‘In search of the American dream’ USA Topic: Unit 1, The Changing Political Environment 1917-1980

The American Political System

• Federal – the whole country

• State/local – counties and cities/towns in each of the 50 states

Federal things that are done:

• Foreign Policy

• Monetary policy

• Defence

State things that are done:

• Highways

• Public schools and

  universities

• Police and Fire

  Departments

Republicans

• Ideas of minimal government intervention in business and the lives of the American people

• Low taxes

• Low conservative social policies

• Reduction in welfare spending

• Anti-abortion stance

• Christian Values

Democrats

• Idea of government intervention for social and economic reform.

• Unions in the workplace

• Progressive Reform

• Support for welfare programs

• Keynesian economics

• Job creating programs

• Social security, Medicare and Medicaid

• Civil Rights legislation

• Women’s right to abortion

The House of Representatives

435 members–according to the size of the state, 2-year term

Executive President and Vice President

• Follows & Protects the Consitution

• 4-year term - max two 4-year terms

• Proposes legislation

• Enforces the laws made by Congress

• Commander in Chief of the armed forces

• Appoints judges to Supreme Court

  (with the consent of the Senate)

Consitution

The U.S Capitol - Legislative → Congress → House of Representatives OR Senate

The White House - Executive → President → Vice President

The Supreme Court - Judicial → Supreme Court

Judicial Supreme Court

• 9 members

• Life term appointment

• Interprets and guards the Constitution

• Interprets the law

• Decisions of the Supreme Court are final

• In general it plays a conservative role, maintaining legal tradition

Rugged Individualism

• Modern America was formed when persecuted religious minorities; often Protestants, fled from Europe in the 1600’s and landed on the American Eastern coast.

• As their communities expanded and the settlers spread further West the emphasis was always on the individual – people had to make their own way and look after themselves.

• This attitude of individualism stayed in the American psyche.

• In the 1920’s this meant that people had the freedom to spend huge sums and make large profits but were largely expected to look after themselves.

• This attitude often re-occurs in America – usually when a Republican president is in power.

Normalcy

A situation in which everything is normal

Isolationism

A Country’s policy of avoiding close relationships with other countries & not taking sides in disputes

Laissez-Faire

A policy and idea that made governments and the law shouldn’t interfere with business, finance or the conditions of people’s working lives

US Presidents 1917 - 1933

1913-1921

Woodrow Wilson (Democrat)

1921-1923

Warren G Harding (Republican)

1923-1929

Calvin Coolidge (Republican)

1929-1933

Herbert C. Hoover (Republican)

The American Dream

• Looked at as a positive Statement that all people should Strive to achieve and that it would help everyone. A better, fuller and richer life
  

  Examples of the Dream:

• Pilgrim Fathers suing to America for religious freedom in 1620

• The American colonies declaring independance. in 1776, there's equality for everyone and opportunities

Difference between the idea and the reality

The ideal of liberty, freedom and Justice were. all well but the fact Lincoln declared "Anyone can become president" but the first non-white President was first in office in 2009 and hasn't yet elected a female president

Challenges America faced in the 20th century

• Cold War

• Civil Rights laws and its problems

• Womens Rights

• 2 major Crashes in the economy

Isolationism and Protectionism

• Throughout the 19th Century the USA had been following a policy of isolationism (not getting involved in European conflicts).

• The USA had grudgingly entered the First World War (1914 -1918) in late 1917. President Woodrow Wilson (Democrat) was a leading voice during the Paris

• Peace Conference in 1919 after the war and in the creation of the League of Nations .

• After the war, many Americans thought that US involvement had been a mistake.

• Therefore, after 1919 the USA returned to its policy of isolationism and stayed out of world affairs.

Consequence of WW1

Industrial Growth:

• The requirements of the war had left the USA as the strongest industrial producer in the world

Equal rights and black migration:

• The war raised expectations forgreater racial equality

• The flow of black workers from the south to the north increased after 1915, especially to Chicago

The Red Scare:

• The menace of the ‘Hun’ was replaced after the war by the fear of Communism

Influenza Epidemic:

• 40 million people worldwide died

Harding and the return to ‘normalcy’

President Harding who became President in 1921 promised the American people a return to ‘normalcy’.

This meant different things to different people – to Harding himself it meant returning to a steady stable way of life.

Harding didn’t want to turn the clock back – just to refocus on the USA again.

Harding said the government should focus

on:

• Balancing the books

• Reducing taxation on the American people

• Introducing tariffs to protect American trade and industry

• Providing countrywide radio

• Setting up a committee to look into the ‘race problem.’

Examples of US Isolation after WW1

• Not joining the League of Nations

• Not setting up colonies

• From 1935-1939, Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts that restricted the USA’s help they could give to other countries if they went to war

• Introducing trade tariffs that favoured US Businesses

• Cutting back on the amount of immigrants coming into the country

Why did the American people stick to Republican Presidents

• Wilson’s behaviour as President

• Idea of less government in business

• Harding’s campaign looked vague as he looked to be a President who didn’t interfere

• Democrats couldn’t agree on a candidate

• Coolidge combined Laissez-Faire with a dignity and morality that Republicans hoped would restore faith in the party

Coming To America

Between 1850-1914, 40 million people emigrated to the USA (10% of the population of Europe)

The US government followed an ‘Open Door’ policy which meant that entry to the country was quite straightforward.

The majority of these came from Southern and Eastern Europe and were known as the ‘new immigrants.’

This distinguished them from the ‘old immigrants’ who had arrived from western and northern Europe in the earlier part of the 19th Century.

For most the journey was hard and consisted of two weeks in the cheapest class of travel with little or no privacy

However, by the early 1920’s there was not only hostility towards immigrants but also a growing xenophobia (fear of foreigners) in the USA

The Isle of Tears

Once the immigrants got to the USA they went to Ellis Island where they waited to see if they would be admitted.

They faced a series of tests such as medical tests where they would be marked with an X if they had any mental illnesses or a H for heart disease.

Many old people, ill peopleor illiterate people were sent back to Europe.

Pull Factors for America

• Space: Had plenty of land for farm land anf growing cities

• Natural resources: Had plenty of natural resources such as oil and timber

• Wages were higher in the country

• Land of the Free: The Amercan Bill or Rights guaranteed freedom of religion, rights and press

• Economic opportunity: American industry and business led the world

Push Factors that led to people leaving America

• Lack of opportunity: Since much of Europe was classed based , it was difficult to improve their position

• Overcrowding: Many Europeans lived in overcrowded areas

• Limited Employment: Many workers in Europe found themselves out of work

• Persecution: Many were persecuted in their own areas for political and religious reasons

Old Immigrants

• Largely from northernand western Europe Britain, Germany and Scandinavia

• Descendants tended to have the best jobs, most money & political power

• WASPS – White Anglo-Saxon Protestant

Native Americans

• Greatly affected by successive waves of immigration, by 1890’s they were forced off their land

• By 1917, many lived on reservations

• Some tried to keep their traditions, others assimilated into white lifestyle.

Black Americans

• Brought to America in the 18th and 19th Century to work on plantations as slaves.

