US History Two Test Three

Chapters 25-28

“Black Tuesday” October 29, 1929

The stock market crashed and essentially ushered in the Great Depression.

Causes of Depression

The economy was too dependent on a very small number of industries. Too many customers were too poor to purchase the goods of an over-productive economy. Too much credit had been extended to too many people. European demand for American goods was decreasing. Europe’s debt to America kept piling up and leading to default.

Progress of the Depression

Stock market collapse. Banks began to go bankrupt. Money supply decreased. Purchasing power decreased. Companies cut prices, production, and employees.

Simple Progress of the Depression

Stock market collapsed. Companies got into financial trouble. Companies had to lay people off. The unemployed had little money to spend. Other companies had to contract or lose. More people lost their jobs.

Unemployment

Estimated at the time (1932) to be 25% or more. Averaged 20% throughout the 1930’s and never got below 15%. Some cities in 1932: Cleveland - 50%, Akron - 60%, Toledo - 80%.

Relief

Financial assistance to the unemployed, through various government agencies.

Dust Bowl

A large area of the South and Midwest experienced a severe drought during the 1930’s. Millions of acres of farmland simply dried up and blew away in dust storms called “black blizzards.”

Scottsboro Case

In 1931, nine black teenagers were arrested in Alabama for vagrancy and disorder. Accused of raping two white women and quickly found guilty by an all-white jury. Were sentenced to death. All were eventually freed in 1950.

The Depression’s Impact on the Families

Women learned to sew their own clothes and preserve their own food. Women took in laundry, sold baked goods, and took in borders. Relatives moved in with each other. Families often broke up informally as unemployed men deserted them or tried to find work elsewhere. Many families gained strength and unity in suffering and learning to trust God.

Dale Carnegie

Author of How to Win Friends and Influence People. A best-selling self-help book promoting the value of individual initiative and understanding other people.

John Steinbeck

Author of the novel The Grapes of Wrath concerning the trials of a family of “Oakies” who were migrating to California.

“Escapist” Radio Shows

“Amos ‘n Andy”, “Superman”, “Dick Tracy”, “The Lone Ranger” and many others tended to take people’s minds off their circumstances.

“Life” Magazine

Photojournalism became popular. Occasionally to portray Depression conditions but more often as another diversion.

Abraham Lincoln Brigade

A group of more than 3,000 young Americans who went to Spain to fight against Franco’s rebel fasicsts.

Popular Front

The American Communist Party began to align itself with various downtrodden groups. Gained some support while taking its orders directly from the Cominterm in Moscow.

Agricultural Marketing Act

Hoover established a government bureaucracy to help farmers maintain prices… it didn’t work.

Hawley Smoot Tariff

Hoover raised the rates to protect farm products. Raised rates on other things the farmers needed. Other countries chose to retaliate with trade restrictions.

“Hoovervilles”

People began to blame the President personally for their troubles. “Hoovervilles” were makeshift shantytowns the destitute established on the outskirts of cities.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation

Hoover established a government agency to provide federal loans to banks, railroads, businesses, and local governments.

Bonus Army - 1932

Veterans of WWI demanded early payment of their promised bonuses. Hoover refused. 20,000 veterans marched to Congress and stayed in makeshift housing.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Wealthy. Educated at Harvard and Columbia. Overcame polio. Governor of New York. Promised a “New Deal” for the American people.

“Fireside Chats”

FDR’s informal radio broadcasts. He explained his plans and programs to the American people personally and made them feel as if they had a President who truly cared about them.

“Bank Holiday’

Shortly after taking office, FDR ordered all banks to be closed for four days until Congress could pass the Emergency Banking Act. All banks had to be examined as certified by the Treasury Department before they could reopen.

21st Amendment

Prohibition was repealed in 1933.

Henry Wallace

FDR’s Secreaty of Agricultures.

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

The government would pay farmers subsidies to make up for the lost production. The Supreme Court struck down the AAA in 1936.

Rural Electrification Administration (REA)

Led by Hugh Johnson. Symbol was a blue eagle. Aimed at regulating industries. Ruled unconstitutional by Supreme Court.

National Recovery Administration (NRA)

The government involved itself in regulating industries in order to stimulate economic recovery.

Tennessee Valley Authority

The government took over development of the Tennessee Rover watershed, building many dams and canals, solving the flooding problems, and producing cheap electricity that was sold to the public.

Gold Standard - 1933

FDR took the country off the gold standards so that the government could manipulate the value of the currency.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

The government personally guaranteed the security of all bank deposits up to $2,500. Now the limit is $250,000.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

The government set itself up to police the stock market.

Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA)

Gave cash grants to states to fund bankrupt local relief agencies. Led by Harry Hopkins.

Civil Works Administration (CWA)

Its basic principle was to allow people to work for the money the government was giving to them.

Keynesian Economics

The philosophy that government spending is needed to stimulate a sluggish economy. Lord Keynes.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Provided over 500,000 young men with jobs on various conservation and environmental projects.

American Liberty League

A group formed wealthy opponents of FDR, who were being hurt by his soc.iaistic and “dictatorial” policies.

Dr. Franci E. Townshend

Aroused a popular following with his plan for pensions for the elderly. All Americans over age 60 should retire so that the younger unemployed could have their jobs. Those who retired would receive a government pension of $200 per month. They should spend this entire pension in order to keep the economy “lubricated.”

Father Coughlin

A priest from Royal Oak, Michigan. Broadcasted weekly radio sermons advocating various monetary reform. Founded the national Union for Social Justice.

Huey Long

Louisiana governor and late senator. Forceful, flamboyant. Pushed a Share-Our-Wealth Plan. Assassinated in 1936.

