US history final- important proper nouns

important very early dates

1776: DOI is signed

1777: the AOC are written, last 10 years

1788: constitution is ratified

1789: washington is the first president

1791: BOR added

1808: slave trade is banned

Declaration of independence

• written by Thomas Jefferson

• no laws, only ideas

• The right to alter/abolish government, states greivances against the king and says America is an independent country

The Constitution

written at the constitutional convention, establishes the US government. Strikes a balance between power and liberty.

article 1 establishes legislative branch. article 2 establishes executive branch. article 3 establishes judiciary branch. Bill of rights added later.

Continental congress

governing body with delegates from each state, helps run america before the constitution

Treaty of paris

 agreement between Britain and America that recognizes American independence and establishes borders

Article of confederation

first iteration of a constitution, drafted 1777 and lasted 10 years. Did not work because it did not give the government enough power, and so the colonies were not united,

shays’s rebellion

rebellion by farmers in 1786 against the idea that only rich people had liberty in the new country, was the breaking point for the amendment of the AOC and drafting of the constitution

checks and balances

legislative branch can impeach judges and the president and can override vetos.

Executive branch can appoint judges and veto legislation 

Judicial branch can declare acts unconstitutional

electoral college

Electoral votes per state: # reps + # senators (# of electors), each elector gets 1/538 possible votes, and the president needs 270 votes to win. 

• Voters vote for electors to place their vote, people do not directly vote for the president.

• This is a representative democracy, not a direct democracy. 

fugitive slave clause (1800s)

 if a slave escapes to a free state, the owner can request the slave to be returned

federalists

 ( → federalists → republicans)

• Supported ratification of the constitution 

• Northerners, well educated, bankers and rich 

• Wanted a strong central government with a prosperous economy, wanted power to be left to the well educated, feared too much democracy 

• Generally opposed slavery 

• Alexander hamilton, james madison, john jay 

• Loose interpretation of constitution

anti federalists

 ( → democratic republicans → democrats)

• Opposed ratification of the constitution

• Southerners, farmers and plantation owners

• Wanted power to be left more to the states, because this would allow slavery to persist 

• Wanted government of the common man, feared tyrannical government

• George mason, patrick henry, thomas jefferson  

• strict interpretation of constitution

judicial views

Living constitutionalism- (liberal) the constitution is evolving and we should think of it in a modern context. Originalism: (conservative)- look at issues as the founding fathers would have. Textualism: (conservative)- use words from constitution to evaluate

bill of rights amendments

1. Freedom of speech, religion, petition, assembly, press

2. Right to bear arms

3. Quartering soldiers

4. Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures 

5. Rights of the accused (remain silent, due process, no double jeapordy)

6. Fair trial (speedy and public, impartial jury, lawyer, know your charges)

7. Right to a jury trial in civil cases

8. Protection from cruel and unusual punishment 

9. Other rights

10. Other state rights

george washington

becomes the first president in 1789: he has no party affiliation, is not self serving and steps down. VP: John Adams. Treasury Secretary: Hamilton. State Secretary: Jefferson 

First national bank 1790

derived from the necessary and proper clause, moves the US towards capitalism and is a symbol of class division and capitalist vs. federalist views 

whiskey rebellion 1794

tax on whiskey manufacturing, people rebel and Hamilton uses the military to shut down the rebellion (strong government exercised)

alien and sedition acts 1798

John Adams passes a low so he can deport foreigners and restrict government-critical speech… this is unconstitutional but goes unchallenged because the constitution does not say who decides constitutionality

jefferson’s theory of nullification

states can nullify laws: the kentucky and virginia resolutions were passed in response to A + S acts stating this theory ^

thomas jefferson

president 1801, Democratic republican and he (along with the next 6 DR presidents) attempt to undo the federalist founding, with only a little bit of success. 