• By 1920, there were 11 million black people living throughout America

• Many worked as farmers or farm labourers in the South or as factory workers in the North.

Southern and Eastern Europeans: New Immigrants

• In the late 19th Century, most new immigrants came from eastern and southern Europe, particularly Russia, Poland and Italy.

• They were escaping persecution, many were Catholics or Jews.

Asians

Particularly on the West Coast there was a growing number of Chinese and Japanese immigrants.

Many worked on the construction of the Railroads.

Hispanics

People from Mexico, Central America and South America were collectively known as

Hispanics.

They spoke Spanish

Many Mexicans worked as cowboys on the great cattle ranches in the West.

Why resentment grew against ‘new immigrants?

Old immigrants thought that the 'new' immigrants threatened national values such as Russians Jews bringing in Communism and Catholics bringing in Papul despotism. These fears helped inspire the revival of the KKK

Since the intelligence results from Social Scientists showed that new' immigrants were less intelligent than the old immigrants since they came majority came from illiterate peasants, worrying the old immigrants since the inferior aliens would damage superior American Stock, while also believing in a racial hierachy

Old Americans resented the impact of immigrants upon urban life

The US government introduced restrictions on immigrants in the period after WW1 . Since
it had intensified nationalism and a general desire forbes is contact wit Europe.

The brief Post-war economic depression aroused resentment of immigrants as competitors for jobs

•Revolutionary rising in European Countries (1917-1923) increased American Sears that immigrants would bring in un-American ideologies (Archism, Communism and Socialism). This became true with the Strokes, the Red Scare and the Sallo and Vanzetti case in 1920

Italien-born labourers Sacco and Venzetti were charged with murder and robbery and were tried in the middle of the Red Scare, so were found quilty and sentenced to death, Some considered them not guilty but they were punished for their ethnic backround (immigrant) and anarchist beliefs

1917 Literacy Test

What Did It Do: Listed a number of ‘undesirable‘ immigrants to be excluded, including homosexuals, ‘insane’ people amd criminals'; also imposed a literacy qualification for anyone over 16. They had to read a 4 word document and pay a fee

Who it affected: Young, mentally unwell, homosexuals and criminal immigrants

1921 Emergency Quota Act

What Did It Do:

Restricts the yearly number of immigrants fom any country to 3% of the total number of people from that country living in the USA

Who It Affected:

Immigrants wanting to enter the USA

1924 National Origins Act

What Did It Do:

Changes the quota system to 2% of people from the country of origin in the 1890 Census (tipping the balance in favour of northern Europe) until 1st July 1927; after that, the number of immigrants was to be fixed at 150,000 and the quota was to be based on the 1920 Census

Who It Affected:

New Immigrants

1929 Immigration Act

What Did It Do:

Confirms the 150,000 limit and bans Asian immigrants altogether

Who It Affected:

Asian & New Immigrants

Explain why there was a growth in opposition to immigration into the USA

• Ghettos developed as people tended to live with others from their own country

• There was a feeling that ‘new’ immigrants would take work for very low wages

• WWI increased the hostility towards German immigrants and led to a growing belief in Isolationism

• Many Americans feared that Immigrants would bring dangerous new political ideas with them

• Immigrants were blamed for increases incrime, drunkenness and prostitution

What happened in Russia in October 1917, why did this event have significance worldwide?

In Russia on October 1917, the October Revolution occured due to leftist party the Bolshevik Party (led by Vladimir Lenin) launching a nearly bloodless coup against the Duma's provisional government.

This was Significant Worldwide Since it marked the first communist government in Russia and the first large-scale, constitutionally ordained Socialist State in history, causing a fear of communism in the west

How did this impact American attitudes to immigration?

The October Revolution impacted American towards immigration attitude towards immigration since it increased fears of Communism and old immigrants were concerned that foreign culture and religion would threaten the American way of life.

What was the First Red Scare (1919-20)?

The first Red Scare (1919-1920) was caused due to the October Revolution sending shockwaves around the world and encouraged since Communism encouraged worldwide revolution by by the workers against their capitalist masters, causing worry from capitalists when workers went on strike.

After WW1 ended and the conditions didn't improve, the workers began to strike and led to both the Communist Party of America (CPUSA) and the Communist Labor Party were founded.

Anarchists walked around the city many cities purging a revolution. This led to there being 3,600 strikes on 1917, with 1 out of 4 people on strike.

Strikes continued but Police and strikert didn't clash, what instead happen was a spread of communism and a revolution which became national wens along with the Strikes, leading people to begin allusing each other as communists

What were the Palmer Raids?

The Palmer Raids were raids conducted by the U.) Department of Justice in 1919 and 1920 in an attempt to arrest foreign anarchists, Communists and radical leftists, many of which were subsequently deported.

Who were Sacco and Vanzetti, why was there controversy over what happened to them?

Sacco and Vanzetti were Italien-bom labourers who were charged murder and robbery and were tried during the middle of the Red Scare Yeriod, so they were both found fuilty and Sentenced to death.

Some considered them not quilty but they were Punished for their ethnic background (immigrants) and anarchist beliefs

Why did confidence in Republicanism decline between 1929 and 1932?

With the effects of the Wall Street Crash happening, Hoover tried to persuade congress to set up the Federal Farm Board to help farmers who found it hard to sell goods abroad because of government iblation tarriffs.

He also realised that the lassez-faire wasn't working, but he did believe the ander was for private charities, set up by businesses and the wealthy, to help on a local level in hopes to encourage people to do this.

In 1930, Hoover set up the President's Emergency Committee for Employment which was a temporary organisation to find work projects for the unemployed and to persuade businesses to create more jobs on a local, Voluntary basis, it was instead overwhelmed.

He also encouraged businesses to invest in the economy by setting up similar organisations but later realised federal intervention was needed.

Between 1930- 1932, Hoover was now encouraging federal help to the states, first advising them on projects and then giving them froney to fund at least some of the help, This was seen as an unwelcome direction of Change and was falling short of what was needed.

Hoover's tried putting in federal measures that were mainly refected by congress and those that were accepted took the government into debt

What were the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression and how did they contribute to this decline?

The 1929 Wall Street crash was created due to out of control Share trading, causing a enormous dip in the dollar (and later everyone else's currency) worth. This also caused the Great Depression, where unemploymemt soared, people lost their homes and banks and businesses failed; causing mass depression.

People, including the Republicans, thought it would improve far sooner than it did since there had been a depression after WW1 that ended after 18 months. This caused Republicans to favour leaving the economy abone to sort itself out

What was the Bonus Army, how did it add to disillusion with President Hoover?

The Bonus Army ware soldiers in WW1 who were given a bonus Payment, in 1924, based on their years of service.

They paid veterans who were owned just $50 at once with the rest of the money being in a fund to pay out 1945. As the depression started, the veterans wanted and asked for their money early + the government refused.

Since many in the army were homeless and unemployed, they needed this money and so in June 1932 they marched to Washington to make their demands on person.

Around 150,000 - 200,000 stormed the streets and camped throughout the city. Police tried to break up the camps with little Success and some violence on both sides.

