Unit VIII Terms Flashcards
Imperialism
Western frontier was closed. Alfred Thayer Mahan, who said strong navy and colonies were required to have influence on the world stage. Growth of American Industry and desire for new markets after the 1893 depression. Wanted military might, pursuit of political strength, Christianity (Frederick Jackson Turner would say “it’s next”).
Justified imperialism through arguments such as “the white man’s burden”, that they were bringing civilization to the colonies their acquired. Used racism and ethnicity to argue that those in the colonies would benefit from being subjugated.
Acquisition of Hawai’i
Annexed in 1898. After conflict between businessmen and ruler of the island, US staged a coup and established new provisional government.
The Spanish-American War, 1898
Very brief, lasted from April of 1898 to August of 1898. The US had been eyeing Cuba, and was unhappy that the Spanish had control over it, seemed to be looking for an excuse to go to war with Spain. Pro-independence insurrections in late 1800s, led by Jose Marte. War was kickstarted by the sinking of the USS Maine, the blame for which was placed on Spain, though the explosion could have come from the inside. Was ended by the Treaty of Paris, whereby Spain ceded Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines to the US in exchange for $20 million.
The Filipino War, 1899-1902
Though the US had claimed that they were helping the Filipino’s win their independence, the US acquired the Philippines through the Treaty of Paris, and had no intention of letting them be so. Emilio Aguinaldo led Filipino forces. Huge number of them died – civilians and rebels alike. US wanted the Philippines because it would give them a foothold in China, leading to the Open Door Policy (Much of China had a sphere of influence by other world powers, influence the US wanted).
The Platt Amendment, 1902
Allowed the US to militarily intervene in Cuba if deemed necessary. Limited Cuban government’s ability to control its own foreign policy and manage its debts.
The Panama Canal
1903, seen as the opportunity for a shortcut to trade with Asia. Panama previously owned by Columbia, which refused to sell the land to the US, so American investors inspired a rebellion, then reached a deal with independent Panama.
“Big Stick” Diplomacy
US should deal with other nations by not being too harsh or commandeering, but using the threat of military force to act as policeman of the world.
The Roosevelt Corollary was seen as the extension of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, which declared the Americas as under the influence of the US and not to be colonised by other European powers. In 1904, stated that the United States would intervene as a last resort to ensure that other nations in the Western Hemisphere fulfilled their obligations to international creditors, and did not violate the rights of the United States or invite “foreign aggression to the detriment of the entire body of American nations.”
Dollar Diplomacy
Around 1910/1911. The use of private funds to serve American diplomatic goals and garner profits for American financiers, and at the same time bring reform to less-developed countries. Attempts by President Taft to counter Japanese advances in Asia, which ultimately failed.
Interventions in México, 1914, 1916
Before the overthrowing of dictator Diaz, American investors had owned almost half of Mexican land and basically controlled its foreign trade. When Mexican revolutionaries overthrew his regime, they sought to reclaim their nation’s sovereignty and end their economic dependency on the US. Revolution descended into a bloody civil war, and though President Wilson sent US troops over twice, they ultimately departed in January 1917.
Wilsonianism
Emphasis on the freedom of the seas, and making the world “safe for democracy”.
Wilson’s 14 Points
Emphasized international cooperation – world order based on freedom of the seas, removal of barriers to trade, self-determination for European peoples, and an international organization to resolve conflicts. Made after the end of WWI.
US Entry into WWI
Allied powers seen as the democratic side of the war as czarist Russia is no longer part of it. Central powers portrayed as barbaric and aggressive. Desire to make the world safe for democracy. Zimmerman Note – Germany would help Mexico regain territory lost to the US if it fights for Germany (January 1917). Revoking of Sussex Pledge by Germany (which protected US ships from attack). Pro-war propaganda.
Sent 2 million soldiers, helped attack German-held territory and repelled German advances. Fresh men who haven’t been weighed down by years in the trenches.