• He cuts military spending, reduces debt and cuts taxes, and lets the alien and sedition acts expire 

The marshall court 1801-1836

• John Marshall is appointed Chief Justice, he perpetuates the federalist influence 

3 constitutional interpretations: 

1. SCOTUS decides constitutionality (Judicial review, established in Marbury v. Madison)

2. The necessary and proper clause is constitutional 

3. Federal law is superior to state law (decided in McCulloch v Maryland)

andrew jackson

 president 1829-1837 

• Democratic, interested in fame and attention, not privileged

• He advocates for the common man (defined as a white slave owner), he believes the industrial revolution (moral decay), native americans (take land) and anti slavery sentiment are threats 

• He wants to replenish agrarian society 

• He was lowkey crazy and exercised extreme power, not obeying laws- uses authority to promote democracy

Jacksonian democracy

Spoils system: Jackson replaces everyone in political office, claiming he is appointing people who represent the common man. He really puts people who think government should have less power in office.

Indian removal act: Jackson thought native Americans were inferior, he wanted to pass a law to forcibly take their land. 

Worcester v. Georgia: Native american sues the government because they are sovereign but aren’t recognized that way; SCOTUS sides with the native americans but Jackson forcibly removes native americans anyway

1832 nullification crisis

congress passes tariffs to incentivize domestic purchase, this unfairly benefits the North and so John Calhoun puts together essays claiming that states can nullify laws and if the constitution can’t accept this, South Carolina will leave the states

• Jackson does not support this because if the states leave, the US would end

Parties/political views 1780s-1830s:

Federalists- government is independent of states, national power should be used to promote the nation’s interests 

Jeffersonian Democrats- State power exists for the sake of the people, states can nullify laws 

Jacksonian Democrats- national power should be used for the people (=white male farmers), the executive branch has the final say. The government is a separate entity but derives its will solely from the people 

*these views align with geography

Compromise of the 1830s-

(during western expansion) meant to appease both pro and anti-slavery states: for free states, california is admitted as a free state and the slave trade ends in DC, but for slave states, stronger fugitive slave law and slavery is legal in utah and mexico

william lloyd garrison

radical abolitionist of the 1800s

John Calhoun

pro slavery advocate of the 1800s, said god made people unequal, slavery provides structure for the helpless slave, slaves are property 

dred scott v sanford 1857

 Supreme Court ruled that enslaved people were not citizens and therefore could not sue in federal court (slaves are not citizens).

the secession

southern states leave the US following the election of Abraham Lincoln, they don’t feel represented in government and want slavery to be legal

reconstruction era

1863-1877, period of economic, social and political transformation in the wake of the civil war.

south/democrats: wanted more state power, sided with presdient

north/republicans: wanted more federal power, sided with legislative branch, had more radical ideas about slave integration into society

three reconstruction views

Radical republicans: the civil war happened for a racially equal US, federal government should promote equality of opportunity and outcome- they (unsucessfully) propose the wade davis bill

Moderate republicans: civil war ends slavery and promotes racial equality, but government should be used only for equality of opportunity because equality of outcome rises naturally from capitalism- 10% plan  

southerners/democrats: government should play no role in influencing what happens to emancipated slaves, whites are still superior, seceded states should be able to join with no consequences 

• Johnson’s plan (is signed into law)- south comes back with no consequences, no protection for former slaves, only confederates with wealth are punished.

freedman’s bureau 1865-1872

establishes school to educate slaves, abandoned land restored to former slaves, elderly are given assistance

13th amendment passed 1864

makes slavery illegal but does not give black people citizenship

Andrew Johnson

Democrat- becomes president when Lincoln is assassinated- Lincoln had chosen him as VP to appease the south, and he is impeached in 1876 (pursued by radical republicans) for violating tenure of office act.

• against slavery because he thought it was bad for poor whites

• white supremacist

phases of reconstruction (+black codes)

End of war/Lincoln phase- Freedman’s Bureau and Johnson’s plan is signed. 13th amendment is passed, making slavery illegal but not giving black people citizenship. 