On July 28th troops were sent with tear gas, bayonets, calvery and even tanks bayonets and gas were only used). Hoover lost support due to how the army was treated

What was Hoover's reaction to the Depression/ what policies did he introduce, why was he reluctant?

How did the Wall Street Crash speed up the approach of the Great Depression?

1. Many stockbrokers owed money to the banks but when the stock market crashed they could not repay these debts and the banks failed.

2. Those who had been saving with the banks lost all their money.

3. It was impossible to get credit and many who had taken out loans could not repay them and went bankrupt.

4. As companies lost money they fired their workers and unemployment soared.

5. Banks that survived were unwilling to make further loans; speculating and risk taking was over.

Why did F.D.Roosevelt win the Presidential election in a landslide in 1932?

F.D Roosevelt won the presidental Election in a landslide in 1932 since he offered the American people a New Deal and a new attitude to government.

His election Campaign Song was "Happy Days Are Here Again” and not only was he a excellent communicator, we'd also been an effective Govenor of New York.

His Snappy campaigned pointed to Hoover's Republican campaign as being led by the new 4 Horseaven of the Apocalypse: "Destruction, Despair, Delay and Doubt”.

The Wall Street Crash

Saturday 19th October - Shareholders begin to panic. Prices started to fall. Nearly 3.5 million shares were traded.

Monday 21st October Heavy selling on the stock market. Over 6 million shares traded. Huge price fluctuations

Tuesday 22nd October - Stock market recovers. All seems well, prices starting to recover.

Wednesday 23rd October - More panic in Wall Street. Over 2.5 million shares sold in last hour of trading people are trying to get out.

Thursday 24th October
'Black Thursday' Prices fall rapidly, people are rushing to sell their shares. Over 13 million shares traded.

Friday 25th October

Bankers save the day Bankers agreed to support the stock market. This stabilises prices.

Saturday 26th October
Hoover speaks President Hoover assures Americans that the panic will soon be over.

Monday 28th October

Heavy selling. Nearly 3 million shares traded in the last hour of business. Huge falls in
prices.

Tuesday 29th October

Worst ever day on the stock market. Nearly 16.5 million shares traded. Some lose everything, suicides reported.

What were the effects of the crash?

• By the end of 1929 there were 2.5 million unemployed. However this was only 5% of the workforce and many felt the crisis would soon pass.

• The trouble was that there was no longer any confidence in the economy and nobody was willing to continue buying shares.

• As fewer and fewer goods were purchased unemployment continued to spiral upwards.

• Soon the USA became the land of unemployment, soup kitchens, bread queues and tramps. Many families were evicted from their homes and lived in the streets.

Problems in the Countryside

Farmers produced too much food

→ Prices fell

→ Farmers and farm workers had less money

→ Farmers grew even more food

→ Prices dropped lower

→ Farmer's couldn’t pay debts or mortages → The banks took over the farms

Why did a boom happen in America during the 1920’s

→Core Goods: America had plenty of necessary core goods such as coal & oil

→Effect of WW1: America was in a strong position after the war compared to European countries. America had plenty of money to invest

→Mass-Production: Henry Ford developed a new form of production. He produced the same type of goods on a large scale, meaning the price of goods fell

→Technological Development: In order to Mass-produce, the production line system had to be used. The line was a means of creating goods more quickly

→Laissez-faire: Republican Presidents believed in giving the economy freedom to develop itself

→Fordney-McCumber Tariff Act: A toll was imposed on imports. This was a way of persuading people to buy goods from America

→Taxes: Taxes were reduced so people would invest in factories

→Advertising: People had to be told about the new goods. The method of shopping by ordering from catalogues developed

Herbert Hoover

• Born in 1874, Hoover’s parents died before he was 11

• Worked hard as a mining engineer, multi-millionaire before he was 40, therefore he was a self-made man

• He became well known for his humanitarian efforts after WWI

• Became President in 1928 promised ‘two cars in every garage & a chicken in the pot’

• Believed in ‘Self-Help’ and ‘Rugged Individualism’

• Believed it was not the job of the Government to provide relief

Actions Hoover took during the Depression

• Created the Hawley-Smooth Act which taxed imported goods by 50%, making things worse

• Reconstructed Finance Corporations - lent $1500 million to businesses, banks wouldn’t lend any more

• Created Voluntary Agreements since employers paid low wages to workers – not effective

• Created government schemes such as Government Schemes such as the Hoover Dam and relief for the homelessness and hunger problems, the Dam didn’t go far enough and Hoover didn’t believe in relief

• Had no solution for people not buying goods

The New Deal

• Roosevelt promised ‘action and action now’ but he didn’t have a clear idea of what should be done or how much it would cost.

• He worked closely with a panel of experts called the BRAIN TRUST to put together a programme of new laws to help America out of the Depression. It was called the New Deal.

• Roosevelt was granted executive powers to deal with the emergency and this special session of congress lasted 100 days. In this period of time, 13 new laws were passed to deal with the emergency.

• The New Deal had 3 aims: Relief, Recovery and Reform.

The Spiral Of The Depression

People lose their jobs.

→ Fewer goods are sold.

→ Demand drops

→ In order to stay in business companies cut wages

→ People lose their confidence & start saving their money

→ Demand drops even further.

→ Companies are forced to cut costs by laying people off

→ Even more people Lose their confidence And spend less money

Reversing the Spiral of Depression

→ Government Spending $

→ Alphabet Agencies

→ More Jobs

→ More Spending

→ Demand for goods increases

→ More goods have to be produced

→ More people with Jobs = more pay $

→ More Spending

→ Demand for goods increases

→ More goods have to be produced

→ More Jobs

→ More Pay = More Taxes

→ Repeat

Explain what was meant by 'New Deal thinking.' How did this differ from rugged individualism?

New Deal thinking' was thinking in the idea of the New Deal", an idea that the federal government and the government, would do whatever it took to save the country from disaster,

FDR promised he would balance the federal budget but put this promise aside once in power and instead Saw Providing government help as more important, even if it left the government in debt.

This thinking also insisted that the government was responsible for the welfare of the people, no matter what the principle of rugged individualism insisted. The relief that New Deal agencies provided Was the absolute minimum, and the tests people had to pass to qualify for relief was so demeaning that some in need didn't choose to take them.

New Deal thinking stressed the importance of rapid, national action, meaning the federal government had to take over some policy-making, that was, under the Constitution, the role of individual states. This got accepted by congreff. This was the opposite of Rugged Individualism since it states that man should make his own wealth

Why did this require an expansion of the powers and reach of the federal government?

This policy-making the role of individual States got accepted by Congress since Roosevelt used his war' rhetoric, suggesting that this increase in federal powers and the federal institutions set up to administer his policies, were only temporary.

Some of his plans, such as the development of the Tennessee Valley (covered 7 states), could only happen with a federal agenez Co-ordinating activities in several states

What were the 'Alphabet Agencies'? Why were they set up? Give some examples. Why might Republican politicians see their creation as highly obstructive to businesses?

