WWI - Cold War Flashcards
WWI (1914-1918) - Isolationism/Neutrality vs. “Making the World Safe for Democracy”
-When the war broke out in 1914, the U.S. initially stays true to its foreign policy objective of isolationism and neutrality
However, America soon joined the war:
Main reason: Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare (U-boats destroyed American merchant ships which carried civilians)
Immediate Causes:
1) Sinking of the Lusitania—128 Americans killed by a German U-boat
2) (Zimmerman Telegram) 1917- a letter supposedly written by the German foreign minister to the Emperor of Mexico asking for Mexican aid to fight against the U.S. who was going to enter the war. Supposedly intercepted by the British and then, the letter was sent to the U.S., which angered the Americans…increased public support to declare war on Germany. (The Germans promised to help the Mexicans reclaim the land they lost like Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, from the Mexican-American War, if they helped fight against the Americans)—Many scholars theorized that the British made up this letter to incite them to join their side.
-So, U.S. declares war on Germany in spring 1917.
-Quick mobilization with the Selective Service Act (Draft)
-Millions of Americans join the war effort…either by fighting (men) or in non-combat positions at home or abroad.
-Propaganda was used to convince people to help (“The War to end all wars”
“The War to make the world safe for democracy”) These slogans were very popular and increased public support for the war. But they were not the reason we fought…we fought to stop the unrestricted German submarine warfare on our merchant ships. But a slogan of “This is the war to keep rich people rich,” would not gain popular support.
-People also helped via food/fuel rationing and buying war bonds
-The fact that many men went to war, opened opportunities in the workplace for 2 groups of people:
1) Women- women had to take the jobs of men both on the farms and in the factories to support the war effort
2) African Americans- The Great Migration- millions of black Americans moved to the North to work in factories and escape worse social/political conditions in the South
The Great Migration
Millions of black Americans moved to the North to work in factories and escape worse social/political conditions in the South—Even though factory labor was horrible, being a sharecropper in the south was worse. (There were black people in the north, just not a lot. After this, there were heavy black populations in the north)
Espionage and Sedition Acts
While patriotism and nationalism was necessary to support the war effort, it also led to intolerance, discrimination, and a loss of some individual rights—These Acts were passed by Congress to prevent spying and resistance to the war effort. But the law was very broad and it ensnared a lot of innocent people. The purpose of the law was to stop any criticism of the War or of the government. (Ex. People were spying on their neighbors and they would be thrown in jail if they indicated, no matter how minor, that they may be a spy)
Schenck v. U.S.- 1919
(speech is not fully protected)
-Supreme Court case- ruled that during times of war, your free speech can be restricted, especially if that speech is said to present a “clear and present danger” to the nation. “You can’t shout fire in a crowded theater”. (This free speech causes panic and puts people in harm’s way—-like if someone yells “shark”)
(story: Schenck urges people to resist the draft—he’s arrested for violating the espionage act. In prison, he sues the federal government for violating his rights…The Supreme Court rules against him. The government comes up with this)
Palmer Raids
Attorney General Palmer set up “raids”, targeting suspected anarchists, communists, “subversives.” Many immigrants targeted and imprisoned with very little evidence, deported, etc.——Palmer supported the Red Scare (fear of communism after the Russian Revolution which led to anti-immigrant feelings and hatred towards commies)
Wilson’s Fourteen Points
WWI comes to an end in 1918- Pres. Wilson helps to negotiate the peace at Versailles. He has a plan for the peace treaty that is known as Wilson’s Fourteen Points. These were 14 items that Wilson believes if the world follows, it will prevent large scale international conflicts in the future.
Examples:
-Freedom of the Seas
-Open Treaties (No secret treaties)
-Free Trade
-Arms Reduction
-Self-Determination (nations should be able to be independent and run their own govts).
-But Wilson’s most important of the 14 Points to him, was the formation of the League of Nations- an organization aimed at promoting peace internationally…supporting diplomacy instead of war.
-Wilson is trying to convince the other Allies to adopt the 14 Points. The Allies (Britain, France) don’t support most of them. But they do support the League of Nations. So, since this was most important to Wilson, he supports the signing of the Versailles Treaty.
-However, all presidential treaties must be ratified by the Senate. They, along with most of the American public, oppose the treaty because they want the U.S. to return to its traditional foreign policy objective of isolationism/neutrality. If we signed the treaty, and joined the League of Nations, we would be the leaders of this organization and would not be isolationist.
League of Nations
(Part of Wilson’s Fourteen Points)
-But Wilson’s most important of the 14 Points to him, was the formation of the League of Nations- an organization aimed at promoting peace internationally…supporting diplomacy instead of war.