Johnson + presidential reconstruction phase- southern states are inconsequentially reintegrated, black codes are passed in 1865 (black people cannot testify against whites, be on a Jury, or vote), and convict leasing sparks an incentive to incarcerate black americans 

Radical reconstruction phase- confederates are expelled from office, republicans have total power, they are in conflict with Johnson (civil rights act, 14th and 15th amendment)

end of reconstruction phase 4 --  SCOTUS undermines reconstruction with many court cases that diminish citizenship rights

1866 civil rights act + 14th amendment

Civil rights act 1866: states that citizenship = born in US

14th amendment 1866: Defines who a citizen is (born in US), states that all people are equal under the law. Citizenship clause- provides a broad definition of citizenship, overrules dred scott v sanford. Due process clause- as a citizen you have unalienable rights. Substantive due process- if government wants to limit these rights there must be a compelling reason. Equal protection clause- equal protection under the law.

15th amendment 1870

grants black men the right to vote, but in the negative rights framing so states find other basis to restrict voting rights on

SCOTUS undermines reconstruction court cases + plessy v ferguson 1896

SCOTUS says jim crow laws do not violate the 14th amendment, separate but equal is okay. 

After this, the South gets more racist and the North abandons reconstruction

end of reconstruction 1876

epublicans say they will take troops out of South if the republican candidate can win, reconstruction efforts end and racial inequality continues 

The Gilded Age

after reconstruction, 1877-1900. Economic liberty = freedom, rejection of federal power

republican + democratic gilded age shifts

Republican (northern rich whites, blacks) shift- Laissez Faire, they want less government intervention to promote free market liberty 

Democratic shift (white southerners and immigrants, farmers)- common man is now the factory worker and capitalism is now good, whites are still superior. 

gilded age redefinition of 14th amendment + lochner v new york

Allgeyer v. Louisiana and Lochner vs. New York say liberty of contract is important, you cannot restrict working hours. *lochner vs. NY imposes minimum wage, cannot regulate working hours, implements unregulated capitalism 

progressive era 1897-1920

• Group of middle class reformers, wanted to fix societal issues from the Gilded Age and socially engineer a perfect society, but did not want racial equality- with economics and social work. They thought the government needed more power, government size grows 

• economic, labor, election reforms, prohibition and eugenics

progressive era amendments

17th amendment 1913- gave people more voice in government (referendum, recall, direct primaries)

8th amendment makes alcohol illegal but does not define what alcoholic is. 21st amendment repeals this ban on alcohol.

19th amendment 1920- Women’s suffrage  

 16th amendment imposes federal income tax (government is finally interfering in economy)

progressive era election reform

direct primaries; voters choose party nominees. Referendum; voters can petition for legislation. Recall; voters can vote to remove people from office

17th amendment 1913- gave people more voice in government (referendum, recall, direct primaries)

19th amendment 1920- Women’s suffrage  

progressive era economic reform

protection against corporate monopolies, 16th amendment imposes federal income tax (government is finally interfering in economy) 

progressive era labor reform

Keating owen act makes it unconstitutional to sell child labor goods (does not outlaw). Women’s working hours are restricted (good, but also sexist). Strides towards reform, but not super successful

progressive era Eugenics (attempt to curate reproduction

Buck V bell: forcible sterilization is not unconstitutional. Margaret Sanger spread information about birth control. Comstock acts make it illegal to share information about contraceptives (to enhance sterilization). People wanted less child labor, more controlled births… not democracy

progressive era prohibition

18th amendment makes alcohol illegal but does not define what alcoholic is. 21st amendment repeals this ban on alcohol.

reconstruction amendmnets

13- ends slavery

14- defines citizenship + equal protection

15- black men can vote

the 1920s

Republicans dominate the presidency during this time, valuing capitalism, laissez faire, high taxes… supporting minimal government intervention 

Democrats have changed, they now incorporate northern factory workers, immigrants, etc., and they are now divided into opposers and supporters of prohibition 

Economy becomes very consumer based- car culture, assembly lines, etc. 

