USA- changing political environment, 1917–80 Flashcards
Who were the presidents between 1917-33 (in order)?
Woodrow Wilson (1913-21), Warren G. Harding (1921-23), Calvin Coolidge (1923-29), Herbert Hoover (1929-33)
3 reasons for Rise in Republicanism up to 1933
1- Unpopularity of Democrats (Woodrow Wilson)
2- Republican Policies
3- First Red Scare
Why was Woodrow Wilson (and therefore the Democrats at the time) unpopular?
Despite his 1916 campaign slogan, “He kept us out of war”, Wilson led the US into WW1 in April 1917.
Many did not want to get involve in International Affairs yet he had created his 14 points, one of which included the idea of the League of Nations, which was opposed by the US, favouring more isolationist ideologies.
3 examples of Coolidge’s impact on tax?
He reduced surtax from 40% to 20%
Abolished gift tax
Halved estate tax
What unique platform did Roosevelt use to communicate with his audience? When?
Fireside chats, delivered from 1933 to 1944
Which 2 universities had anti war protests?
Howard and Colombia
What was the % fall in government trust from 1960 to 1974?
Trust in gov fell from 70% in 1960 to 40% by 1974
When did Ford pardon Nixon?
1974
When was the Seattle Strike? How many were involved and what was it for?
21st January 1919, 35,000 involved, workers were demanding higher wages and better conditions.
How many people were deported as a result of the first red scare?
556
What happened to Attorney General Palmer’s house and when?
In 1919, an anarchist bomb destroyed part of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer’s house and spread anarchist leaflets.
During January in what year, how many FBI raids were there (first red scare)?
1920, 33 raids
When and what was peak unemployment(%) during the Great Depression?
24.9% in 1933
How much did weekly earnings fall by during the Great Depression?
1/3
How much did total income of farmers fall from and too during the Great Depression (also specify dates)?
From $6 bil in 1929 to $2 bil in 1932
What did Hoover set up to tackle unemployment and when?
the Emergency Committee for Employment in 1930
What did homeless people live in during Hoover’s presidency?
Hoovervilles
What was established by Hoover to give financial aid to struggling banks during the Great Depression? Give details about spending in its first year?
The National Credit Corporation, only spent $10 mil of its $500 mil budget in its first year in 1931
How many were arrested during the Palmer Raids?
Around 6000 supposed ‘alien’ Communists or anarchists
Tell me about numbers that were drafted for WW1
In 1917, 5 mil men were drafted to fight in a war not all of them believed in.
What did Harding emphasise in his election campaign (which people of America were very in favour of)?
A return to ‘normalcy’
What was Harding like image wise?
He was personable, photogenic and
looked presidential.
What did Harding’s publicist do to increase his presentation to the public? Include his publishers name
Albert Lasker exploited all the available media- radio, magazines, movie clips, sound
recordings, billboards and newspapers.
What campaign promise did Harding fulfil? give statistics.
His promise to lower federal government expenditure, which the war had propelled from $500 million in 1913 to $5000 million in 1920. By 1922, expenditure was cut to $3373 million.
What bill did Harding clash with Congress over that would have protected African Americans?
Harding had urged Congress to enact an anti-lynching bill, but although the House passed it, Southern Democrats blocked it in the Senate.
Evidence of Harding’s popularity after his death?
Several million people lined the railroad tracks in tribute as his coffin was transported from San Francisco to Washington.
What tarnished Harding’s presidency?
The Teapot Dome scandal- although Harding himself had done nothing wrong, the involvement of several of his appointees in corruption tarnished his name.
What is one of the areas that can be seen as a change in the presidency under Coolidge?
His innovative public relations policies.
On average how many callers did Coolidge greet in the White House daily?
400
Give 3 examples of how Coolidge was likable to the public?
He made reassuring, statesmanlike speeches, never attacking his opponents, frequently cited the Bible.
He saw importance of visual images and gave crowd-pleasing photo opportunities, e.g. wearing cowboy and Indian costumes.
He was always willing to make a
joke and the public enjoyed hearing about his good sense of humour.
What belief did Hoover hold? Which book did he write and when which shows this?
Rugged individualism. Hoover wrote ‘American Individualism’ in 1922.
One way in which Hoover’s leadership skills were limited?
He handled congress badly.
What and when was the Bonus March?
In 1932, 40,000 WWI veterans demanded early bonuses in Washington. When police failed to remove them, Hoover sent the army, backing MacArthur’s destruction of their camp. (He lost a loooottttt of support from this)
What did Roosevelt blame Hoover for during the 1932 election campaign?
The Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression.
