U.S. Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, and Wars

Flashcards covering key concepts, definitions, and impacts from U.S. history related to foreign policy, civil rights, social movements, and significant legislation.

Anti-Imperialist League

Organization formed in 1898 to oppose U.S. annexation of the Philippines and other overseas imperialism.

“Big Stick” Diplomacy

Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy approach: 'speak softly, and carry a big stick.' Use diplomacy backed by military power.

Dollar Diplomacy

Policy under President Taft using U.S. economic power to extend influence, especially in Latin America and East Asia.

Roosevelt Corollary

1904 extension of the Monroe Doctrine; U.S. claimed right to intervene in Latin American nations to maintain stability.

Open Door Policy

U.S. policy (1899) advocating equal trading rights in China for all foreign nations.

Platt Amendment

1901 U.S. law limiting Cuba’s sovereignty and allowing U.S. involvement; also permitted naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

Hay-Pauncefote Treaty

1901 treaty between U.S. and Britain allowing the U.S. to build and control a canal in Panama.

Spanish-American War

1898 conflict between U.S. and Spain; U.S. supported Cuban independence.

Jose Marti

Cuban revolutionary leader who advocated for Cuban independence from Spain.

Queen Liliuokalani

Last monarch of Hawaii, overthrown in 1893 by American settlers and business interests.

William McKinley

U.S. president (1897–1901) who led the nation during the Spanish-American War and annexed the Philippines.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

U.S. naval officer and historian; argued that national power depended on strong naval forces and overseas bases.

World War I (Great War)

Global conflict (1914–1918) between the Allies and Central Powers; U.S. entered in 1917.

Allies (WWI)

Coalition including Britain, France, Russia (later U.S.) fighting against the Central Powers.

Central Powers (WWI)

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria opposing the Allies.

American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)

U.S. troops sent to Europe during WWI.

Committee on Public Information (CPI)

U.S. propaganda agency led by George Creel to build support for WWI.

Espionage Act (1917)

Law criminalizing interference with military operations or support for U.S. enemies.

Sedition Act (1918)

Expanded Espionage Act to ban criticism of the government, Constitution, or war effort.

Food Administration

Managed food production and conservation during WWI.

Fuel Administration

Government agency regulating coal and fuel use during wartime.

War Industries Board (WIB)

Agency coordinating industrial production and resource allocation for war.

National War Labor Board (NWLB)

Board mediating labor disputes to prevent strikes during wartime.

Selective Service Act (1917)

Law establishing the draft to build the U.S. army.

Fourteen Points

Wilson’s plan for postwar peace.

Treaty of Versailles (1919)

Peace treaty ending WWI; punished Germany and created League of Nations.

Zimmerman Telegram

Secret German proposal urging Mexico to join war against the U.S.

Lusitania

British passenger ship sunk by German U-boat in 1915, killing Americans.

Russian Revolution (1917)

Overthrow of Russian monarchy and exit from WWI.

Neutrality Acts (1930s)

Series of U.S. laws restricting arms sales, loans, and aid to nations at war.

Nye Committee

Senate investigation into causes of U.S. entry into WWI; blamed bankers and arms manufacturers.

America First Committee

Isolationist organization opposing U.S. entry into WWII.

Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)

International agreement where nations renounced war as a tool of foreign policy.

League of Nations

International organization proposed by Wilson to maintain collective security after WWI.

Appeasement

Policy of giving concessions to aggressive powers to avoid war.

Munich Accord (1938)

Agreement letting Germany annex Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland.

Atlantic Charter (1941)

Joint statement by FDR and Churchill outlining Allied war aims.

Attack on Pearl Harbor (1941)

Surprise Japanese air attack on U.S. naval base in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941.

D-Day (1944)

Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France at Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Second Front

Allied push into Western Europe to relieve Soviet forces fighting Germany in the East.

Island-hopping

U.S. Pacific strategy of capturing key islands while bypassing heavily defended ones.

Battle of Midway Island (1942)

Naval battle where U.S. forces destroyed four Japanese carriers.

Battle of Iwo Jima (1945)

U.S. capture of strategic island near Japan after intense fighting.

Battle of Okinawa (1945)

Largest Pacific assault on island close to Japan.

Battle of the Bulge (1944–1945)

Germany’s last major offensive in Western Europe.

Lend-Lease Act (1941)

U.S. program supplying Allies with weapons and aid before formal entry into war.