the great depression causes

5 causes: overproduction (greater supply = lower prices = less business profit = less employment), consumer debt (many americans had borrowed money to buy things), federal reserve policies (the federal reserve lowers interests rates to bring prices up, but this causes inflation, then they drastically increase them and this drives people out of the economy- manipulates consumer action), stock market crash (people would borrow from banks to buy stock, and suddenly everyone sells their stocks at once), and bank failures (banks were missing huge sums of people’s money, people take their money out of banks at once). 

hoover’s great depression political decisions

he thought capitalism would work out the situation in the long term, he tells people to figure it out, then encourages businesses to help, then has some government intervention: 

• Smoot hawley tariff– large tax on foreign goods to promote american good purchase, but they backfired because european countries retaliate 

• Revenue act 1932– increases taxes, but many people cannot pay them

• Balancing the budget– hoover cuts political spending  

the new deal 1933-1938

post great depression FDR creation to expand the government’s role in the economy; prior to new deal people think the government is a barrier to rights but afterward it is solidified that the government can be used to gain economic freedom 

• series of programs to relieve from the great depression

• safety net for when the economy fails

New Deal programs

Agricultural adjustment act- pays farmers not to farm to reduce supply, glass steagall banking act- regulations on banks investing other people’s money and insures bank deposits against losses to a certain amount, social security- certain % of paycheck goes to retired, works progress administration, etc. 

FDR

Democrat, president 1932-1945 (four terms, dies his fourth term), has polio but hides it, creates the new deal

keynesian economic approach; spend money to make money

increases the role/size of federal government, he consolidates power and bends the branches behind him to gain power (judicial reform bill, etc.)

hosts fireside chats to gain american citizens’ support

new deal conservative vs liberal views

• The conservative view is that government is a barrier to freedom, the liberal view is that government breaks down the barriers to freedom 

judicial procedures reform bill

grants the president power to appoint another justice to SCOTUS for every member over 70.5 years old (it does not pass, but judges don’t want him to pass the bill so they rule in his favor so he will not pass it).

Harry truman

1945 democrat, moderate expansion on new deal, drops the atomic bomb on Japan, nice basic guy, glass of milk, Marshall plan, starts the Cold War with containment, responsible for Korean War

Dwight Eishenhower

1953,  republican, tried to reduce government spending while giving citizens security, creates highway system, revs up military for the arms race, tries to make government more efficient, stockpiles nuclear powers, he was WWII supreme commander of allied forces planning D Day before he was president

JFK

1960, democrat, youthful and successful but is assassinated during his first term, cuban missile crisis, big ambitions, creating NASA. Very committed to containing communism at any cost, four key events during the cold war (bay of pigs, berlin wall, cuban missile crisis, test ban treaty)

Lyndon Johnson

1963-1968

• Democrat, comes to power after JFK assasination… Roosevelt was a huge hero for him

• Built off of the New Deal, with the Great Society, policies proposed 1964-1968; how do we prevent economic struggling in good times?

  • He would intimidate people into supporting his views

  • He wanted to end poverty at its roots 

  • Civil rights president, Vietnam war- he brings the US into that mess

The Great Society

435 Bills proposed from 1964-1968 to end poverty and prevent economic struggling in good times 

Medicare and medicaid, federal affordable housing, higher education act, civil rights act 1964, 24th amendment abolishing poll tax, voting rights act

the warren court

1953-1968 Chief Justice Earl Warren (republican)

• Rules liberally and supports individual rights, rules based on what he thinks is right morally and then says his answer should be reflected in the law

• Often reinterpreted the 1st and 14th amendments

Brown v Board makes public school segregation unconstitutional, gideon v wainwright and miranda v arizona give people more rights during trials 

1950s (ish) democrats and republicans

Democrats at this time 

• White southerners and white immigrants, farmers, government is what helps you gain access to rights/more government involvement (whereas they had been farmers. Pro slavery, no government intervention)

Republicans at this time 

• Northern and upper class, african americans, government is a barrier to freedom, laissez faire (they used to be pro capitalism and big government)

