hist 7b final

3 P's and their subsets

Pluralism

Important to think about in terms of expansion and federal government expansion America isn't just one thing and it isn't just one look. It is racially diverse and lots of people have a hard time coming to terms to this. A pluralist society promotes inclusivity, tolerance, and open dialogue among its members, aiming to create a space where various perspectives are heard and valued. In essence, pluralism celebrates diversity and strives for harmony amid differences.

Reconstruction

1865-1877: After the civil war,  focusing on efforts to aid the transition of freed people from slavery to freedom, as well as the resistance against such efforts. Efforts: freedmen’s bureau, radical reconstruction, rise of black political participation, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Reconstruction Act of 1867. Resistance: black codes, the KKK, lynchings.

13th -15th amendments

13th: abolition of slavery, 14th: no state shall abrige privileges from citizens/equal protection w laws, 15th: African American men the right to vote.

abolitionism

Abolishing slavery

indian schools

Education for assimilation, children were taken off of reservations and sent to Carlisle Indian Boarding School

black codes

• Aim was to recreate the social and labor relations that define slavery in the absence of slavery

• Forcing black labor because the economy seemed to depend on it

• Sought to exploit a loophole in the Thirteenth Amendment 

  • That if people did a crime (debt, unemployment…), people were allowed to be slaves/involuntary servitude as punishment

chinese exclusion

Great lengths were made to distinguish Chinese-Americans from Japanese, whom Americans of course had trouble telling apart → WWII as “emancipatory” for Chinese-Americans (via repeal of Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943)

immigration/citizenship

Naturalization Laws: Federal naturalization laws of 1790 and 1870 restricted citizenship to white individuals, excluding Chinese immigrants. Court cases like In re Ah Yup (1878) and In re Look Tin Sing (1884) reinforced these discriminatory practices

progressive era

• Era of reform initiatives in response to industrialization, led by educated urban reformers.

• Focus on ameliorating problems of laissez-faire capitalism through regulation and reform. Positive statism : government needed to play an interventionist role in the economy and in society to serve public interest

  • Child-centric approaches to education, to prepare citizens

  • Brought about juvenile courts and juvenile justice 

• Direct democracy tools such as initiative, referendum, and recall intended to curb the power of big business.

• 16th (income tax), 17th(direct election into senate), 18th(prohibition), 19th(women’s suffrage) Amendments

jim crow

Jim Crow laws, which enforced racial segregation and discrimination, began to emerge in the late 19th century. Efforts to disenfranchise African American men through tactics such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses were part of the broader Jim Crow system.

eugenics

• Some progressive era reforms were bad, like eugenics => “americanization”

• Eugenics movement aiming to improve the human race through selective breeding/ sterilization (promotion of this at state fairs and schools) supported by the Supreme Court's decision in Buck v. Bell.

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, organized protests (against birth of a nation for example) petitions, etc

Women’s suffrage

• Feminist and Civil Rights Movements: Social and political movements advocating for gender and racial equality, respectively, during the mid-20th century in the United States.

Immigration

European:

• European immigrants outnumbered immigrants from other regions, including China.

• two waves: old immigrants were mainly Protestant, while new immigrants came from Southern and Eastern Europe. New immigrants settled primarily in urban areas.

• driven by explosive population growth and industrialization in Europe. The U.S. offered opportunities for economic advancement, aided by railroad recruitment and industrialization.

• European immigrants experienced "rags-to-respectability" socioeconomic mobility, although not necessarily "rags-to-riches" success stories.

• European immigrants faced xenophobia and nativism, evident in political cartoons targeting Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants.

Chinese:

• Chinese immigrants faced discrimination despite initial promises like the Burlingame Treaty of 1868. Economic depression in the 1870s led to the emergence of the Workingmen's Party of California (WPC), which was anti-capitalist and anti-Chinese.

• 1879 California Constitution: The WPC influenced the California Constitution, which included anti-Chinese provisions, reflecting the racial biases of the time.

• The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and 1888 barred Chinese immigrants from naturalization. 

