The appeal of republicanism - how did the presidency change

Woodrow Wilson

the second Democrat to become president since the Civil War.

what did many people quickly come to feel?

that he took far too big a part in government decision-making. He took America into the war despite campaigning to keep out of it and didn't consult Congress about promoting the League of Nations.

what did Wilson also believe?

that he took far too big a part in government decision-making. He took America into the war despite campaigning to keep out of it and didn't consult Congress about promoting the League of Nations.

what was the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives seen to be doing?

speaking for the president and expected the House to fall in line with Wilson's wishes. For many politicians, this was an unwelcome change in presidential behaviour and came close to breaking the separation of powers principle.

what led people to turn to republican ideas?

Reaction to Wilson's behaviour as president, and to the First World War and its effects. Even some Southern Democrats (who saw the Republicans as the party of their Civil War enemies) responded in this way.

what was Harding’s slogan?

Less government in business and more business in government'. This encapsulated the Republican notion of laissez-faire: it was not the job of government to control the economy or to manage social problems.

what was the government’s job?

The government's job was to keep its own spending under control, rather than spending to help those who were failing.

what was the Republican party a party of?

big business - not willing to control wages, working hours or prices.

what was the advantage of harding’s campaign aims?

they were nicely vague; he looked as if he would be a president who didn't interfere. He didn't. He did not try to draft laws, nor did he try to drag the USA into international politics.

was Harding corrupt?

Unfortunately, Harding, while not himself corrupt, gave jobs to friends who were. Several of them exploited their positions to make money, making the administration look corrupt.

what was the democrat issue during the next election?

A Democrat might have been elected after Harding, but the Democrats could not agree on a candidate. The Republican candidate, Calvin Coolidge (who had been Harding's vice-president), combined laissez-faire with a dignity and morality that Republicans hoped would restore faith in their party after the Harding years.

what did Coolidge let congress do?

go its own way - when a new Democrat congressman asked how to vote in the Senate, Coolidge told him to ask the leader of the Democrats there.

what period did the USA enter during Coolidge’s presidency?

a period of recovery and prosperity; people began to feel Republicanism was working. The boom' economy of the 1920s had serious flaws, but they were not clear at the time.

what was clear to people by the rime Hoover took over?

it was clear to many people that the USA had growing economic and social problems. Despite this, Hoover's election campaign announced that the Republicans had eliminated poverty, encouraged equality and restored the economy, while the Democrats would ruin all of this.