Richard Nixon

1968, Republican, Watergate scandal and resigned before impeachment, detente, starts diplomatic ties with china, pushes back against the radicalism of Johnson by using the silent majority- the average American needs to be represented, dog whistle politics, he hollows out US a little bit and Reagan accelerates it. Responsible for ending us involvement in Vietnam

• To win the election, Nixon appeals to the silent majority (white, middle class, anti-government spending) 

• And he uses the southern strategy- dog whistle politics; he secretly reinforces segregation by preserving state rights

republican strategy to undermine the great society

• Repeal by getting rid of agencies that he can

• Underfund by stopping funding of great society programs 

• Hollow out by appointing people to agencies who undermine the agency

Ronald Reagan, 1980-1988

Republican, strong republican ideals of this time period: big tax cuts, trickle down economics, anti communist, doesn’t like detente, he has the Star Wars idea- space thing that kills atomic bomb threats, revs up the cost of the Cold War so much that it comes to an end- Berlin Wall comes down under Reagan but first democracy in russia is under Bush. Moral majority/evangelical christians- want to see more religious ideals in government

• similar to jefferson in the sense that he supports small government

• he changes view of government from barrier to it promotes individualism

reaganomics

Trickle down economics: lower taxes, and keep the money with rich people at the top because it will trickle down to the lower class.

George HW Bush

Republican, Reagan’s VP, similar to reagan but cannot really deliver- does not raise taxes, balances the budget 

Bill Clinton

1992-2000

Democrat, adopts some republican ideals- counterpoint to Eisenhower (doesn’t challenge the status quo even tho from another party), Monica Lewinsky scandal 2nd president impeached)

• Fashions himself as a new democrat supporting cultural liberalism but was fiscally conservative 

• “The era of big government is over”

george w bush 200-2008

People aren’t very excited about either candidate, it is a close election 

• 911 and war on terror, conflict with Afghanistan and iraq, no distinction between terrorists and countries that host them, preemptive strike, regime change, unilateralism- act without the support or approval of others. The Great Recession, early signs of break in the post WWII order

• He cuts taxes and works within the reagan regime (republican, conservative) 

Obama

• Democrat, Obamacare access to health insurance, this incites tea party movement against him

• He tries to break out of the reagan regime by expanding role of government in healthcare- he passes a watered-down version and meets backlash from it 

Trump + trump regime

• Implemented laws that both increased and decreased federal power, thinks president should have a good amount of power, pro business and lowers taxes, emphasis on the individual, immigration restriction policies and building a wall, supports isolationism and nationalism at once- be involved in the world but only for our own good, business mindset, rise of mainstream social conservatism, overturning of Roe v Wade, wants to remove the US from the liberal order

He pulls on ideas from the New Deal but is mostly different, but he was not as extreme republican as reagan.

foreign policy lenses

Hamitlonian- FP should enhance America’s economic position in the world

Jeffersonian- FP should spread democracy at home 

Wilsonian- FP should spread democracy around the world, AFP can save the world 

realism: what should we do realistically for the US. idealism: what would we do in an ideal world?

Louisiana purchase 1803

Jefferson buys the Louisiana territory from France, doubling the size of the US

War of 1812

James Madison declares war on Great Britain and the US wins, peace is met with the Treaty of Ghent 

• The war confirms US soveriegnty, builds a sense of nationalism, weakened European involvement in North America, and changed the US-native american relationship (the war eneded European-native american alliances) and so Western expansion was met with only weak opposition from native americans 

1819 acquisition of Florida

Before: Florida was a spanish colony populated by Seminoles and was a safehaven for runaway slaves, there were border conlficts over the slaves… First seminole war 1817-1819: Jackson invades Flordia colony, it is settled with the adams-onis treaty, which give US Flordia 

• Spain was revealed to be a weak nation, slavery was expanded, the military was being used to control Native Americans