• Violence against Chinese immigrants spiked in the mid-1880s, exemplified by the Rock Springs Massacre of 1885.

Plessy v Ferguson

1896, in which the Supreme Court upheld segregation laws and the "separate but equal" doctrine. plessy tried to go on all white train etc These decisions legitimized racial discrimination and segregation in public facilities.

Scopes Trial

Darwin’s evolution theory went against religion, In 1925, John Scopes was convicted and fined $100 for teaching evolution in his Dayton, Tenn., classroom. The first highly publicized trial concerning the teaching of evolution, the Scopes trial also represents a dramatic clash between traditional and modern values in America of the 1920s. Movie Inherit the Wind

Native Americans

It is rather well known that the U.S. federal government is motivated by the removal of native people through policies, which intensified efforts to restrict Native American sovereignty after the Civil War. This employed measures that entailed things such as violent warfare, legal acts like the Dawes Act, and forced assimilation through initiatives like the "Code of Indian Offenses" and boarding schools.

New Deal Era

resurgence of positive statism, fostering initiatives like the Wagner Act for labor rights and the FHA for homeownership. However, these policies had racial limitations, evident in the exclusion of certain categories of workers from labor protections and the perpetuation of residential segregation through practices like redlining.

Japanese Internment

• Faced discrimination, curfews, and mass incarceration following the attack on Pearl Harbor, evidenced by Executive Order 9066 issued by President Roosevelt, and the controversial Supreme Court ruling in Korematsu v. United States. after pearl harbor, internment camps.

Civil Rights Movement

• Civil Rights Movements:

  • NAACP's efforts leading up to Brown v. Board of Education.

  • President Eisenhower's Department of Justice involvement in Brown v. Board of Education.

  • Corrigan v. Buckely challenging segregation laws and property rights.

• The Dominant Narrative:

  • 1954: Brown v. Board of Education - Supreme Court decision striking down racial segregation in public schools.

  • 1964: Civil Rights Act - Legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, including Title II for public accommodations and Title VII for employment.

  • 1965: Voting Rights Act - Legislation aimed at overcoming racial discrimination in voting, particularly in the South, by eliminating literacy tests and other barriers.

• The "Long" Civil Rights Movement:

  • 1946: Morgan v. Virginia - Supreme Court decision challenging segregation on interstate buses.

  • 1960: Boynton v. Virginia - Supreme Court decision extending the ban on segregation to bus terminals.

  • 1961: Freedom Rides - Civil rights activists challenge segregation in interstate bus travel through nonviolent protests.

California Civil Rights

• The "Wide" Civil Rights Movement:

  • 1940s: Dismantling of California's system of legalized segregation, setting the stage for broader civil rights efforts.

  • 1960s: California enacts anti-discrimination legislation covering fair employment, fair housing, and other areas, reflecting a broader focus on civil rights beyond African Americans.

  • 1965: Affirmative action measures introduced in California to address discrimination in employment and education, highlighting the intersectionality of civil rights issues.

Immigration Reform

• Immigration Restriction Act of 1924:

  • Eugenic basis for immigration restrictions targeting southern and eastern European immigrants.

  • Implementation of quotas and exclusionary measures, particularly against Japanese immigration.

New Deal

FDR's New Deal expanded positive statism with initiatives like the National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act), aimed at protecting workers' right to collective bargaining, and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which facilitated increased homeownership.

Housing Exclusion

????

Neoliberal Era

• Rise of the Neoliberal Order:

  • Geopolitical factors contributing to the solidification of the neoliberal order.

  • New Deal liberalism vs. neoliberalism contrasted.

  • Influence of figures like Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan in promoting deregulation and tax cuts.

  • Legislation such as Proposition 13 in California (1978) and its role in spreading neoliberalism.

  • Financialization and the embrace of neoliberal policies by Wall Street.

  • Bill Clinton's presidency as a significant period in the establishment of the neoliberal order.

Fight over welfare

????

Southern Strategy

????

Gay Rights Movement

nothing in notes abt gay rights???

