Exam Study Notes

General Course Information

• The instructor repeats information frequently, emphasizing key concepts.
• Material from previous sessions, including MSC (likely a specific topic), is expected to be understood although not reviewed in detail.
• Book reports and outstanding assignments must be submitted before the test; late submissions will not be accepted.
• Incomplete grades require at least 80% of the work to be submitted; otherwise, they often turn into failing grades.

Grade Discussions

• Redoing assignments for a better grade is not permitted, as it's considered unfair and the potential grade change is minimal.
• Focus should be on performing well on the final exam.
• Even a minor difference in a grade (e.g., 17/20 instead of 18/20) has a negligible impact on the final grade (less than 1%).
• Achieving a score of 90% on assignments will significantly improve the final grade.

Korean War

• The Korean War ended in a stalemate with an armistice, not a treaty, resulting in a return to the original boundary at the 38th Parallel.
• The instructor expresses hope for a similar outcome in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Taft-Hartley Act

• In 1948, Harry S. Truman advocated for the repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act but lacked the necessary votes.
• Instead of using the Act during a steel strike, Truman confiscated steel factories and had the army run them using war power acts.

Vietnam War

• The Tet Offensive, occurring on January 30th (Lunar New Year), significantly impacted Lyndon B. Johnson's decision not to run for reelection in 1968.
• The Tet Offensive holds special significance due to its timing during a major Asian holiday.

Nixon's Checkers Speech

• Nixon's Checkers speech in 1952 demonstrated the importance of television in American life, as he addressed allegations of a slush fund.

The Great Depression

• Herbert Hoover was blamed for the Great Depression, despite being a self-made millionaire and engineer.
• Politicians often need to be wealthy or have wealthy supporters to finance campaigns.

Bonus Expeditionary Force

• The Bonus Expeditionary Force consisted of World War I veterans seeking early payment of their bonuses during the Great Depression.
• Neither Herbert Hoover nor Franklin D. Roosevelt granted the early bonus.

Roosevelt's Actions During the Banking Crisis

• Roosevelt's first action was to shut down all banks, a measure known as the "bank holiday."
• This action aimed to stabilize the banking system, as some banks had already closed.

Hoover's Refusal to Offer Direct Aid

• Herbert Hoover refused to offer direct aid (dole or charity) to the unemployed, reflecting a philosophy against giving out free money.
• The instructor contrasts this with current government spending and increasing national debt.

The New Deal

• The three R's of the New Deal are relief, recovery, and reform, with money flowing out first for relief, followed by recovery and then slow reform.
• Oklahoma was severely affected by drought during the 1930s.
• The economic crisis of the 1930s was known as the Great Depression.

The Dust Bowl

• The Southern Great Plains during the 1930s drought were called the Dust Bowl.

World War II

• The German invasion of Poland sparked World War II.
• Nazi goals included eliminating Jews, ending democracy in Germany, and creating a new German order (Third Reich).

Postwar Era

• The number of women at home decreased after 1945 as more women entered the workplace.

The 1970s

• The main concerns of Americans in the 1970s were the state of the economy, unemployment, and high inflation (stagflation).

Alger Hiss Case

• Richard Nixon gained national fame by leading the congressional investigation of Alger Hiss, who was found guilty of perjury.

Truman and MacArthur

• Harry Truman dropped the bomb and had no regrets.

Recognition of Israel

• Egypt was the first Arab nation to recognize Israel's sovereignty.

Carter's Campaign and Presidency

• Jimmy Carter's campaign strategy in 1976 emphasized being a born-again Christian, a Washington outsider, and a man of the people.
• Carter's greatest triumph was the Camp David Accords, while his greatest failure in foreign policy was the Iranian hostage crisis.

Counterculture

• The most popular illegal drug of the counterculture was marijuana.

Presidential Campaigns

• Richard Nixon ran for president in 1960, 1968, and 1972.

Challenges to Incumbent Presidents

• Edward Kennedy challenged Jimmy Carter for the 1980 Democratic nomination.
• Ronald Reagan challenged Gerald Ford for the nomination in 1976.
• Challenging a strong incumbent can weaken a party due to internal attacks during primaries.

Watergate Affair

• The Watergate affair involved a break-in at the Democratic National Committee office, which was unnecessary as Nixon was expected to win by a landslide.

FDR's Court Packing

• FDR's court-packing plan faced opposition, including from Charles Evans Hughes (Chief Justice from 1930-1941).
• The plan ultimately failed; instead, FDR waited for justices to retire or die.
• Roosevelt replaced eight out of nine justices, and one position got replaced twice.

Quotes

• Calvin Coolidge said, "The business of America is business."

Huey Long

• Huey Long, Louisiana governor, proposed the "Share Our Wealth" scheme and was nicknamed "Kingfish."

Soviet Union

• Nikita Khrushchev was the Soviet premier during the 1960 U-2 spy plane incident and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Ralph Nader

• Ralph Nader ran for the Green Party.

World War II Figures

• Winston Churchill was the British Prime Minister during World War II, succeeding Neville Chamberlain.

FDR's Campaign Song

• FDR's campaign song was "Happy Days Are Here Again."

Francis Townsend

• Dr. Francis Townsend proposed a national sales tax to pay for old-age pensions.

Haiti

• The United States, under Bill Clinton, reinstated President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in Haiti.

Impeachment

• The grounds for Clinton's impeachment were perjury and obstruction of justice.

Algore's Running Mate

• Al Gore chose Joseph Lieberman as his running mate.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

• Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas, and served as a popular World War II general and president.

FDR and the Supreme Court

• FDR could not pack the Supreme Court but waited for justices to retire or die to appoint justices who would support his New Deal policies.

Quanah Parker

• Quanah Parker was recognized as the chief of the Comanche Indians; his mother was Cynthia Ann Parker, and his father was Nokona.

Fireside Chats

• FDR was famous for his fireside chats on the radio.

John Maynard Keynes

• John Maynard Keynes, a British economist, inspired the New Deal spending school, known as Keynesian economics.

Other Key Figures and Events

• The main concern of Americans in the 1970s was the economy and high inflation.
• Hubert Humphrey was the Democratic nominee for president in 1968.
• George McGovern lost to Nixon in a landslide in 1972.
• Edward Kennedy challenged Jimmy Carter for the 1980 Democratic nomination.
• Marian Anderson was a famous black opera singer who sang at the Lincoln Memorial.

Contributing Factors in Conflicts

• Three contributing factors in conflicts and developments are the fall of communism, ethnic divisions, and religious divisions.

World War II Entry

• The attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor brought America into World War II.

Warren Harding

• Warren Harding's presidential administration in the 1920s was marred by scandal.

Spiro Agnew

• Spiro Agnew was the only vice president in history who resigned because of criminal activity.

Invasion of Russia

• German soldiers invaded Russia (Soviet Union) but never forced it to surrender.

Adlai Stevenson

• Adlai Stevenson was the governor of Illinois and lost twice to Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956.

NSC (National Security Council) paper 68

The NSC advocated for the following:

1. Containment
2. Steady increase in military spending until the Soviet Union would collapse, which occurred at 1989.