Monroe Doctrine 1825

Monroe says that Europe making new colonies would be deemed as a threat, and warns Spain to let go of their colonies… US declares itself protector of Western hemisphere

mexican american war 1846-1848

James Polk wanted to expand to the west coast, the US starts skirmishes with Mexico to justify going to war with them (frames it as self-defense), ends with the treaty of guadalupe Hidalgo, which gives America the rest of the Western land (except for mexico today) 

• The treaty promises mexicans living in the area that they will be given citizenship, this does not happen in practice 

• Supporters say it spreads democracy, opposers say it spreads slavery

gadsden purchase + oregon territory

Gadsden purchase- US gets southern strip of Arizona and New mexico to create a railroad (which is never built)

Oregon Territory is disputed between british canada and the US 

western expansion frontiers

Religious Fronteir- Mormons face backlash and are driven out of the North, they move West to form Zions 

Agricultural Fronteir- The North is industrialized and demand for food increaess, Cowboys are created and Homesteading happens (government grands land to farmers so they can improve it)- Bonanza farming agro-businesses replace homesteading and insutrialize the south 

• They face conflicts with Native Americans: they create forcible assimilation reservations, and force them off land in battles 

The mining frontier- people want to settle to mien the gold found in California: Western expansion is no longer linked to slavery expansion, people other than farmers and slaveholders are drawn to the West (young men hopihn to make money, Chinese immigrants who are exploited), Mexican Americans are displaced, and capitlaism finds roots in the West 

spanish american war

Spain goes to war with the US beacuse of involvement in Cuba and the Philippines, Roosevelt issues corrolary to the monroe doctrine where he says US will get involved in Latin America if those countries do something they don’t like (big stick ideology). 

three phases of american imperialism

1. Before Spanish american war; US is motivated by religion and economics 

2. During Spanish American war; US is motivated by political reasons, proving superiority 

3. Theodore Roosevelt era; expand US footprint and strategic interest, speak softly and carry a big stick

WWI

1914-1918

• Starts with the assasination of Archdule Franz Ferdinand 

• Allied powers (Britain, France, Russia, US) vs Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungry, Ottoman empire)- Allied powers win, ends with Treaty of Versailles which is bad for Germany 

• Trench warfare, feelings of detachment from the war/consequences

Neutrality —> war in WWI

1. Unrestricted submarine warfare- Germany promises to sink any Ship in the atlantica, sinks a passenger ship with many americans on it in 1915

2. Zimmerman Telegram- Telegram from Germany to Mexico, intercepted and shown to America, it stated that if US join the war, Germany would ally with Mexico and Japan against the US

3. Shifting progressive opinion- US starts to say they need to enter the war to spread democracy and prevent germany from winning

   1. They enter the war in 1917 saying they are fighting to spread democracy  

WWI in america

US mobilizes economy, propoganda, military, etc. and just refreshes the allied side to help them win, low casualty rate

Treaty of Versailles/14 points

Wilson’s 14 points: try to make war impossibe to fight and provide a peaceful alternatives, the 14th point is the League of Nations (intergovernmental organization to promote collective security and disarmament, settle international disputes through negotiations) 

Treaty of Versailles is drafted at the Paris peace conference, America does not end up joining the League of Nations. The treaty imposes significant consequences on Germany 

WWII

1939-1945

• Total war- militaries use any strategies to win, hurt the enemy beyond recovery, incorporates civilians into the conflict

After WWI, US goes into a period of isolationism and does not join WWII at first 

• begins when Germany invades Poland

Japan + Germany before WWII

Japan before the war- Japan becomes more culturally western, militarists dominate the government and endorse expansionist/racist foreign policy, Japan withdraws from the league of nations and attacks China 

• FDR moves US fleet to Hawaii to intimidate Japan 

Germany after WWI- military is reduced, they are struggling economically, people do not like the government, Hitler rises to power and Germany becomes a dictatorship; he disobeys the treaty of Versailles and grows the military. Germany withdraws from League of nations and starts invading other countries 

Early WWII American foreign policy/actions/events

Lend-leade act 1941- US does not send soldiers to the allied powers, but sends everything else (money, weapons, food, in exchange for leases of naval bases)

Embargo against Japan 1941- Wilson cuts off trade with Japan because of their treatment of China, Japan sees this as an act of warfare and responds with Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor 1941- Japan bombs pearl harbor in Hawaii in an attempt to wipe out US naval fleet, America enters the war following this and Hitler declares war on US, US declares war on Germany and Italy.