Political Economy

Political economy refers to the interaction between politics/policy and economics, in particular, how 19th century populism, early 20th century progressivism, mid-20th century New Deal liberalism, and late 20th century and early 21st century neoliberalism offered different political and policy responses to the nation’s shifting economic base from agriculture to industry to post-industry/service, striking different balances between how much faith and responsibility to vest in the public sector (government) vs. the private sector (the free market).

Reconstruction

Brief moment in the sun: Emancipation as a Process: 

• Emancipation was not solely achieved through the Emancipation Proclamation but also involved compensated emancipation in Washington, DC, and self-emancipation efforts

• The Proclamation had limits due to political and military considerations but encouraged slaves to escape and join the Union army.

Meanings of Freedom: 

• For the formerly enslaved, freedom meant more than just legal emancipation

  • It included searching for family members, legalizing marriages, land ownership, formal education, and political participation. 

Reading: Archives 

• Land ownership, exemplified by General Sherman's Special Field Orders No. 15 ("40 Acres and a Mule"), was a priority but faced challenges and was short-lived, contributing to contemporary debates over reparations and racial wealth gaps.

Education and Political Participation: 

• Alongside land ownership, formal education and political participation were priorities for the formerly enslaved. 

  • Primary Source: Letter 

• Illiteracy rates were high among the formerly enslaved, but there was a strong desire for education, leading to efforts to establish public schools in the South. 

• Political participation, including suffrage and holding office, was also a significant goal for achieving freedom and equality.

Second Industrial Revolution

nventions in the Second Industrial Revolution include the telephone, the modern lightbulb, an increase in electrical power, airplanes, automobile, assembly line, air brakes, petroleum refining, the telegraph, the modern typewriter, and the tractor, and the first skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois.

Monopoly

When one company dominates the market

Producerism Consumerism

• Producerism asserts that those who produce deserve the fruits of their labor, emphasizing the labor theory of value. 

• This contrasts with the growing focus on consumers and the perception that producers were being exploited.

  
  

Income Tax

• The progressive income tax was proposed as a means to address the economic disparities of the Gilded Age and was eventually implemented through the 16th Amendment in 1913.

Wilson-Gorman Act: 

• This act, passed in 1894, included provisions for a progressive income tax but faced challenges, including the Supreme Court's ruling in Pollock v. Farmers' Loan and Trust Co. (1895), which overturned the income tax provision.

16th Amendment: 

• Proposed in 1909 and ratified in 1913, the 16th Amendment gave Congress the power to levy taxes on incomes, marking a significant shift in federal taxation policy.

Implementation of the Progressive Income Tax: 

• The Underwood-Simmons Act of 1913 implemented the progressive income tax, leading to tariff reductions and the establishment of a more equitable tax system.

Regulations

• Their rise is a counter balance with the federal government like regulations, profit and labor unions

• Union power and regulations ensure that productivity is largely distributed

Wilderness/Government

• Industrialization transformed Americans' perception of nature from abundance to scarcity, leading to the rise of environmental conservation and preservationism. 

• This shift contributed to the growth of positive statism and the manufacturing of wilderness.

• George Perkins Marsh's "Man and Nature": connection between deforestation and the decline of civilizations.

• Forest Reserves Act 1891 : conserve timberland/natural resources.

  Gifford Pinchot and Theodore Roosevelt: establishment of the U.S. Forest Service and the expansion of forest reserves.

  John Muir advocated for the preservation of nature through the founding of the Sierra Club and his activism to protect wilderness areas like Hetch Hetchy Valley (ppl wanted to dam)

  National Park Service 1916: Stephen Mather's efforts led to the establishment of the National Park Service, influenced by both profit motives and preservationist ideals.

  Aldo Leopold and National Wilderness Areas: response to the commercialization of national parks.

  
  

• Wilderness was perceived as devoid of people but there were N.A., reflecting the cultural and ideological shifts brought about by industrialization and urbanization. 

  Anti-Conservationist Response: 

  • Sagebrush Rebellion of the 1970s/80s and the Malheur National Wildlife Occupation of 2016.

