America 1917-1980 - Presidents

topic 1

Wilson’s ideas

Interventionist, ‘reformation’ of America (fitting with progressive movement)

Harding’s ideas

Rejected internationalism, reduction of taxes, committee to address the ‘race question’

Coolidge’s ideas

Pro-business stance, did very little

Hoover’s ideas

Too little to late - realised laissez-faire wasn’t working

Roosevelt’s influence

Executive Office of the President

Set up by FDR to facilitate passing of executive orders

Roosevelt’s communication with the people

Instituted fireside chats, held bi-weekly ‘off the record’ press meetings

Packing of the Supreme Court - FDR

Attempt to replace every Supreme Court judge over seventy (6 out of 9)

Roosevelt and WW2

Made to be far less interventionist - involvement made him a patriotc figure

Truman’s ideas

Forced to enter Cold War due to being seen as weak in post-FDR crisis of confidence

22nd Ammendment

1951 - presidents can only run two terms

Eisenhower political climate

Continuity of domestic affairs and avoidance of foreign ones

Eisenhower’s leadership style

Patriotic respect due to war - began tradition of using recording systems due to insecurity

Eisenhower policies

Foreign policy expanded sponsoring covert actions to prevent unamericanism , extended social security to 10 million more

Kennedy’s Leadership

Young and charismatic, offered Americans a set of challenges in new Frontier, focus on foreign policy

Johnson’s war on poverty

Reformed social legislation, able to pass an unprecedented amount due to Congress’ need to rally around JFK successor

Johnson’s escalation of Vietnam war

Sent 535,000 troops by 1967 - escalation led to tax rises, inflation and sharpened class and racial antagonism

Nixon’s leadership

Operated 1968 campaign on platform of a ‘secret plan’ to end Vietnam, paranoid presidency obsessed with keeping power

Watergate scandal

Burglers arrested in DNC for wiretapping, Nixon’s refusal to surrender tapes meant he was threatened with impeachment and resigned on August 5th

Ford’s ideas

‘Whip Inflation Now’; plea for Americans to shop better

Carter’s ideas

Turned foreign policy away from Cold War to third world countries (1978 Panama Canal treaty), Crisis of Confidence speech attacked Americans for Economic decline

Decline in trust

Media focused on reveal of corruption and mishandling of events - unhealed by rise in anti-war counter-culture

First Red Scare; fears of communism

Unregulated economy seen as key to American dream - played directly agents communist ‘one party’ equal distribution of wealth

1919 strikes and Palmer riots

3600 strikes with 1/5 of Americans participating, Attonrey Gernal palmer’s house was destroyed by a bomb prompting arrest of 6000 ‘aliens’

Laissez-faire

Republican attitude to not control economy and only keep the government’s own spending under control

Rugged Individualism

Presented individuals as responsible for their own lives - as little government involvement as possible

Great Depression impact on policy

Forced government to become more involved in budget

First New Deal focus

1933-34; Basic Processes

National Recovery Agency

Agreed a maximum number of hours per weak, minimum wage and right to organise trade unions - ruled unconstitutional in 1937

Public Works Administration

Created work for unemployed industrial workers

Second New Deal focus

1935-38; targeted policy

Social Security Act

Introduced compulsory system of old-age pensions and joint federal-state systems of unemployment insurance - Republican extension of scheme in 1944

National Labour Relations Act

Gave protection to workers so they could not be sacked and could fight for better pay

House of Un-American Activities Communion

Set up during depression but extended during Second Red Scare - promoted investigations of Hollywood, Broadway and federal Bureaucracy

McCarran Act

1950; forced remembers of communist-affiliated organisations to register with the government or risk imprisonment

Impact of McCarthy opinion

1948 poll; 63% of Americans considered Truman too soft on communism

Impact of McCarthy investigations

1952-54; congressional investigations into communism contributed to 500 government employees, 600 teachers and 150 college professors losing their jobs

Anti-communism and curbing civil liberties

FBI given powers to open letters, tap phones and bug office, removing 1/3 books in 1950

Students for a Democratic Society 1960-74

Violent protests - denounced conventional politicos as having forgotten the principle of all men being created equal

Berkeley Free Speech Movement 1964

Peaceful protests - Protest over a student being arrested for campaigning for CORE lasted 2 months with over 700 arrests

1967 ‘stop the draft’ week

2000 officers attacked protesting students with clubs

Woodstock festival 15-18th August 1969

Sold 200,000 tickets - Raised awareness of different religions, environmentalism and more liberal attitudes towards sex and drugs

Conservative reaction to counter-culture

Nixon’s campaign on New Right policies brought many old Democrats to vote for Republicans

Post WW1 return to Normalcy

Harding’s plans to face unemployment and depression led to increased support for Republicans

Post-WW1 isolationsim

As tariffs on external trade were introduced, the push to 'buy American' grew making the economy prosper - people able to buy good via 'hire purchase'

WW2 Neutrality legislation

FDR signed in 1935 - concerns that ban on selling arms might hurt US economy led to provision of selling on ‘cash and carry’ basis (1937)

Lend-lease scheme

December 1930; Churchill told FDR that Britain could no longer pay for goods - scheme proposed in which weapons would be returned (scheme worth $51 billion by 1945)

Pearl Harbour 8th December 1941

Us entered war after Japanese forces bombed US fleet - industry profits rose by 11 million by 1943

1947 National Security Act

Made president commander-in-chief, enlarged size of armed forces, created CIA