US Involvement in WWI
Massive growth of US Government. Building an army: National Defense Act of 1916 – expanded army, created National Guard, ROTC –, Navy Act of 1916, Selective Service Act of 1917, American Expeditionary Force. Organizing the war: War Industries Board, Food Administration, Railroad Administration, Fuel Administration, victory gardens – grow food yourself –, National War Labour Board. Financing the war: liberty bonds, news taxes (income and corporate).
Draft
May 1917, Congress passed the Selective Services Act, requiring all males between the ages of 21 and 30 (later 18-45) to register. National service would not only prepare the nation for battle but also instill patriotism and respect for oder, democracy and personal sacrifice.
War Industries Board
Headed by financier Bernard Baruch. Designed as a clearing-house for coordinating the national economy, the WIB made purchases, allocated supplies and fixed prices at levels that business requested. Ordered the standardization of goods to save materials and streamline production.
National Labour Board
Wilson instituted it in early 1918 to keep factories running smoothly. It discouraged strikes and lockouts and urged management to negotiate with existing unions. Makes sure everyone has a job.
Committee on Public Information
Formed April 1917, employed some of the nation’s most talented writers and scholars to shape and mobilize public opinion using propaganda. Demonized the Germans – thereby alienated German immigrants. Administration’s campaign to win support for the war. Encourage journalism’s “self-censorship” and neighbours to spy on each other.
Espionage and Sedition Acts
Espionage and Sedition Acts
Espionage Act of 1917 forbade “false statements” designed to impede draft or promote military insubordination. The Sedition Act of 1918 made it unlawful to obstruct the sale of war bonds and use disloyal or abusive language to describe the government, the military, the Constitution or the flag.
The Red Scare
The Russian Revolution and communist uprisings scared Americans, fears grew in 1919 when Soviet leadership announced the formation of Communist International.
The Palmer Raids
January 1920, planned by J. Edgar Hoover. Reflection of the Red Scare, in which government agents in 33 cities broke into meeting halls and homes without search warrants. More than 4,000 people were denied counsel and jailed.
The Paris Peace Conference
Wilson’s 14 points: article 10, hopes and warns against alliances, which will inevitably drag countries into conflict in the future. The Allied Powers decided the fate of Germany and other countries involved in the war.
Treaty of Versailles
The US didn’t sign because of the rise in isolationist sentiment (regarding world affairs) and reluctance/refusal to join the League of Nations (the one part of the 14th Points that European Powers welcomed). The Senate did not ratify it, so the US did not join the League. June 1919.
The Great Migration
Feeling stifled in comparison with urban way of life, 6 million Americans left farms for the city. They moved to regional centers or to the West. Streams of rural southerners moved to western industrial cities or to Chicago and Cleveland. African Americans made up 1.5 million of those Americans – pushed from cotton farming and lured by industrial jobs.
National Origins Act of 1924
Replaced Emergency Quota Act of 1921. Limited annual immigration to 150,000 people and set quotas at 2% of each nationality residing in the US in 1890, except for Asians (banned completely). Allowed foreign-born wives and children of US citizens to reside in the US without a quota.
Unilateralism vs Isolationism: 1920s vs 1930s
Isolationism is defined as a national policy of abstaining from political or economic relations with other countries. Unilateralism- undertaken or done by or on behalf of one side, party, or faction: not mutual. Relating to, occurring on, or involving one side only.
Washington Naval Conference
1922, Peace advocated influence Warren G. Harding’s Administration to convene the conference. Delegates from Britain, Japan, France, Italy, China, Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands joined a US team led by Secretary of State to discuss limits on naval armaments. Britain, the US and Japan were facing a naval arms’ race whose huge military spending endangered economic rehabilitation. US also feared Japan would overtake the US’ navy. Hughes offered to scrap 30 major US ships.
The Dawes Plan, 1924
Loans to Germany to help them re-establish themselves and repay their war debts.
The Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928
62 nations agreed to “condemn recourse to war for the solution of international controversies, and renounce it ass an instrument of national policy”. Lacked enforcement provisions. Reflected popular opinion that war was barbaric and wasteful, stimulated serious discussion about peace and war.