  • These movements reflect ongoing tensions over land use and conservation policies.

Pushback to Big Bus/Monopoly

Responses ranged from laissez-faire approaches to revolutionary confrontations and reformist movements like Populism and Progressivism.

• Two main approaches emerged:

  • regulation, which sought to regulate big businesses in the public interest

  • antitrust measures, which aimed to break up monopolies to promote competition.

Legislative Attempts: 

• Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which regulated interstate commerce, and Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which aimed to prosecute trusts deemed to restrain trade.

Presidential Approaches: 

• Theodore Roosevelt favored a regulatory approach, advocating for breaking up "bad" trusts while leaving "good" trusts intact

•  Woodrow Wilson, on the other hand, favored trust-busting to promote opportunities for small businesses.

Trust Busting

a government tool to break up monopolies when they control too much of the market share and prevent competition.

Middle Class

between upper and lower

G.I. Bill (Servicemen's Readjustment Act)

• WW2 veterans benefits

• Revolutionizes higher education and vocational training.

• Short-term government costs versus long-term benefits.

• Unequal distribution of benefits, primarily to men.

• Impact of the G.I. Bill:

  • Contributes to growth in labor productivity, GDP per capita, and median family income.

  • Tripling of bachelor's degrees for men, creating a gender gap in education.

  • Role in expanding the middle class and creating a managerial elite.

Unions

teams of individuals coming together to guarantee the things you care about like decent wages, affordable health care, job security, safe and respectful workplaces, and fair scheduling.

Treaty of Detroit

Treaty of Detroit: Collective bargaining agreement signed in 1950 between the UAW and General Motors.The “Treaty of Detroit” (1950) as reflective of mid-20 th century collaboration between big business, labor unions, and the federal government AND the heyday of “democratic capitalism” (Robert Reich, UCB)

Postwar Boom

• America's economic boom post-World War II (circa 1945-1975) and its widespread prosperity.

• Collaboration between big business, labor unions, and government, reflecting "democratic capitalism."

• Rise of large manufacturing corporations and the "Treaty of Detroit" (1950).

• Housing provisions of the G.I. Bill stimulate home ownership and suburbanization.

• Shift from producerism to consumerism as a focus of political economy.

• Role of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways Act (1956) in suburbanization and automobile ownership.

• Explosion of household appliance ownership and television ownership.

• Deindustrialization: Marks end of post-World War II economic boom, with decline in manufacturing jobs, leading to stagflation and unionization.

Oil Crisis

Rise of japan

Neoliberal Era

• Rise of the Neoliberal Order:

  • Geopolitical factors contributing to the solidification of the neoliberal order.

  • New Deal liberalism vs. neoliberalism contrasted.

  • Influence of figures like Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan in promoting deregulation and tax cuts.

  • Legislation such as Proposition 13 in California (1978) and its role in spreading neoliberalism.

  • Financialization and the embrace of neoliberal policies by Wall Street.

  • Bill Clinton's presidency as a significant period in the establishment of the neoliberal order.

Reagan and Clinton Policies

Reagan:

• Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative and how Reagan imagined it being able to go beyond containment and MAD

  • SDI would exploit the Soviets backwardness in technology, and highlight Americas cutting edge technology

  • The idea of SDI is that technology had excelled so much that they had the ability to stop any attempt of a nuclear missles hitting the US and instilling a kind of “force field” 

• Reagan was seen as the face of Neoliberalism

Clinton

• Neoliberalism – like New Deal liberalism – as having bipartisan support (FDR/Eisenhower, Carter/Reagan/Clinton)

• Bill Clinton and the arrival of the neoliberal order in the White House, with Clinton being to neoliberalism what Eisenhower had been to New Deal liberalism with respect to turning those movements into orders, as per Gerstle’s definition of what constitutes a political order

Jimmy Carter

1. Jimmy Carter and the first “neoliberal stirrings” (Gerstle) in the White House, as reflected in his rhetoric and policies promoting deregulation and tax cuts

• carter becomes the first player in Neoliberlism 

• Carter turns neoliberalism into an orber by making it bipartisan

• CArter was a transition figure from the great turning point from the New Deal Liberal era to the Neoliberal Era. 