WWII in pacific

Japan attacks islands around mainland Japan to defend themselves, US tries to “island-hop” to mainland Japan to invade, Battle of Midway is a turning point in which the US turns from fighting Japan on the defensive to on the offensive after intercepting a radio communication 

• Then, in 1945, the US invents the first atomic bomb and drops it on Japan, they surrender after the second bomb is dropped

WWII in europe + d day

Allied powers work to confront the Nazis and push them back into Germany, starting with Northa Africa, then Italy, then US invades France on D Day to free France from Nazi control and finally send them back to Germany 

• D Day: Allies send millions of troops into france in a two-phased land and air assault, pushing Germans back and signaling the beginning of the end of the war, Hitler committs suicide 

WWII significance

• WWII offers immsense opporunity for women to join the workforce, but women were still expected to be feminine and were not payed the same. There was lots of racist propoganda, total war dehumanized minorities. 

• Propoganda was widespread, used to show the validity of the war, it was used as a weapon (e.g. blackmail) 

• There was influence in the media- comics, movies, ads, propoganda everywhere 

Cold War overview

After WWII, world settles into cold war = democratic vs. communist world 1945-1960

• Containment 1940s-1960s, mutually assured destruction 1960s, detente 1960s-1970s, reescalation 1980s, finally comes to a close in 1990

• Soviet sphere, middle east sphere, and chinese sphere 

harry truman

president after FDR 1945-53, democratic, expanded on the New Deal, very do-good and saw the world morally; thus he thought politics could be right or wrong and America was right, he was considerably more anti-communist than FDR

containment soviet sphere

• Yalta conference in 1945: meeting between major world powers to plan a postwar world 

  • They agree that USSR would declare war on Japan to defeat them, and then they would create the United Nations and divide Germany and Berlin among the major powers 

FDR then dies and Harry Truman assumes presidency 

• Potsdam conference 1945- another meeting between the major powers but dynamics have shifted, Truman is skeptical of the USSR and turns on the alliance, the two countries are immediately in conflict 

• The Long Telegram gives an assesment of communism in Russia stating that it is deeply rooted, the US decides they must contain it 

• The Truman Doctrine 1947- Truman asserts that US will contain communism by providing financial aid to democratic nations where communism is threatening to take over 

• The Marshall plan 1948- American program to provide economic aid to rebuild economies so that communism would not be attractive to them 

• The Berlin Bloackade and Airlift 1948- first international crisis of the cold war; berlin was divided into democratic west berlin and communist east berlin, everyone was moving to the democratic side so Stalin cut off supplies to West Berlin. Truman flies supplies into West berlin

  • Shows commitment to containment, results in NATO and the formal division of Germany into East and West Germany

containment- chinese sphere

1949- turning point in war, two events change Truman’s approach to containment:

1. Chinese civil war ends and China becomes communist 

2. Soviet union develops its first nuclear bomb 

   1. There is now a new sphere of conflict, people start to question containment 

NSC-68, 1950- assesment of containment, concludes that containment must extend to Asia and may need to involve troops… cold war becomes militarized, US remains committed to containing communism, US thinks that Russia and China work in sync 

Foreign policy in the wake of NSC 68:

• US severs diplomatic ties with China until the 1970s, they refuse to recognize them as communist 

• The Korean War 1950-1953

The korean war

1950-1953, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel, split into North/communist vietnam and South/democratic Korea… in 1950 Stalin encourages the North to invade the South, US sends troops into Korea 

• South pushes North back, but then China sends troops… US negotiates a ceasefire, agreeing to make the division between North and South Korea permanent 

• All of Korea is not communist but Norht Korea is, and the relationship between USSR, China and North Korea as affirmed