What was Roosevelt’s election campaign song?
‘Happy days are here again’
When was the First Deal?
1933-1934
When was the Second New Deal?
1935-1938
What is the full name for the CCC and what did it manage to do by when?
Civilian Conservation Corps. Provided jobs to 300,000 unemployed men by 1933
What was the full name for the AAA and what did it do by when?
Agricultural Adjustment Act, increased incomes by 50% by 1936
Evidence of Roosevelt as a people’s President?
his open-top limousine made a
four-hour election campaign procession through NYC in the rain, an estimated 3 mil spectators saw him giving his trademark cheery wave.
What popular Act regarding war was introduced by Roosevelt and when? and give evidence to show the popularity of this legislation.
1935 Neutrality Act, included in it is the prohibition of selling arms.
A February 1937 poll found 95% of Americans supportive of the new act and did not want America to participate in any future war.
When was Pearl Harbour?
7th December 1941
What shows the legislative conflict between Truman and Congress?
Truman vetoed 250 bills
passed by Congress, which overrode him 12 times.
How effective was Truman’s aggressive leadership style within domestic politics?
Truman’s aggressive leadership style did not serve him well in domestic politics. He failed to achieve social reform legislation and could not control anti-Communist hysteria
When was Truman elected as president?
1948
Example of personal campaign of Truman for 1948 election
Truman embarked upon a barnstorming 33-day, 30,000-mile whistle-stop train tour of the nation, defending his record and attacking the Republican ‘do-nothing Congress’. He loved addressing the people, and hundreds of thousands turned out to hear him.
What did one Illinois woman say was the reason she voted for Truman?
Because he was ‘the common man’s man’
How many votes did Truman defeat his opposition by in 1948 election (include name of opposition)?
he defeated Thomas E. Dewey by over 2 million votes.
What % of the vote did Eisenhower win?
55%
What did Eisenhower believe in and what probably influenced this?
Self-sufficiency, his experience of the “American Dream” from poor farm boy to President
2 examples of Eisenhower improving the welfare of America
Social Security benefits were increased and
coverage extended to 10 million more Americans in 1954, and the minimum wage was raised from 75 cents to $1 per hour in 1955.
What was Eisenhower like as a president, personality wise? And what did he aim to bring to politics
exuded magnetism, good humour and dependability. Eisenhower also aimed to bring a greater dignity and civility to politics.
Example of Russian Spies during the cold war? Include, dates, and names
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were American citizens convicted of passing nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union during World War II. Arrested in 1950 and convicted in 1951, they were executed in 1953, becoming the only Americans executed for espionage during the Cold War.
What Committee was set up to investigate McCarthy’s claims?
The Tydings Committee
Example of fear and lack of tolerance towards Communists from the public?
The sign “The only good communist is a dead communist” was displayed during Nikita Khrushchev’s 1959 US visit. Reflected the intense anti-communist sentiment during the Cold War.
Example of anti war protest in 1970? Be specific.
Anti-war protest at the Madison Army base in August 1970 led to one death and $60 mil in damage as some protesters damaged military equipment and tried to sabotage production.
Example of media’s contribution to anti-communist sentiment? Include date and Title.
‘Is This Tomorrow’ is a famous book published in 1947; it showed the danger that communism appeared to pose to the US.
What event showed the strength of communism?
China suffered a civil war in 1950 which showed the strength of communism as it took over.
Legislation which reflected attitudes to immigrants in the 20s
Emergency Quota Act of 1921 allowed 357,000 immigrants; reduced to 150,000 in 1924.
Example of impact of WW2 on economy
Industry profits rose from $17 mil in 1940 to $28 mil in 1943.
How many Americans were injured and died in WW2? And how many fought overall
Over 16 mil Americans fought in WW2, with 600,000 casualties and 400,000 deaths.
How many US soldiers died in the Korean War?
34,000 US soldiers died in the Korean War.
When was the Korean war?
1950-53
When was the Vietnam war?
1955-75
Evidence of Korean Wars impact on government spending?
14% of GNP was spent at its peak on defence during the Korean War, raised through tax increases and borrowing.
What policy was unpopular during the Vietnam war?
The draft policy
Example of undermining the president during the Korean War. (Include dates and what it led to)
During the Korean War General MacArthur went publicly against the President. He became increasingly outspoken, criticising Truman’s (in his opinion) over-cautious approach of the war. Sent a letter to Congress in April 1951 criticising what he saw as Truman’s mishandlings of the war. Truman fired MacArthur, which public opinion largely upset with the decision.
How many American soldiers died in the Vietnam War?
50,000
Example of spending on Vietnam?