• Governemnt was too large for the public

• Governement was maybe necessary after the depression, but hindered on the market, businesses and American people. Painted it out as UNdemocratic. 

• Started deregulation legislation of railways, trucking etc. 

• tax cuts were a main aprt of his administration. The Tax revolt (Prop. 13)was finally able to make grounds. This shows how something was changing that was allowing it to build traction.

Deregulation

Carter/Reagen promoted.

Tax cuts

• Tax cuts were a main aprt of his administration. The Tax revolt (Prop. 13)was finally able to make grounds. This shows how something was changing that was allowing it to build traction. 

Proposition 13 (California, 1978) and the “tax revolt” – neoliberalism (as reflected in an increasing embrace of tax cuts of various sorts) spreading across the country

• Cut property taxes from ⅔ to 1%??? (was this right) 

• tax rates go down to a max of 1%

• Once you buy a house, you pay 1% of the market value of the house WHEN you purchased. This made house owners have some gauge of what they will pay year after year. 

• People described this as a Massive rejection of liberal government that developed in the post New Deal Era.

• 20 states followed california in a similar tax change

Union Decline

??

Neoliberalist Order

• Rise of the Neoliberal Order:

  • Geopolitical factors contributing to the solidification of the neoliberal order.

  • New Deal liberalism vs. neoliberalism contrasted.

  • Influence of figures like Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan in promoting deregulation and tax cuts.

  • Legislation such as Proposition 13 in California (1978) and its role in spreading neoliberalism.

  • Financialization and the embrace of neoliberal policies by Wall Street.

  • Bill Clinton's presidency as a significant period in the establishment of the neoliberal order.

Government reconstruction

Government and the West

Spanish american war

The Spanish-American War was a brief but significant conflict that occurred in 1898 between Spain and the United States. The primary reasons for the war were America's support for the ongoing struggle of Cuba and the Philippines against Spanish rule, and the mysterious explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor, which the U.S. blamed on Spain.

Key figures in the war included:

• President William McKinley: U.S. President during the war, who initially sought to avoid conflict but ultimately supported intervention.

• Theodore Roosevelt: Then the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, he was a strong advocate for war against Spain and later led the Rough Riders, a volunteer cavalry unit, in a famous charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba.

• Admiral George Dewey: Commanded the U.S. Navy's Asiatic Squadron and defeated the Spanish fleet in the Battle of Manila Bay.

The war ended with a decisive victory for the United States, culminating in the Treaty of Paris signed on December 10, 1898. This treaty resulted in Spain relinquishing control of Cuba, and ceding Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States, marking the emergence of the U.S. as a world power with overseas colonies.

Open door policy in china

• The US approached Japan (an empire in a similar situation) in efforts to get closer to China and the expansive markets they provided, which succeeded 

  • This “open-door” policy later drove the post imperial ambitions post 1898 —> laxed political connections but strong economic connections

    • Focused on empire building through trade, access to raw materials, etc. that contrasted Europe’s prioritization of acquisition 

• The US wanted this because it was a growing manufacturing/industrial power that was doing so rapidly 

  • This meant an overproduction of products that sparked concern in the 1890s that the US economic power is so much that it can cause the country to collapse on itself due to surplus 

  • “Where can these products be consumed additionally?” 

    • This process brought about a huge role for the US in terms of global exports 

    • US became an “empire of small islands”

WW1

1914 to 1918. It began conflicts among European powers, notably imperial ambitions. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in June 1914 triggered the war, leading to a domino effect of treaty obligations activating.

Allied Powers: France, the United Kingdom, Russia, and later the United States

Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

The war concluded with the defeat of the Central Powers. The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 formally ended the war, imposing heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany. The harsh terms and unresolved tensions contributed significantly to the economic and political conditions leading to World War II.

Vietnam and Containment

WW2 and joining the allies

World War II, lasting from 1939 to 1945, was primarily triggered by aggressive expansionist policies of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan.

Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, prompting Britain and France to declare war on Germany.

the Allied Powers—primarily the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and China

the Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan.

The U.S. joined the Allies after Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This attack directly led to U.S. declarations of war against Japan and, subsequently, Germany and Italy.

Significant: the Holocaust, the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

World War II concluded in 1945 with the unconditional surrender of Germany after D-Day, and of Japan on (V-J Day), following their devastating defeat by the Allies.

Isolationism

Isolationism refers to a country's policy of non-involvement in the political or military affairs of other countries. (US not wanting to interfere with WW2)

Atomic bomb debate

Exploring the inevitability of the U.S. decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, arguing it was the lesser of two awful choices given the circumstances. Debate on whether dropping the bombs saved more lives than they took, including the counterfactual of not using the bombs. Delving into alternative strategies to end WWII in the Pacific without atomic bombs.

• Evaluation of the ethical erosion in wartime decision-making.

• Soviet Union's testing of an atomic bomb

• Discussion of the long-term effects of nuclear weapons, including the Cold War and the taboo against their use.

Image abroad

• Growing tensions between the USA and the Soviet Union, fueled by ideological differences.

• Desegregation seen as crucial for U.S. foreign relations, as evidenced by policies like To Secure These Rights and Executive Order 9981.

• Legal challenges such as Shelley v. Kraemer, Oyama v. State of California, and Brown v. Board of Education.

Neolib era

• Rise of the Neoliberal Order:

  • Geopolitical factors contributing to the solidification of the neoliberal order.

  • New Deal liberalism vs. neoliberalism contrasted.

  • Influence of figures like Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan in promoting deregulation and tax cuts.

  • Legislation such as Proposition 13 in California (1978) and its role in spreading neoliberalism.

  • Financialization and the embrace of neoliberal policies by Wall Street.

  • Bill Clinton's presidency as a significant period in the establishment of the neoliberal order.

US tech sector

• The rise of Silicon Valley is traced back to its Cold War origins, particularly its connection to government-funded projects aimed at advancing technology for military purposes.

• The Myth of Silicon Valley's Rise: Depictions in HBO's "Silicon Valley" and exhibits like "Advancing Technology" at the Oakland Museum of California oversimplify the complex roots of Silicon Valley.

• The Atomic Roots of Silicon Valley: ENIAC and MANIAC computers, designed for military use, laid the foundation for Silicon Valley's emergence, with innovations like transistors and microchips initially driven by military contracts.

• From Military Market to Civilian/Consumer Market: Moore's Law, established by Gordon Moore of Fairchild Semiconductor, led to Intel's transition from military to civilian markets, catering to consumer electronics.

• Silicon Valley Suburbia: Federal underwriting supported both aerospace and semiconductor companies as well as the suburban housing developments for their employees, contributing to housing discrimination and segregation.

Reiteration of Lecture Thesis: The lecture emphasizes the continuous influence of Cold War-era projects on Silicon Valley's development, evident in companies like Apple, Oracle, and the prevalence of "server farms."

Free trade

Military building

U.S. policy of “containment”

-goal: stop Soviets from expanding from the territories that 

- “Brianchild of cinatinamenty” George F Kennan: Viewed the soviets were hell bent on expanding their idology and the US shouldnt attack, but be vigiliat to check the EXPANSION of the Societ Union and support anti communists countries and make sure they dont fall to communism

-long term and patient but vigilant containment 

-In order to do this: the US began a military build up in which they stockpiled Nucelar weapons 

westward expansion

Homestead Act :offering free land to citizens who met certain requirements, such as improving the land and residing on it for a set period. Despite challenges, millions of acres were given away to homesteaders, with varying degrees of success based on geographical location. Pacific Railway Act: gave money/loans to railroad companies to create transcontinental railroad

meat market

The "red meat republic" describes a period in US history when the beef industry was super important, influencing everything from politics to the economy. It became big business, dominated by a few large companies, and helped fuel America's growth westward.