Office of War Information (OWI)

U.S. propaganda agency promoting support for the war.

Manhattan Project

Secret U.S. program to develop atomic weapons.

Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945)

U.S. atomic attacks on two Japanese cities in Aug. 1945.

Yalta Agreement (1945)

WWII conference where U.S., Britain, USSR planned postwar Europe and UN.

Tripartite Pact (1940)

Alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan forming the Axis Powers.

Tuskegee Airmen

First African American military pilots serving in segregated U.S. Army Air Corps.

Women’s Army Corps (WACs)

Women serving in noncombat Army roles.

Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES)

Women serving in U.S. Navy noncombat positions during WWII.

Curtis LeMay

U.S. general who directed strategic bombing campaigns against Japan.

Progressive Party (1912)

Third party led by Theodore Roosevelt after split with Republicans.

Progressivism

Reform movement seeking to address problems of industrialization, urbanization, and corruption.

Square Deal

Theodore Roosevelt’s domestic program to control corporations.

New Nationalism

Roosevelt’s 1912 platform advocating a strong federal government for regulation.

New Freedom

Woodrow Wilson’s reform program emphasizing antitrust action.

Pragmatism

Philosophy valuing practical solutions over ideology.

“Bully Pulpit”

Roosevelt’s idea of the presidency as a platform to influence public opinion.

Department of Commerce and Labor (1903)

Cabinet department created to oversee business regulation and labor issues.

Bureau of Investigation (1908)

Federal investigative agency that expanded federal law enforcement power.

Federal Reserve Act (1913)

Law creating the Federal Reserve System to regulate banking and money supply.

Clayton Antitrust Act (1914)

Strengthened antitrust laws: protected unions and strikes.

National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) (1933)

New Deal law promoting industrial recovery through codes on wages, prices, and production.

National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) (1935)

Guaranteed workers’ right to unionize and bargain collectively.

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)

Federal board enforcing Wagner Act and overseeing union elections.

Sit-down strike

Strike tactic where workers occupy workplace to stop production.

Workmen’s Compensation Act

Laws providing payments to workers injured on the job.

Fair Labor Standards Act (1938)

Set federal minimum wage, maximum hours, and banned child labor.

Public Works Administration (PWA)

New Deal agency funding large-scale infrastructure projects.

Civil Works Administration (CWA)

Short-term New Deal program creating winter jobs in public works.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

New Deal program employing young men in environmental conservation projects.

Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Largest New Deal jobs program funding construction, arts, and public services.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

Federal program building dams and providing electricity in the rural South.

Social Security Act (1935)

Established old-age pensions, unemployment insurance, and welfare aid.

Harry Hopkins

FDR advisor who directed major relief programs.

John L. Lewis

Labor leader and head of United Mine Workers.

Payne-Aldrich Tariff (1909)

Tariff law signed by Taft that modestly lowered some rates.

Teapot Dome Scandal (1921–1923)

Administration scandal where federal oil reserves were leased for bribes.

Andrew Mellon

Treasury Secretary promoting tax cuts for businesses and wealthy.

Henry Ford

Industrialist who pioneered assembly-line automobile production.

Great Depression (1929–1939)

Severe global economic collapse marked by unemployment and bank failures.

Black Tuesday (Oct. 29, 1929)

Stock market crash triggering financial panic.

Bonus Army (1932)

WWI veterans marching on Washington demanding early bonus payments.

Dust Bowl (1930s)

Severe drought and soil erosion disaster in Great Plains.

Emergency Banking Act (1933)

First New Deal law closing banks for inspection.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (1933)

Agency insuring bank deposits to prevent financial loss.

Glass-Steagall Act (1933)

Banking law separating commercial and investment banking.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) (1934)

Federal agency regulating stock markets and enforcing transparency.

Share Our Wealth Society

Huey Long movement advocating wealth redistribution.

Court-packing plan (1937)

FDR proposal to add Supreme Court justices.

Huey Long

Louisiana populist senator criticizing New Deal as too moderate.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)

President leading U.S. through Great Depression and WWII.

Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady and social reform advocate.

Herbert Hoover

President during onset of Great Depression, favored limited federal aid.

Calvin Coolidge

President known for laissez-faire, pro-business policies.

Great Migration

Movement of African Americans from the rural South to Northern and Western cities.