Alphabet Agencies are agencies with long names, havowy an abbreviated name- and helped with this New Deal. These included:

• The National Recovery Administration (NRA) - Set up and enforced Codes of Practice for businesses, including setting working hours and a minimum encouraged wage. Businesses could choose not to join the NRA; however, the public were in their windows to support businesses that displayed the NRA Symbol of a blue eagle
  

• The Agricultural Adjustment Agency (AAA) -regulated the major crop),
  such as wheat, cotton and milk. It bought up supplus crops and subsidised farmers to grow less of crops that were being overproduced

• Emergency Banking Act - All banks were closed for 10 days and only those approved by the Federal Government were allowed to reopen. The president encouraged people to invest their money in these banks and not under the mattress, in a series of ‘Fireside chats’.

• Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) - Led by Harry Hopkins, a former social worker, this agency sent funds to depleting local relief agencies. Within two hours, $5 million were given out . Gave Federal money to individual states to help the homeless and unemployed. The government gave each state $1 back for every $3 spent on the relief of poverty. Spent $500 million in total

• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) - Set up to help farmers and others in the Tennessee valley half its population 2.5 million people were living below the poverty line. Farming had become poor in the Tennessee valley due to over cultivating, flooding and soil erosion. Provided cheap Hydroelectric Power to the farms. 20 Dams were constructed to prevent flooding and provide cheap electricity. Millions of trees were planted to prevent soil erosion.

These were agencies to provide work and help different sections of Society. They provided their help on state-by-state basis and, theoretically, states still had Some control.

But they were all accountable to the federal agencies that Provided them with money. Republican politicians saw this creation as highly destrator obstructive to businesses since it told them what to do with businesses, while the which the previous Republican governments avoided.

How did the presidency change and become more important under FDR? Explain his limitations and strengths as a president. Make sure you explain his communication skills and the 'fireside chats.'

The Presidency changed and became more important under FDR. Since he changed the actions Presidents were sort of now expected to do and achieve, FDR was confident, charming and persuasive while also knowing his own mind and was very pragmatic.

He freely admitted he was prepared to work with anyone to get things done, he was a great communicator and determioned to restore confidence to the American people. When inaugurated, he stated that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, accepted that the Depression was crippling but could be sought, and explained about the powers Congress had given him.

He understood how to manipulate Congress, allowing hom to have his first bunking bill be accepted and further bills pushing through laws on banking, taxation, economic help for farmers and home owners in difficulty and unemployment.

Roosevelt created Significant White House Staff to make increased federal intervention in government work. He set up a separate Executive Office of the President, which had several departments to deal with the administration.

If Congress wasn't helpful, he used presidental executive orders that were designed for use only in emergencies, to push laws through.

FDR was more concerned with general policy than detail, he didn't understand economic theory very well, so some of his economic measures created inflation, while others cancelled each other out. FDR also understood managing people.

He instituted a series of radio broadcasts, known as 'fireside chats", where he would explain policies to people as it he was chatting to them in their front rooms. He understood the power of the media and the need for their support, so he created off the record" press meetings there a week with selected reporters at the White House.

He told them what was going on and sometimes threw them an 'on the record piece of information. These briefings meant that, while the press couldn't always quote him directly on policy, they all had the same understanding of what was going on, sest involved and on his side.

Why and in what forms was there criticism of FDR?

Wealthy business people disliked FDR's policies, Republicans disliked FDR for his enlarging of the powers of the President as did some Democrats.

During the 1940 Presidential Campaign, some opponents compared him to dictators of the time.

In what ways was the presidency very different by 1945 than it had been in 1933?

The Presidency was very different by 1945 than it had been in 1933 since the president was expected to be involved in the forming of policy and legislation.

The White House also had many more federal boards and committees, both to run the country as a traditional executive and also to discuss policy and draft laws. The White House was expected to tell the media and the public, about Policy.

The government and President were now seen as responsible for welfare throughout the country. Presidents who followed Roosevelt also presented welfare reform packages with names that deliberately referred to his New Deal.

Many people looked up to the president to solve all their problems, he was credited when thingswent well and when things went badly. However, there was a tendency to blame his advisors, not the president himself.

FDR’s Appeal

• 1932 Election, FDR was percieved as a man of action

• Hoover during the election was viewed as a “do-nothing” president

• Norman Thomas, the socialist candidate, was viewed as a radical

Results: A landslide for Democrats and a mandate for helping the American people was declared

What did Roosevelt do with the Banks?

He closed all banks and only allowed those considered honest and well run to re-open

The Second New Deal

• By May 1935 Roosevelt was facing criticism Some critics (like Senator Huey Long) complained that he was doing too little, others (mainly the wealthybusiness sector) too much.

• On Tuesday, 14 May, 1935 Roosevelt met with a group of senators and close advisers. They persuaded him to take radical steps to achieve his vision and make the USA a fairer place for all Americans.

• On 14 June, he summoned the leaders of Congress and presented them with a huge range of laws that he wanted passed. This became known as the Second New Deal.

• The Wagner Act which forced all employers to allow trade unions to operate.

• The Social Security Act which provided state pensions for the elderly and for widows.

• The Works Progress Administration (WPA), later renamed the Works Project Administration, which brought together all the organisations whose aim was to create jobs.

• The Resettlement Administration (RA) which helped smallholders and tenant farmers who had not been helped by the AAA.

Effects of WWII on the Economy

• Wihout taking the USA into war, FDR geared the country into war production

• The goods were supplied on a 'cash to carry basis, which meant that where the Supplies were sent (usually Britanin) didn't get credit to buy the Supplies

• This war production boosted industry and farming, and led to a Significant rise in employment which grew as the war went on, Farmers grew move food and factories churned out increasing amounts of weapons and ammunition scheme

• When Britain was left standing, FDR wanted to help but knew Congress wouldn't allow the Britain to have the supplies on credit but instead proposed a 'lend-lease` to give Britain Supplies that were to be returned after the war. By the end, the In March 1941, the Lend-Lease Act was signed and by the end of the war, the value of the supplies was $1 Billion.

• Another deal was the destroyers-for-based deal, Britain giving 50 destroyers for the USA to have based in British Lands.
  The USA Government reassured their people that the USA would stay heatral--but they could fight if they chose

The effects of WWII

• Reassured the people that the US would stay neutral – but they could fight if they chose

• When the USA entered the war in 1941, unemployment dropped dramatically

• When in 1940 the UK could no longer afford to pay, Roosevelt organised a ‘lend lease’ scheme – lending equipment until after the war – by the end of the war the value of these supplies was $51 billion

• War production boosted industry and farming and led to a significant rise in employment

• The USA was geared to supply the allies on a ‘cash and carry’ basis – no credit was allowed

Modern Presidency

A Presidency that is in the period of the USA's existence. Where there was an expansion of the Scope and influence of the federal government, and when the country was a world and nuclear power. This Caused the President to be the principal source of Policy initiative, proposing much of the legislation considered by Congress

Harry S. Truman

Personality!
- Wasn't charismatic or very confident

- Overwhelmed (Possibly) by importance of the Job

- ‘To err is Truman’

• Made Mistakes under pressure

Media.
• Gave brieding) carefully with a slipchart and a pointer (economic Policy)

• Didn't explain enough sometimes (korean War)

Public:
- Didn't instantly appeal or try to connect

- Didn't explain Strategy (Korean War)

- Set Speeches in Wooden

•In ad-lib speeches, made mistakes

Organisational ability:
- Worked well with White House administration. Didn't always choose the right people

Congress, etc:
- Worked less well with Congress although the majority there were Republican after 1946.