-Wilson is trying to convince the other Allies to adopt the 14 Points. The Allies (Britain, France) don’t support most of them. But they do support the League of Nations. So, since this was most important to Wilson, he supports the signing of the Versailles Treaty.
-However, all presidential treaties must be ratified by the Senate. They, along with most of the American public, oppose the treaty because they want the U.S. to return to its traditional foreign policy objective of isolationism/neutrality. If we signed the treaty, and joined the League of Nations, we would be the leaders of this organization and would not be isolationist.
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany and the Allied Nations on June 28, 1919, formally ending World War One. The terms of the treaty required that Germany pay financial reparations, disarm, lose territory, and give up all of its overseas colonies.
(America, more specifically the Senate, rejected the Treaty of Versailles)
The 1920s
After WWI, there were many post-war problems:
1. Inflation due to gov’t spending
2. Farmers hit hard due to overproduction after the war
3. Labor unrest…lots of strikes by workers
4. Red Scare- after the Russian Revolution, lots of fear of communism spreading to the U.S. This led to anti-immigrant feelings. KKK is revitalized…targeting immigrants, especially Eastern European (Russian) immigrants of Jewish heritage. (And Palmer Raids)
5. Race riots as a result of the Great Migration
“Return to Normalcy” / Isolationism / Return to Laissez-Faire
-After WWI, many Americans wanted to remove the nation from outside involvement in world politics. They wanted a “return to normalcy.” This meant a return to isolationism in our foreign policy. This was supported by the three presidents of the 1920s, all Republicans= Harding, Coolidge, Hoover
-All three of these presidents, along with a majority in Congress, also wanted a shift away from the Progressive Era. They wanted less gov’t regulation of business. We saw a return to laissez-faire. (no government interference in business)
-Industrialization also increased
Henry Ford (Assembly Line)
Industrialization greatly increased in the 1920’s. Much of this is due to automation/the assembly line. This was perfected by Henry Ford with automobiles. Henry Ford was a great inventor and businessman, but a terrible person. He was deeply anti-Semetic (hated Jews) and supported the rise of Hitler and the Nazis in Germany in the 1930s. Workers’ real wages (the amount of money their dollar can buy) barely rose at this time, while businesses reaped huge profits.
-Despite challenges relating to farmers’ overproduction and workers real wages not going up, the middle class was growing. The biggest consumer item of the 1920s that symbolized the rise of the middle class was the automobile. Automation and the assembly line was perfected by the 1920s which made cars much more affordable. (People had a newfound sense of independence/freedom)
Nativism- KKK, National Origins Act, Emergency Quota Act
During the 1920s, due to a rise in nativism and a rising population (meaning business and the gov’t didn’t “need” more cheap labor anymore), there was a large reduction in the number of immigrants allowed by law to come to America. (There were many immigrants and the other Americans hated them) —Immigrants were once needed but no longer because the original immigrants had kids—America had enough workers from Europe.
- Emergency Quota Act-1921
- National Origins Act-1924
These laws severely reduced the number of immigrants allowed to come to the country. They also specifically targeted certain immigrants…based on where they were from as being less “desirable” to our “ways of life.” It reduced the number of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe (“Desirable immigrants” were from the northwest, those from the southeast were prejudiced against because they tended to be Jews and Catholics—Italians, Poles etc.)
-Sacco and Vanzetti case- another example of nativism (anti-immigrant sentiment).—-Two immigrants that were found guilty for a violent crime and were executed even though there was little evidence —They were killed for who they were (Catholic, anarchist Italians)
-Also, the KKK
The radio
The radio becomes a very important consumer item during the 1920s. Most Americans had one and everyone listened to the same things which included:
-Music (Jazz), radio programs (cowboy/westerns, soap operas, superhero stories), news, sports (sports were unpopular, but became popular with the invention of the radio).