Warren Harding
An Ohio native and Republican, Harding was a successful newspaper publisher who served in the Ohio legislature and the U.S. Senate. In 1920, he won the general election in a landslide, promising a “return to normalcy” after the hardships of World War I (1914-1918). As president, he favored pro-business policies and limited immigration. Harding died suddenly in San Francisco in 1923, and was succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933). After Harding’s death, the Teapot Dome Scandal and other instances of corruption came to light, damaging his reputation.
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), the 30th U.S. president, led the nation through most of the Roaring Twenties, a decade of dynamic social and cultural change, materialism and excess. He took office on August 3, 1923, following the sudden death of President Warren G. Harding (1865-1923), whose administration was riddled with scandal. Nicknamed “Silent Cal” for his quiet, steadfast and frugal nature, Coolidge, a former Republican governor of Massachusetts, cleaned up the rampant corruption of the Harding administration and provided a model of stability and respectability for the American people in an era of fast-paced modernization. He was a pro-business conservative who favored tax cuts and limited government spending. Yet some of his laissez-faire policies also contributed to the economic problems that erupted into the Great Depression.
Herbert Hoover
Fused traditional value of individual hard work with modern emphasis on corporate action. Republican candidate in 1928. Quaker, wealthy mining engineer. US Food Administrator and head of the food relief for Europe during and after WW1. Secretary of Commerce, promoted associationalism – wanted to stimulate cooperative associational relationship between business and government. Believed economy would be self-regulatory.
Bonus Army
More than 15 thousand WWI veterans and their families converged on the capital as Congress debated a bill authorizing the immediate payment of cash “bonuses” they had been scheduled to receive in 1945. Set up shantytowns, and when the bill was opposed and marchers stayed on, Hoover sent in several infantry companies and troops of cavalry, who assaulted men, women and children with tear gas and burned down their tents.
Causes of the Great Depression
Agriculture languishing for decades, many areas, particularly the South, excluded from consumer society. Industried failed to sustain profit, fever of speculation, rash investment in California and Florida real estate and in stock market. Declining demand in most industries, underconsumption from income distribution and decreased amount of demand causing falling prices and wages. Businesses overloaded themselves with debt (misrepresented assets). International economic conditions.
Farming Crisis: food prices hit rock bottom, surpluses were dumped in global market, producing more only further lowered the prices. The Dust Bowl drove farmers off their land.
The Crash
October 29 1929, people begin to sell, prices begin to fall, panic sets in. Markets being to crash, fear leads to run on banks. Banks have loaned out all their money to those who were playing the market which they can no longer collect. Banks are forced to close their doors and declare bankruptcy
President’s Organization on Unemployment Relief (POUR)
Aimed to generate private contributions to aid the destitute. However, treasuries were drying up and charitable contributions were nowhere near adequate. Hoover, however, still believe it was not the government’s job to relieve individuals.
Election of 1932
Franklin D. Roosevelt running against Herbert Hoover. Won by a landslide – all but 3 states.
Franklin Roosevelt
Insisted that the federal government ought to play a much greater role. Democratic challenger. Supported direct relief payments for the unemployed, declaring it a matter of social duty. Committed to using the power of the government to combat the economic crisis.
The First New Deal
Mainly focused on helping the economy recover, instead of focusing on core social issues.
National Industry Recovery Act (NIRA), belief that the destructive competition had worsened the economy. Allowed competing businesses to cooperate in crafting industry-wide codes (for production, wages, prices). Hoped stabilization would increase consumer spending. Also allowed workers to unionize. It was voluntary – businesses flew the blue eagle if they agreed to it.
Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA), established a national system of crop controls, offered subsidies to farmers who agreed to limit production of certain crops – raised agricultural prices, but seen as a waste by those going hungry. Disaster for tenant farmers and sharecroppers.
Tennessee Valley Act, hoped to relieve an impoverished south by bringing water and hydropower to the rural areas of the south. Constructed dams and helped develop the economy. However, very environmentally damaging – caused acid rain, soil erosion and contaminated the water supply.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) hired young unmarried men to do hard labour – work relief.