- Blocked many reforms he wanted. Had sewer contacts and was less able to charm & network

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953-1961

Personality:
- Deliberately Cultivated optimistic
- Friendly

Media:
• Often obscured or minimised a problem (the USSR being first int Space; the missle gap issue

Public:
- Good public manner

- Accessible, used clear imagery in Speeches (explaining the knock-on effect of a Communist takeover in terms of knocking over a line of dominoes)

Organising ability!:
• Exceptional organisation

- Set up regular briefings and long-planning Sessions

• Had everyone concerned in to debate a decision

Congress, etc:
•Worked Well with Congress. Good at political bargaining and persuasion

John F. Kennedy 1961-1963

Personality:
- From a political family •Understood the importance of charm.

•Worked hard on Speech-making style and self-presentation

Media

•Learned people's names and had personal chats

- Used Tv really well Presidential family Publicity

Public:

- Good public manner
• Accessible • Attractive.

Organisational ability!

- Poor

- Advisors competed for attention

- Robert kennedy and Theodore Sorenson did much of the work and reported it

- Abandoned Eisenhower's reqular
meetings for meetings as needed
- Didn't always consult the right people (Bay of Pigs disaster)
- Less Long-term planning

Congress, etc:
- Worked very well with Congress
• Good at Political bargaining and Persuasion
, Family connections helped

Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963-1969

Personality:
•Had been in politics for a while Understood the importance of winning people over

• Could change his style and opinions to get what he wanted

Media
- Not a natural with the media, but was careful to keep them informed

Public:
• Patchy

- Could give great speeches (speech on Voting rights),

- Or would be stift or awkward

• Best with Smaller groups

Organisational ability:

- Kennedy's organisation didn't suit him but kept it.

- His own organisation was
good (6 blocked legislation
before taking it to Congress)

Congress, etc:
•Worked very well with Congress , really understood how to use connections and persuade

- Good at creative thinking to make things happen (when School funding became a problem due to the issue of funding religious Schools he had the funding go to the Children)

Richard M. Nixon, 1969-1974

Personality:
- Clever, capable but suspicious

- Hated people disagreeing with him

•Could make Spur-of-the-moment decisions then backtrack

Media
- Distrusted the media .

- Very bad at managing it (Watergate)

Public:
•Not good with people worked at it, but often seemed awkward and insecure

Organisational ability.
- Reinstated the system of regular meetings and briefings with White House Stats

• Wasn't good at taking advice

Congress, etc?

- Awkward with Congress due to his suspicious nature

- Did find it easy to manage Congress as he found it hard to make personal Connections and persuade

Causes of the Cold War

Long Term:

1. Idealogy

USA = Capitalisty
USSR = Communism

- In the USA, there's the right for private property and is a free econany but there's a class/wealt divide

- In the USSR, the money earned is given to the state and every the benefits

2. Mutual Mistrust:

- Western mistrust of the USSR. Communism threatened western values and way of life, was a dislike to Stalon's dictatorship which had led to many deaths and purges.

- In the 1930's, Stalin had signed the Nazi-Soviet palt in 1939 with bermany and Voland divided USSR's mistrust of the USA

3. Conflicting aims in Central and Eastern Europe

- Western Allies Supported democracy and wanted to hold free elections in Eastern and Central Europe

Short Term

1. Fallout from World War Two

Important events in the Truman Administration

08/05/1945: Germany surrenders, ending World War II in Europe

17/07/1945: Representatives from the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union attend the Potsdam Conference.

06/08/1945: The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

14/08/1945: Japan surrenders, ending World War II in Asia

12/03/1947: Truman delivers his "Truman Doctrine" speech to Congress, asking for a $400 million appropriation to fight the spread of Communism in Greece and Turkey.

05/06/1947: George Marshall proposes economic aid to Europe in an address at Harvard University. Officially titled the Economic Plan." Recovery Program, the package becomes known as the "Marshall

29/06/1947: Truman addresses the NAACP, the first President to do so

26/07/1947: The National Security Act passes Congress, creating the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defence, and the National Security Resources Board.

26/06/1948: In conjunction with the British, Truman orders the airlifting of supplies into West Berlin.

23/09/1949: Truman announces that the Soviet Union has detonated an atomic bomb.

01/10/1949: Mao Zedong announces the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

25/06/1950: North Korea invades South Korea.

05/04/1951: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are sentenced to death following their convictions on conspiring to provide secret information to the Soviet Union.

04/11/1952: Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected President.

Descisions Made At Yalta (Feb 1945) Stalin, FDR & Churchill

Stalin agreed to enter war against Japan once Germany

Agreed Germany would be split into 4 Zones and agreed to Stalin argued that Poland
that Berlin itself would be divided

Agreed that their soldiers would hunt down and Punish war criminals involved in the Nazi Party (higher ups) and the Holocaust

Agreed that the countries were liberated from occupation by German army, were able to hold free elections

Disagreements / tensions made at Yalta

Stalin wanted the border of the USSR to move westward towards Poland.

Stalin argued that Poland could move its border westwards into German territory. Churchill didn't approve

Decisions made at Potsdam (July - August 1945) Attlee, Truman & Stalin

- New boundaries agreed (odder-Niesse rivers formed border between Germany and Poland) 

- Germany and Berlin divided into separate sectors and Zones were agreed

- Nazi Party banned in Germany

- Legal trials at Nuremberg of 21 Nazi leaders for war crimes 

- Allies agreed to participate in UNO

Disagreements / tensions at Potsdam

- Disagreed about Germany. Stalin wanted to be crippled to protect USSR while Truman didn't want another situation like the treaty of Versailes 

- Disagreed over reparations

The Cold War

The Cold War started at the end of the Second World War (1945) and was between the two SUPERPOWERS of Russia and America.

It was called the Cold War because the two sides never fought each other directly, but it was a war of words, propaganda, arms races and spying on each other.

Many conflicts happened as part of the Cold War, including the Vietnam War and the Korean War.

The Cold War ended in 1991

The Cold War had an impact on:

1. America

2. US Presidency

America

1945, WW2 led to more US involment abroad and became a member of the UN in
fighting alongside each other in WW2,

Truman was very anti-communist and Stalin was very anti-Capitalist, creating a Cold war

On 12th March 1947, Truman told Congress that the USA represented in One way of life and the USSR another they were in competition

•The USA needed a policy of 'containment : stopping communist influence spreading by helping countries that might end up in Communist hands (Truman Doctrine), which would soon be followed by the Marshall Plan

• The Marshal Plan a system of aid to war torm countries, to prevent their takeover by Communist regimes

•When the USSR blockaded Berton in 1948, the USA broke the blockade by airlifting food into the city.