-The advertisements on commercials helped to homogenize American culture…meaning made “one” America—-it unified Americans and created an American identity
Prohibition
Two new Constitutional Amendments are ratified (passed) after WWI=
1. 18th Amendment- 1919- Prohibition
2. 19th Amendment- 1920- Women’s suffrage
(along with suffrage, during the roaring twenties, flappers emerged—they were independent, outspoken, and did the opposite of what men wanted them to. Such as wearing pants, not getting married/starting a family, cut their hair, smoked/drank)
(Prohibition made alcohol illegal. However by doing so, organized crime increased and mafias were created)
Scopes Trial
The significance of this court case was the clash of science vs. religion——–”The Monkey Trial” : Scopes was a biology teacher and taught his students about evolution in Tennessee—-but it was against the law (because the government was religious and tolerated nothing else). He was arrested and sent to jail—-his lawyers argued that this arrest was against the constitution and went against “separation of church and state”. ………Scopes was found guilty, but his lawyer made the opposition look stupid
Harlem Renaissance
important cultural movement for black people. Contributions in the arts (music, literature, art, dance). Famous individuals of the Harlem Renaissance included Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong (jazz musicians), Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Dubois (writers), Marcus Garvey (Rich Jamaican activist—argues for self-reliance of black people—that black people have to help themselves and cannot rely on white people. —-Was radical in his idea of black separatism: He launches the “Back to Africa” movement. He thought: “If white people don’t want me, I don’t want them”) —-Jazz was created
Causes of the Great Depression (1929-1941)
Throughout the 1920s, there were many factors that snowballed and that ultimately led to the Depression:
1) Overspeculation- Many Americans invested heavily, especially in the Stock Market. There was a false belief that stocks would never come down in price.
2) On Margin Buying- Many Americans borrowed money in order to invest in things like stocks and real estate. Many stock brokers invested their own money that was also on margin. This led to the Stock market Crash of 1929.
3) Overproduction- Due to the end of WWI in 1919, the 1920s saw an overproduction of both farm and industrial goods.
4) Banks failed due to no gov’t regulation and banks investing in the Stock Market
5) Unequal Distribution of Income/Wealth
-After the stock market crash which begins the Great Depression, President Hoover tries to calm Americans. He says “prosperity is just around the corner.” But because he believed in laissez-faire, he and his gov’t did not do anything to help people that lost their jobs, lost their life savings, became poor, or were starving.
-Unemployment was at approx 25 percent
-Because of Hooover’s attitude, he became very unpopular in America. Poor neighborhoods were nicknamed “Hoovervilles.”
-Many army veterans of WWI were unemployed as the Depression began. They marched on Washington, D.C., demanding that a bonus that was going to be paid to them, be paid early. They were nicknamed the Bonus Army. They refused to leave D.C. until they were paid by the federal government. President Hoover calls in troops, who fired on these Army veterans.
-As bad as it was in the cities…it was equally bad in the countryside for farmers. Climate problems and overproduction devastated farmers. In the West, this also led to the Dust Bowl.
Great Depression and FDR
-As a result of the Depression, most Americans wanted a turn away from laissez-faire, which Republicans supported, to a gov’t that believed it was the job of the gov’t to help people in the form of direct aid, which Democrats supported.
-This led to the election of FDR in the 1932 presidential election, along with a majority of Democrats elected to Congress.
-FDR was a skilled politician, which is needed during times of crisis. He used the radio to deliver weekly radio addresses to the American people known as the “fireside chats.”
-FDR’s plan to get the U.S. out of the Depression as quickly as possible was known as the New Deal. It was a series of reforms/laws that he pushed Congress to pass. There were 3 main goals of the New Deal known as the 3 Rs.:
1) Relief- for the people who were suffering during the Depression
2) Recovery- for the economy to allow it to prosper again
3) Reform- programs to ensure that another Depression like this doesn’t happen again in the future
New Deal (not on rv. sheet)
RELIEF
-Emergency banking Act- FDR closed all the nation’s banks. This was called the Bank Holiday. Banks could only reopen when they could prove that they wouldn’t lose your money
-FERA- Federal Emergency Relief Act- gave federal money directly to states and cities to give to poor, hungry, homeless people
-PWA- Public Works Administration- The PWA provided jobs on construction projects such as building houses, hospitals, schools.
-Pump Priming- The gov’t would engage in deficit spending- spending more than it made…go into short term debt..in order to stimulate the economy and give it a jump start. This would come in the form of jobs and would encourage the building of necessary projects. With more people with jobs, incomes/wages increased, they would now spend more money, would increase demand, which would cause a positive economic flow.
-CCC- Civilian Conservation Corps- Provided millions of jobs in conserving natural resources (planting trees, etc).
-TVA Tennessee Valley Authority- provided jobs along with cheap electricity and flood control to poor rural areas in a 7 state region—–created jobs to build dams (which control the flow of water and produce hydroelectricity). There was now cheap electricity for the 7 state region (People got mad because their state wasn’t included or because the government controlled electricity which made them seem communist)
RECOVERY
-NRA- National Recovery Act- worked with businesses to promote fair trade, fair prices, fair wages, and maximum hours for workers. The NRA was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1935.
-FHA= Federal Housing Administration- Insured bank mortgages by the federal gov’t.
REFORM:
-Fair Labor Standards Act- Set the first minimum wage and maximum work week for workers. Also banned child labor.