Separate but equal

1. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

-The segregation issue was NOT private action, it was an issue with STATE law. This is state action. Ruled in favor of “separate” but equal. 

-Technically consistent with the 14th amendment that said “equal” protection under the law.

positive statism

 Positive statism : government needed to play an interventionist role in the economy and in society to serve public interest

Rise of big business => monopoly

• The shift from agriculture to industry marked a significant change in American economic history, with manufacturing becoming the primary source of value addition. Railroads played a crucial role as the first big businesses, requiring substantial capital investments.

• The Great Merger Movement: Intensified capital investments led to the consolidation of industries through mergers and acquisitions. 

  • Big businesses adopted schemes like pools, cartels, and trusts to reduce competition.

  • Figures like J.P. Morgan played key roles in financing and organizing big businesses. Wall Street became central to the rise of monopolies, with the creation of entities like U.S. Steel Corporation.

Populism

The Populist Party emerged in the late 19th century as a response to the economic struggles faced by farmers, advocating for policies such as the progressive income tax, 9-5, and government ownership of railroads.

negative statism

Negative statism is a political philosophy or approach that emphasizes minimizing the role of the state in society. This philosophy advocates for the reduction of state powers and responsibilities, often arguing that the state's involvement in various aspects of life should be limited as much as possible

great depression

The Great Depression was characterized by declining consumer spending, bank failures, and a reluctance to abandon the gold standard, exacerbating economic woes.

• President Herbert Hoover’s Response to the Great Depression:

  • Hoover, a pro-business Republican, implemented limited interventions such as the Agricultural Marketing Act but opposed direct relief measures, reflecting his adherence to laissez-faire principles.

new deal liberalism

• Executive Order 8802 (June 25, 1941)

  •  Issued by President Roosevelt, barred racial discrimination in industries receiving federal contracts, with A. Philip Randolph's threat of a march on Washington prompting its implementation.

  • Second Great Black Migration

    • Saw a significant influx of African Americans from the South to urban industrial centers in the North and West, driven by labor demand during World War II.

• Showed how the gov could be used to bring change and bring forth civil rights

racial liberalism

• Inspired by New Deal policies, emphasized anti-discrimination laws and equal opportunities, with Thurgood Marshall and other civil rights activists challenging scientific racism and advocating for racial equality.

• Cuban Missile Crisis:

• Kennedy learns of Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba.

• Soviet support for Cuba deepens after the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

• Kennedy announces naval blockade of Cuba.

• Crisis reached its peak on October 27, 1962.

• Resolution through secret negotiations: missiles withdrawn from Cuba, NATO missiles removed from Turkey.

• Aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis:

  • Recognition of the threat posed by nuclear weapons leads to steps to de-escalate tensions.

  • Partial Test Ban Treaty and establishment of a direct communication hotline.

Vietnam War

• Escalation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam post-Cuban Crisis.

• Domino Theory rationalizes U.S. intervention.

• Operation Rolling Thunder and public support for the war.

• Tet Offensive and increasing anti-war sentiment.

• Nixon's Vietnamization policy and expansion of the war into Cambodia.

• Comparisons between Vietnam and Korea, highlighting the failure of political intelligence.

Deindustrialisation

•  Marks end of post-World War II economic boom, with decline in manufacturing jobs, leading to stagflation and unionization.

Walmart's Rise: Reflects shift from manufacturing to service economies, contrasting with mid-20th-century department stores like G.M.

• Explanations for Deindustrialization: Include technological innovation, disinvestment from big manufacturers, and consumer demand for cheap goods and higher investment returns.

New Gilded Age

• Transition from Great Prosperity to era of growing economic inequality and decoupling of productivity and wages.

Addressing persistent economic inequality despite racial equality efforts.

• McCone Commission Report: Links Watts Riots to lack of economic opportunity, calls for government initiatives to promote economic opportunities in inner cities.

• Freedom Budget for All Americans: Proposes $185 billion over 10 years to address poverty, emphasizing jobs, housing, and guaranteed income.

• Poor People's Campaign: Led by Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy, aims to provide decent jobs and income, linking economic and civil rights.