National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) 1935

Force employers to bargain with legitimate unions.

Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)

Rival to the AFL. Founded by John J. Lewis. Organized all workers in an industrial unionism.

United Auto Workers

Their use of the “sit-down -strike” in 1936 forced General Motors to recognize them, but this tactic was unpopular with the public and eventually abandoned.

Social Security Act - 1935

An important piece of social welfare legislation in American history. Provided financial help for the elderly and retired, to the disabled and unemployed, and to dependent children.

Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Directed by Harry Hopkins. More extension version of the CWA. Same underlying principle.

Alfred M. Landon

Kansas governor. Republican candidate for President in 1936. FDR buried him.

“Court-packing Plan”

The Supreme Court had given FDR’s programs much opposition during his first term. FDR appointed justices who would support his policies.

Recession of 1937

The worst economic crisis since 1932 seemed to result from FDR’s decision to cut spending.

Broker State

One effect of the New Deal was to elevate new interest groups and to regulate competition among all of the various economic groups.

Indian Reorganization Act

Commissioner of Indian Affairs, John Collier, had legislation passed that enabled Indians to preserve tribal identities and resist being assimilated into white society.

Cultural Relativism

The philosophy that every culture is equally valid and important and should be respected on its own merits.

Frances Perkins

Secretary of Labor. First female Cabinet member.

Economic Impact of the New Deal

It worked to perfect various groups from suffering. It helped prevent further decay of the economy. It put the government in the driver’s seat of the economy. It began the creation of the of the current welfare state.

Political Impact of the New Deal

The federal government established its sovereignty over state and local governments. The President became the central figure of authority. The federal government established its sovereignty over state and local governments. National economic issues became more important to people. People began to expect more form their government.

Isolationism

A term applied by crisis to describe America’s seeming desire to close itself off form the rest of the world and shirk its international responsibilities.

Washington Conference - 1921

Produced several agreements among the major world powers in an effort to preserve world peace. Among them the Five-Power Pact which set a ratio of allowed naval tonnage. American and Britain - 5. Japan - 3. France and Italy - 1.75.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

Fourteen nations signed a solemn agreement to outlaw war as an instrument of national policy, but no provisions were made for enforcement.

Mussolini

Fascist leader of Italy - 1922 - 1943.

Hitler

Nazi leader of Germany 1933-1945. His mad ambitions led the world into World War II. Wrote Mien Kampf (My Life).

Neutrality Acts of 1935 - 1937

Growing European turmoil prompted the U.S. Congress to ensure that we would not be dragged into another war.

Axis

Alliance between Germany and Italy, later joined by Japan.

“Panay” Incidnet

The Japanese sank an American gunboat in China, but got off with apologizing for the “accident.”

German Aggression - 1936-1939

1936 - Germany occupied the Rhineland. 1938 - Germany took over Austria. 1938 - Germany took over the rest of the Sudetenland. 1938 - Germany took over the rest of Czechoslovakia. 1939 - Germany signed a non-aggression pact with Russia. 1939 - Germany invaded Poland and touched off World War II.

Munich Conference - 1938

Hitler met with the leader of France and Britain and was awarded the Sudetenland in exchange for his pledge of no further aggression. “I believe it is a peace in our time.”

Blitzkreig

Sudden and overwhelming attack by German armed forces, successful in taking over much of continental Europe.

1939-1945

World War II

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister. Eloquent and inspirational and without a doubt one of the century’s greatest men.

“Lend-lease”

America placed its vast armament resources at the disposal of Britain and later Russia.

Atlantic Charter - August 14, 1941

FDR and Churchill formally agreed to work together to defeat Germany.

Hideki Tojo

Prime Minister and war leader of Japan.

Pearl Harbor - December 7, 1941

Japanese air forces launched a surprise attack on Hawaii, headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. December 8th, FDR was granted declaration of war. Approximately 2,000 killed.

Douglas MacArthur

U.S. commander in the Philippines. Forced to leave by the Japanese.

Battle of the Coral Sea

May 1942 near Australia. America’s first important victory over Japan.

Battle of Midway - June 1942

U.S. carrier-based planes sank four Japanese carriers and regained control of the central Pacific.

Gudadalcanal

In the Solomon Islands wast of New Guinea, first engagement of the U.S. Marines with the Japanese resulted in a bloody six-month struggle but a valuable victory.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Commanding Allied general in Europe.

Holocaust

Hitler attempted to exterminate all the Jews of Europe. Putting six million to death.

Office of Price Administration

The war agency charged with stabilizing prices. Instituted wage and price controls and rationing of various items.

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

Organized in 1942 to resist racial segregation and discrimination through various types of protests.

“Code-talkers”

Indians, in particular the Navajos, worked in military communications using their own languages. Proved to be a valuable asset.

“Rosie the Riveter”

Symbol of women’t involvement in war industries.

June 6, 1944

D-Day. Massive Allied invasion of France at Normandy.

Battle of the Bulge - 1944

Last-gasp German counteroffensive stopped at Bastogne.

May 8, 1945

V-E Day. Germany surrendered after Hitler’s suicide.

Battle of Leyte Gulf - October 1944

Largest naval engagement in history. Most of Japan’s remaining naval capacity was destoyed.

Okinawa - June 1945

Another titanic island battle. The Allies moved 370 miles from Japan at feaful coast.

Harry S. Truman

Succeeded to the Presidency upon FDR’s death in April 1945. Brought the war to a successful conclusion.

Manhattan Project

Effort to produce the world’s fist atomic bomb.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Devastated by atomic bombs. Japan was convinced of the futility of continued resistance.

September 2, 1945

The Japanese signed surrender terms abroad the battleship, Missouri.