long-Term Cause)
Short-Term Causes of The Great Depression
- Overextension of credit leads to more debt for US citizens, and banks began shutting down due to not being repaid, the government kept them up at the expense of Americans
- Because Europe’s economy was declining, international trade declined, hurting the US economy
- The stock market was unregulated, so lots of insider trading meant people traded unfairly
- Oligopolies kept their prices inflated and dominated the market, along with an uneven distribution of wealth
Black Tuesday and Black Thursday
1929
* The media began reporting to sell stocks because the stock market would crash, so the market crashed because everyone sold their stocks
Gender Roles in the Great Depression
- As men lost their jobs, they felt like they lost their masculinity, leading to an increase in domestic abuse
- Women began entering the workforce because they could be paid less, but they still had to take care of the kids and the man at home
Families in the Great Depression
- Divorces decreased because they cost too much money and families needed each other to survive
- Parents (especially fathers) began to abandon their children more, leading to a sharp rise in orphans
Hoovervilles, Hooverville Culture
- Towns made of shoddy metal grew near industrial sectors called Hoovervilles to mock President Hoover
- There were “Hoover Wagons” (wagons drawn by animals), “Hoover Blankets” (Newspapers), and “Hoover Pants” (Pants with pockets out)
- Hoover didn’t help his case bc he was a social Darwinist, said the government shouldn’t intervene and they should survive via the power of friendship
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Becomes President
1932
* People wanted a president who’d do something, FDR promised three things: relief, recovery, and reform
* The Democratic party we know today began with FDR, creating deals to help the people such as the 1st and 2nd New Deals
* FDR met with congress every day for the first 100 days, which is why the first 100 days are so important for presidents
Emergency Banking Act
1933
* Banks were temporarily shut down to inspect which ones were financially stable
* Got passed one day into his presidency
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
1933
* Passed by FDR, protected deposits and repaid people when banks shut down to give the American public more faith to put money in banks
Alphabet Soup/Alphabet Agencies
- The name given to all the new agencies created by FDR’s new deals
Dust Bowl
1930-1936
* A major drought in the US characterized by dust clouds that swarmed the US and killed crops
* Led to a major economic downturn that the entire world felt
Securities and Exchange Commission
1934
* Made sure stock trading was fair and legal to get people to re-invest their money and rebuild the stock market
FDR Repeals the 18th Amendment`
1933
* FDR repealed the 18th Amendment to lower crime caused by alcohol, encourage people to stimulate the economy, and create more jobs
Social Security Act
1935
* Granted financial assistance to the retired, the unemployed, and the disabled
FDR Gets Re-Elected, 2nd New Deal
1936
* FDR was re-elected because his acts were kind of working and people wanted someone who could deal with Hitler
* The 2nd New Deal was created to continue to expand the power of the federal government and create more helpful agencies
Court-Packing Plan
1937
* Parts of the 2nd New Deal were not getting passed because the Supreme Court was deeming them unconstitutional
* FDR tried to “Pack the Courts” by assigning six new justices, one for each judge above 70 who served for over 10 years
* The plan was obviously rejected because it was a crazy plea for power
Hitler Gains Control of Europe
1939-1940
* Hitler rose to power and became a massive threat
* Other nations tried using appeasement to keep Hitler at bay, but Hitler became too powerful and took most of Europe
* Hitler is now fully fighting Great Britain as the USA watches, not fighting in the war yet
Neutrality Acts
1935, 1937
* The US declared it would stop selling weapons and traveling on ships with nations at war
* Pretty useless, as they got around this via the Cash & Carry Act
Cash & Carry Policy
1939
* Declared that if Europe paid for and picked up their weapons themselves, the US would supply them
National Defense Research Committee (NRDC)
1940
* A committee created by FDR that cared about science and research, setting out to create SONAR to detect enemies
* All the top scientists worked at the NRDC, and most would soon work on the atomic bomb
Fireside Chats
- FDR was able to remain popular by reaching out to people via radio and having chats about current events to help people get through the depression
- Gave important motivational chats such as saying we should work like we’re at war to protect democracy
- Gave people four reasons to move forward: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear
Lend-Lease Act
1941
* Allowed the president to lend, lease, sell, and transfer weapons to any country that would “protect democracy”
Atlantic Charter
1941
* The US allied with Great Britain, Stalin wanted help because Germany betrayed them
* Stalin was losing thousands of soldiers, Atlantic charter helped but let him become weaker first
Attack on Pearl Harbor
1941
* Japan was imperializing the rest of Asia, and the US threatened to cut off their oil if they continued, which the Japanese did so the US followed through
* The US knew that the Japanese were planning to attack somewhere, but didn’t know the exact location
* Japan missed the aircraft carriers so the US wasn’t as harmed as it could have been, around 2.5k people died during the attacks
* The US decided to declare war against Japan and in turn the rest of the Axis powers, congress all said yea except one person
Recruitment in WW2
- The army had lots of recruits to fight in the war, but the army was still segregated
- Most women never saw combat and filled out other roles, so did colored people
The Workforce During WW2
- Unemployment almost disappeared in the US, the lowest it had ever been
- Because most men were fighting in the war, women took their roles in the workforce again but left once the men returned
Office of Price Administration (OPA)
1941
* An agency that made sure everyone got rations by giving ration books with coupons you’d redeem for limited food
* Also put ceiling prices for items so people could afford them, stores that ignored the ceiling were fined and/or shut down
Albert Einstein, the Manhattan Project
1942
* Albert Einstein informed FDR in a famous letter that the Germans discovered a potential way to make a deadly weapon
* FDR began the Manhattan Project spread out in rural areas, J. Robert Oppenheimer was put in charge because Einstein was too high-profile
Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD)
1941
* Used scientists to develop radar and SONAR
* Saw the use of penicillin and blood transfers on soldiers years before civilian use
Executive Order 9066
1942-1945
* Japanese (Italians and Germans on a lesser scale) people living in America were rounded up without anything by the US because “They could be spies”
* Forced to live in cramped towns in rural areas that were barely livable, people who attempted to escape were shot
* Later President Reagan granted 20k to any families affected, not nearly enough