In 1949, the USA became a
the USA became a member of NATO which was an alliance that agreed that all members were to respond to an attack on any one of them

Since the USSR had nuclear capability, the US also prepared for any nuclear attack. In the early 1980's, the Federal Defence Agency (FDA) was set up to organike. evacuations and give out pamphlets with advice, such as wearing wide-brimmed hats to protect people from the light

●Schools ran duck and cover exercises to practise again a responding to a nuclear
attack

1956 Interstate Act road network was designed for rapid evacuations of Citiel, but the federal/state legislative divide made made a national of defence difficult

In 1958, People could buy a fallout Shelter for $1,300, average family into income was $5,000 a year.

•Between June 1947-June 1948, the US had 13-50 atomic bomb). Whe the USSR began to make atomic weapons, it started an arms race.

。 This race cost both countries huge amounts of money and resulted in both sides stockpiling enough nuclear weapons for devastation if they Launched (MAD-Mutaially Assured Destruction)

The creation of a large, Permanent military force affected the domestic economy. The military cost money to run, but it also provided jobs and was a major customer for many businesses, from food to fabric.

The existence of this army, the arms race and the Cold War itself created not just a Democrat/Republican divide in Politics, but also a "hawks" / "'doves' divide that crossed Political boundaries.

US Presidency

Power of the president to go to war or make treaties without congress grew with the USA's involvement with Nato and the UN.

The size and wealth of the USA made it a world power from the start. Its increasing nuclear weapons arenal made it the only super power that could and against the USSR, which meant, in turn, that it felt committed in doing so

•After the war, 1947 National Security Act reorganised US military forces under a new Defense Department based at the Pentagon. The Size of the armed forces was greatly enlarged after 195%, and, as Commander-in-chief, the president could move portions without congress' perrmission

The National Security Act also created the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Council; both reported to the White House, not Congress

The existence of nuclear weapons meant a nuclear war might begin without warning-the president had to have the power to react at once, and not wait to ask Congress for permission

Without Consulting Congress, Truman made treaties (after the war) to place permanent US Bases in other countries, the also ordered the Berlin airlift in 1948 and went to war in Korea without Congress" consent. Later Presidents. Such as Kennedy, followed this idea of not telling congress. (Bay of Pigs)

Why did America go to war over Korea?

Truman realised that he was in competition for World Domination with the USSR. When China became Communist the East was in danger of being dominated by Communism.

Truman was worried that the Communists would take over Japan

The Domino Theory - If one country fell, so would the others, like dominos.

How did the Korean War Start & End

1) 1945 Korea is divided into two halves. The Communist North (Russia) and the Democratic South (USA)

2) 1949 China becomes Communist

3) 1950 North Korean Troops invade South Korea encouraged by Stalin and China

4) Sept 1950 UN Forces under the control of the USA invade South Korea

5) Within weeks the North Korean Troops are driven back into North Korea

6) Nov 1950 despite warnings from China, the US forces move on to the Korean/Chinese border. This goes beyond Containment

7) This causes China to enter the war and UN Forces are driven back into South Korea

8) Feb 1951, a stalemate is met. Truman falls out with McArthur who wants to use Nuclear Weapons against China. McArthur is sacked

9) 1953 Eisenhower replaces Truman and Stalin dies. An Armistice is signed along the lines of the 38th Parallel

HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Commission) & Loyalty Boards

Established in 1938 and made permanent in 1945.

Investigated people for all un-American activities, but focused on Communism.

The FBI carried out the investigation and then suspects appeared before HUAC.

Suspects came from all walks of life, Trade Unionists, teachers and even movie stars.

Suspicion could be enough to lose someone their job.

On 21st March 1947, President Truman gave an executive order which established Loyalty Boards to investigate Government Employees.

Every government employee or applicant was investigated by the FBI.

Joseph McCarthy (McCarthyism)

Headed the second Red Scare between 1950 – 1954.

On 9th February 1950 he made a speech to a Republican women’s group announcing he had the names of 205 known Communists working in the State Department, when reporters asked to see the list, he claimed to have left it on an aeroplane.

The next day he revised the number to 57 and when he finally testified he changed the number again to 81.

In the months that followed, he led a series of investigations of suspected Communists and his conviction, use of speeches and television earned him a lot of support.

This lasted until he turned on the army in 1953 and the investigations were televised. Some 20 million people watched the investigations and his treatment of the interviewees was so unreasonable that he lost support and the Red Scare died down.

The Second Red Scare

• Followed after WWII, the war that saw the USSR join the USA and the Allies After the war, many Eastern European Countries occupied by the USSR during the evar emerged with Soviet governments, increasing fears of Communist takeovers in other countries
  

The Scare took place within the context of the Cold War and korean War

A Climate Of Fear:
• The USSR was Spying on the USA: it was especially keen to get hold of almil weapons Secrets. On 31st July, 1948, government employee Elizabeth Bentley told HUAC She had been part of a Moscow - led Spy ring and named other government employees involved in it. -HOAL - House Un-American Activities Commission

- 3 days later, Whittaker Chambers (a government employee) told HUAC of more government employees involved with Moscow. Both allusers named people in important Government Jobs

• The trials of Albert Alger Hiss (1999; retrial 1950), who had been one of Roosevelt's advisors, and the Rosenbergs (1951) were especially high-profile. Hiss's than resulted in a mistrial since the Jury couldn't agree, but was later found guilty While the Rosenbergs were found quilty. In both cases, the evidence was conflicting

- In 1949, China became communist and the USSR held its first nuclear weapons best

- While the loss of China to Communism wasn't something Truman could have stopped members of the China Lobby accused Truman of being responsible because he didn't give enough support to Chiang Kai-Shek, Leader of Chinese government, against the Communist rebels.

- Truman was advised to not give more support to Chiang due to his government being corrupt and the advisors thought the rebels just wanted change in Ching not worldwide Communism, as the Soviet Union wanted

- When the Communist Chinese helped the Communist North Koreans during the Korean War, critics of Truman's China policy said this confirmed their fears

- The media then began to question whether the government was doing enough to Sight Communism and Protect its citizens

Joseph McCarthy / Mc Carthyism:

-Between 1950-1954, Senator Joseph McCarthy headed the Second Red Scare.

-On February 9th 1950, he made an anti-Communist Speech to a Republican Women's group announcing he had the names of 205 known Communists working in the State Department

-When reporters asked to see the list (which he didn't have), he pretended to have left it on a plane,

-He fathered some support for his assertion, but the next day he revised the number down to 57, and when he was called to the Senate it was then changed to 81

-Despite this muddle of ill-Substantiated facts, he had a lot of support, the Tydings Committee was set up to investigate his changes

-In the months that followed, he led a series of investigations of suspect Communists and his apparent conviction and use of speech, interviews and tv appearances carried many normal people with him

- In many parts of the country, vigilante groups of 'red baiters" hounded people at work and at home, often violently

-On 14th July, the Tydings Committee issued a majority report (that the Republicans wouldn't sign) saying McCarthy's accusations were a muddle of half-truths and lies.

