USA unit 1 (0.1) Flashcards
What political party was Wilson part of? Did he get elected for two terms?
What war did Wilson take the USA into?
-Wilson, a progressive Democrat, was relelected president in 1916 and served a second term from 1917-21.
-He took the USA into WWI the end of the war did not leave the USA as bad as the rest of Europe.
What feeling did WWI create in the USA?
A mood of disillusionment. By 1920, Wilsonian, was out of fashion.
What happened to Wilson in 1919 and what did this mean for reforms?
Incapacitated by a stroke in 1919, Wilson proposed no further reform mesaures during his last two years in office.
What happened in the 1920 election
campaign?
-Republicans chose Harding, a conservative as their presidential candidate. Democrats chose Cox.
-Cox tried to make membership of the League of Nations his main campaign issue.
What were voters more concerned about?
-Voters were more concerned about rising inflation and industrial strife which they blamed on the party in power.
What did Harding say to win the election?
-Harding said little about anything. In a bland speech, he declared that ‘America’s present is not heroics but healing, not nonstrums but normalcy’.
-This won him 61% of the vote.
During Republican dominance in 1921-29 what were they sympathetic to?
Big business. Republicans believed that government intervention in the economy should be kept to a minimum.
What were Harding’s values? Who did he appoint to posts?
An amiable conservative. He appointed able men to posts. I.e. Hoover became secretatry of commerce.
-Harding gave other posts to his ‘Ohio gang’.
What emerged about Harding’s adiministration in 1923?
It emerged that there was extensive corruption in his administration.
-Several men were imprisoned for misapporpriating funds or accepting bribes.
-Harding himself was not personally implicated in the activities.
How did Coolidge first become president?
-After the death of Harding (1923) Vice president Coolidge took charge.
What comments can be made about the character of Coolidge? What economic philosophy did he subscribe to?
-Honest, incorruptible, he did not smoke, drink play cards or chase women like Harding.
-Had a laissez-faire philosophy. ‘Business of America .. is business.’
What was Coolidge a symbol of to Americans? Did he do or say a lot during his time in power?
-Coolidge became a symbol of traditional values threatened by the forces of change.
-He did and said very little but the USA remained prosperous.
What happened in the 1928 election?
Who was Hoover?
-Coolidge refused to stand in 1928, Republicans selected Hoover to replace him.
-A self made millionaire before age of 40.
-Smith a Catholic who campaigned for prohibition were two issues of his campaign.
Who was Hoover?
Efficient and a humanitarian, nicknamed ‘wonder boy’.
What problems did Hoover face.
Hoover soon faced serious economic problems.
-1929 the value of stocks and shares plummeted .
-Wall street crashed bringing the Great Depression.