$173 billion was spent funding the Vietnam by 1975.
Example of media exacerbating lack of confidence in the government in the late 60s.
Walter Cronkite was a journalist who helped uncover the atrocities in Vietnam. In 1968 he delivered an editorial claiming that the Vietnam War was “mired in stalemate”. Reflected the growing disillusionment and war fatigue among the American public.
What and when was the Truman Doctrine?
Truman Doctrine 1947, pledged American support for democracies against authoritarian threats to prevent the global growth of Communism.
When and what was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day standoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in October 1962 over Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. It brought the world to the brink of nuclear war but ended when the USSR agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba and the secret removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey.
Evidence of high spending on Nuclear weapons?
$8.89 trillion present day dollars was spent on nuclear weapons between 1940 and 1996.
What and when was the Bays of Pigs Invasion?
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed U.S.-backed attempt by Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro (PM of Cuba) in April 1961. Poor planning, lack of air support, and strong Cuban resistance led to a quick defeat, embarrassing the US and strengthening Castro’s rule.
Example of the Cold War increasing the Power of the President?
When Communist China threatened Taiwan in 1955, Eisenhower asked Congress for a free hand should he need to use military force to protect Taiwan. Congress agreed and thereby ceded its constitutional authority to declare war.
What was HUAC and when was it set up?
House of Un-American Activities Committee set up to battle communism in 1938 but had particular notoriety in the 50s
How did Truman contribute to the Red Scare? (2 examples)
His “Truman Doctrine’ speech of 1947 depicted a frightening world in which Communist expansionism so threatened US national security that it had to be opposed.
His Executive Order No. 9835 (1947) ordered an investigation into the loyalty of federal employees.
What shows the opinion of the public on Trumans approach to tackling communism?
A spring 1948 poll found that 73 per cent of Americans considered Truman too soft on Communism.
What did McCarthy do?
In a February 1950 speech, he claimed there were Communists in the Truman State Department. In the next four years, he encouraged a witch-hunt seeking Communists in positions of influence .
How many lost their jobs as a result of McCarthyism?
Around 500 state and local government employees, 600
school teachers and 150 college professors lost their jobs.
What contributed to McCarthy’s downfall?
In 1954, McCarthy investigated alleged communist traitors in the Army, but Eisenhower blocked access to records, weakening the hearings and reducing McCarthy to a bully.
Limitations of Kennedy’s presidency?
He was slow to take up the cause of civil rights and his legislative
record was unimpressive.
What was Kennedy’s New Frontier?
Kennedy’s New Frontier was his vision for progress, emphasizing civil rights, social programs, and space exploration.
When was Kennedy assassinated?
1961
When was Johnson elected as President
1964
2 pieces of evidence which support Johnson’s unpopularity due to his approach to to Vietnam War.
By December 1967, he had 535,000
troops participating in the unsuccessful war in Vietnam.
He ended up limiting his public appearances to avoid chants of, ‘Hey, hey, LBJ, how many boys
have you killed today?’
How much did the federal government deficit increase from and to due to the war?
The war that increased the federal government deficit from $1.6 billion in 1965 to $25.3 billion in 1968.
Evidence showing Johnson’s prioritisation of Vietnam over his Great Society.
Between 1965 and 1973, $15.5 billion was spent on the Great Society, but $120 billion on Vietnam.
What was Johnson’s Great Society?
Johnson’s Great Society was a set of programs in the 1960s aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice. It expanded civil rights, healthcare, education, and social welfare.
Event showing the growth in “hippies” and counterculture
The 1969 Woodstock music festival, where attendance was 400,000 and the favourite slogan was ‘Make love not war’.
What and when was the Watergate Scandal?
The Watergate scandal (1972–1974) began with a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and escalated when Nixon tried to cover it up. Investigations revealed abuse of power.
When did Nixon resign?
August 1974
What impact did Ford pardoning Nixon have on Ford’s approval ratings?
Sank from 71% to 49% and never really recovered.
What did the 1976 presidential election see voters wise?
Only 54% of eligible Americans voted
Give me statistics from the polls about whether Americans agreed that the ‘people running the country do not really
care about what happens to you’
In 1969, 26% agreed.
In 1979, 60% agreed
By 1979 what % of American’s believed their country was ‘in deep and serious trouble’.
41%
Example of violence at anti-Vietnam protest.
National Guardsmen fire killed four
students and wounded 11 others after protests at Kent State, Ohio, in 1970.
example of violence reflecting agitation and the deep divisions in American society over war, race, and political direction.
In 1969-70, there were 1577 bombings or attempted bombings.