-Even so, he remained powerful until he turned to investigating the army in 1953 (which was televised and had a viewership of 20 million). His treatment of the interviewees was so unreasonable that he lost Support, the Senate passed a Vote of censure against him and the Red Scare died down

Anti-Communism, 1954-1980.

- The FBI was given powers to investigate people and bring them to be questioned by Loyalty Boards or HUAC on very little evidence. It was allowed to open Letters, tap Phones and buy offices and homes. It's behaviour was moving towards that of the repressive communist regimes that the government condemned.

- At the height of both scares, people had their freedom of speech and freedom of expression severely limited by worries about what would happen if they expressed even Vaguely Liberal views.

- In the late 1950's, a third of librarians removed books such as the works of Karl Marx from their shelves, to avoid being accused of having Communist Sympathies for stocking them.

- When Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the USSR, Visited the USA in 1959, he was met with large anti-Communist demonstrations - One Placecard read "THE ONLY GOOD COMMUNIST IS A DEAD COMMUNIST!

• Anti-Communism was one of the few policies that united many Republicans, Democrats; between 1953-1962, not one Senator publicly supported a Softening of attitude to the USSR or China.

- Various groups were set up from the 1950's to press the government to take a hard line in relations with communist countries. One of the most powers at of these was the Committee on the Present Danger, first set up in 1950 and was reformed in 1976 and had many powerful government advisors as members

Counter culture

• When Liberal politicians were trying to remake Society Change the face of polities from within, many young people were trying to remake Society altogether. rejecting the values of their parents generation and distrusting the political machine
  

+ They wanted to Change Society by changing the culture - is people began to Live differently, then they would behave differently, without government telling. them what they would do.

- While these groups all wanted to change Society, the society they wanted and the methods they used were vastly different and they often split and reformed they argued out their ideological differences.

Hippies:

- They wanted to loosen the tight family system and live in communual sorteties. They believed in peace and a simple way of life, rather than working hard within the system to earn money to buy more and more goods

- Some smoked dope and took other mind-altering drugs and many supported wider sexual freedom than marriage gave. While they wanted to Change Society, they were prepared to live according to their beliefs separate from others, in Communual groups.

- The most famous hippie gathering of the 1960's was the Woodstock Festival (15-18 August 1969). Just under 200,000 tickets were sold but instead 400,000 - Seco Came, Loud music, freely wed drugs and sexual freedom were prominent.

Radical Student groups:

- They wanted to change Society in the USA to produce a more equal world, closer to their view of the American Dream. They wanted to change everything from the way their courses were organised to ending the war in Vietnam

- One of these groups was Students for a Democratic Society (505), set in 1960. SDS's Port Huron Statement (1962) denounced conventional Politics as having forgotten the principle that all men are created equal, and urged a return to equality

- The SDS rejected all forms of bigotry, including racism and anti-communion and protested, often Violently, against the war in Vietnam. They organised the first mass rally against the war in 1965

- The Free Speech Movement was a radical group that led a campaign on the University of California campus in Berkeley in 1964. The group used sit-ins, protest and other tactics also used by the civil rights movement to Rush for free speech on Campus.

- When a student was arrested for campaigning for the civil rights group CORE, students took over the main square. Protest escalated: during the to two months it ran, over 700 students were arrested for sit ins and other authorities

- While radical Students weren't always in the majority on university campuses, they were the most noticeable and so affected how many people reacted to all Students

•On 14th May 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen Shot & unarmed Students and injured 9 during a student protest at the invasion of Cambodia, during the Vietnam War. Small, extremely radical, student groups planted bomb at military targets.

•On 24th August 1970, a bomb was detonated outside an army research base in Madison, Wisconsin, which killed ↑ researcher, injured 4 and caused $60 million of damage

Liberalism

-The Second Red Scare and increasing violence against black civil rights campaigners, especially in the Deep South, had made many people uneasy about the political climate in the USA

-A new liberalism took off under President Kennedy. While campaigning for President, he discussed the meaning of liberal was that ".it it meant forward- thinking, flexible, concerned about the welfare of the people and Willing to try to be less suspicious abroad, then he was very happy to be classed as one.

-Many other people felt the same way, both Democrats and Republicans. These were the values of the American Dream

-Liberals were usually educated and middle class, or even wealthy. They Supported equality, Civil rights and Social welfare. They believed that government intervention could improve things and were prepared to limit individual liberties to help those in need (giving them political trouble during the Red Scare)

- Liberal politicians produced the idea of positive discrimination for what they defined as the 'five minorities: American Indians, Asians; Blacks; Hispanics; women. In this they were following a move in public opinion
- Support for Liberal measures, including civil rights, equal opportunities and

Legalising abortion, all increased in the 19609
- Liberal politicians were more likely to align the selves with people who thought in a similar way than along party lines and were happy to be involved in Protests

-In 1968, the Democratic National Convention met in Chicago to decide policy. They were divided about the Vietnam War.
-There were anti-war protests in the parks outside the hall and the police moved in to break them up, vidently, with tear gas and batons

-The following day, Donald Peterson, one of the delegates, led a 2,000-Strong march against police brutality, calling on Young protesters to join in

-The Civil Rights Act, the Voting Reform Act and President Johnson's Great Society welfare reforms could only have been passed by a Congress that was liberal-minded.

~Civil rights campaigners and other campaigners for equality faced a great deal of violent opposition in the 1960's and 1970's

The conservative reaction

- Many older Americans were bewildered by the counter-culture and the problems they saw it creating.

-It challenged family values; it respected the consumer culture they embracedy it rejected the values of hard work and Striving for success; it rejected traditional Christian religions Values and Patriotism

-Many people who hadn't had the chance to go to university thought Students were being ungrateful. When Some Students went further and resorted to violence, it added to the feeling that liberal government wasn't working

-As the spiralling violence that accompanied Protests showed little sign of dying down, many politicians, Republican and Democrat alike, began to campaign as the "New Right" to restore law and order and traditional Values

- 3rd November 1967, Republican Nixon campaigned for president on New Right Policies, gaining support from many Americans with Democratic voters also Finding the campaign of promising the uniting of Society appealing

-Along with that there was also young people, who might have wanted more equality and freedom, who felt that they didn't want society to change as much as the hippies or radical Students did

-From the late 1960s, religious groups, especially evangelical ones, held Campaigns

-Bill Bright was an evangelical preacher whose 1967 'Campul crusade for Christ went to campuses allover the USA, such as Berkeley, CA

-During the 1970's, a religious right movement emerged that campaigned for a return to traditional family values, with a move away from liberal policies such as abortion and contraception

-Many of these campaigns campaigned to also keep laws against homosexuality and to remove from office people found to be gay.

The impact of the Korean War on domestic policy

- On 25th June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, with the help of supplies and advisors (not troop) from the USSR

- From Start, Truman was concerned to fight a limited War, keeping the North Koreans in North Korea, rather then entering a fall-scale war. The war was taking place in context of the Second Red Scare, and he Wanted to stop hysteria and calls for all-out war

- In an early press conference, he stressed that it wasn't the USA going to war but the UN: a reporter asked is if it was just a UN police action Truman agreed, but the phrase haunted him all through the war as he was criticised for not doing enough.

•Korea emphasised the way the Cold War Shifted presidential attention away from the domestic policy and towards international policy

- All domestic policy had to go through Congress; presidents had more freedom to act alone in foreign affairs
The cold war led to an expectation that the USA Should be involved in world affairs (like vietnam and korea), as it was the only country Capable of maintaining a balance of power with the USSR.

•The reigns of domestic policy-making therefore began to Shift back towards Congress

•Truman, in the 1949 elections, lost some key Republican allies in Congress, and Combination of the Second Red Scare and the Korean war (and his handling of it) gave the Republicans their opportunity

They were critical of government policy, and of Truman, at every opportunity; in the 1951 elections, they gained 5 seats in the Senate and 28 in the House of Representatives, this was the start of a move in the Republicans favour

• One criticism that the Korean war encouraged was the cost, to the USA, of the cold war in general as well as the Korean War itself

- Defence Spending hit a peak at 14% of ur GNP, with some money coming from government borrowing; however, Truman's administration did raise taxes
defence budget

- Every US government since has had issues balancing tax/borrowing contribution to the defence budget

The impact of the Korean War on the Presidency

-The Korean War marked a Shift in the way the media dealt with the Presidency, they began by promising Truman Support, expecting the kind of access and information from what they had with Roosevelt and during WW2

-Truman made the mistake of holding back with the media, because he didn't want to inflame anti-communist feeling

-The media, desperate for news, took their information from other sources, in pure speculation including the Republicans; they became more critical and even indulged in pure speculation

-On 7th July 1950, headlines announced that the President wanted to increase troops (True), using the draft (Not true) and was considering using the atomic bomb (Not true)

-In Aug 1950, Truman began television briefings, he then arranged for over 200 reporters to go to Korea.

-Truman found it hard to regain media Support for 'limited war'. This made it hard to gain Public Support, as he wasn't a president who communicated well with the public

-When he sacked General MacArthur, in April 1951, he had little support, even though MacArthur had openly criticised and disobeyed direct order from Truman, his commander-in-chief.

-Truman came under pressure from both Republicans and Democrats to Scale up the war in Korea, to help nationalists in Taiwan to fight the Chinese and to take a harder live on communism everywhere.

-When the issues with the USSR needed peaceful resolution to avoid a world war, his opponents said this didn't sound like the Truman Doctrine - even though that stressed economic and financial aid, not fighting.

-Congress and members in Congeress had always bickered; this was now conducted in the glare of media publicity

- One of the cornerstones of the American tream was that the USA had a government that was co-operative, self regulating and sair

- The behaviour of the various parts of the government over the Korean war contributed to the beginnings of disillusionment with the presidency and government in general, which deepened under later Presidents.

The Vietnam War

• Since the late 19th Century, Vietnam had been ruled by France and was known as INDOCHINA.

• In 1940, during World War II, France was defeated by Germany and Japan (Germany’s ally) took control of Vietnam’s resources.

• During the war, a strong, anti-Japanese resistance movement emerged under the leadership of the communist HO CHI MINH, this movement was known as the VIET MINH.

• Although the Viet Minh were communist, their most important aim was Vietnamese Independence.

• When the Second World War ended, the Viet Minh controlled the North of Vietnam and were determined to control the whole country, so in 1945,

  the Viet Minh entered the city of

  Hanoi and declared Vietnam

  independent.

• However, the now victorious French had other ideas, they wanted control of Vietnam again so they declared war on the Viet Minh.

• At this time, Ho Chi Minh kept quiet

  about being communist and the USA were sympathetic to his cause. They saw his struggle as against Imperialist France.

Effects of China becoming communist

However, in 1949, China turned communist under the leadership of Mao Tse Tung, and started to help the Viet Minh.

This worried the USA as they feared a Communist takeover of Southeast Asia, so they began pouring $500 million per year into the French war effort and they assisted the setting up of a non-communist regime in the south of Vietnam.

The war dragged on until 1954, the guerrilla tactics of the Viet Minh making them almost impossible to beat. In 1954, the French were beaten decisively at Dien Bien Phu.

Vietnam was divided into North (communist) run by Ho Chi Minh and South (non-communist) led by Ngo Dinh Diem (anti-communist supported by America.)

How did the USA become involved?

The USA supported Diem with money, equipment and military advisors (who trained South Vietnamese soldiers) because he was not communist.

Diem’s regime was corrupt and unpopular with the Vietnamese peasants, as a result, communists in South Vietnam called the VIET CONG built up support & made links with Ho Chi Minh.

By the 1960’s the North of Vietnam was attacking the south using Guerrilla tactics. By 1962, the communists controlled the countryside in the South

Up until 1963, JFK was President and he did not seem to want to enter into war with Vietnam.

In 1963 he was assassinated and replaced by Lyndon Johnson who was much more prepared to start a war.

1964: American ships were fired on in the Gulf of Tonkin and Johnson used this to start a war.

On 8 March 1965 3500 troops came ashore at Da Nang, America was at war with Vietnam.

Korea and Vietnam - SImilarities & Differences

KOREA

Reasons for US Involvement

To contain Communism - At first to help set up non-commie Truman Doctrine

Nature of Warfare

Traditional, regular armies and large battles , traditional tactics, partisan fighting

Response of US public

In 1950 78% of Americans said they approved of Truman's decision to send military aid, and 15% disapproved. 1953, 50% of Americans said the war was not a mistake, while a low of 36% said it was a mistake.

Outcome

Communism was contained.

Effect on Presidency

Contributed to the beginning of the decline in the US Presidency.

VIETNAM

Reasons for US Involvement

At first to help set up non-commie regime in the south

But when the South were attacked by North, LBJ started involvent- To contain communism

Nature of Warfare

Guerrilla warfare

Hybrid warfare theater

(Fought Viet long and North)

Response of US public

At first quite positive since they were aiding to stop communism. Once Tet Offensive was finished and they realised they were losing support dropped. Radical Students protests

Outcome

America left in 1973 & signed a treaty with all of Vietnam’s sides. In 1975, the North invaded Saigon and the war was officially over

Effect on Presidency

Contributed to the further decline of trust to the US government, due to the Counterculture and Civil Rights Movements bringing it down

SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT? (HOW?)

Reasons for US Involvement

Similar since at the start they both wanted to contain communism

Nature of Warfare

Different since Korea had traditional tactics and Partisan fighting while Vietnam had Guerrilla warfare

Response of US public

Different since the Korean war was during the second Red Scare, Vietnam was and so people were less inclined to fight along with the rise of counterculture

Outcome

Different, since Communism wasn’t contained in Vietnam & the South were invaded and was taken over by the North

Effect on Presidency

Similar, since there was a decline in respect for the US government

What tactics were used in the war & why did this cause problems for the US soldiers?

Guerrilla Warfare

Operation Rolling Thunder

Causing heavy Vietnamese Casualties

Sending more troops

Search and Destroy

Chemical Weapons