History 2600 Spring 2009 Notes
fads like Beauty pageants, Mah Jong (a chinese board game), crossword puzzles, pole sitting and swallowing goldfish, Jazz and Charleston (a dance fad)
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fads like Beauty pageants, Mah Jong (a chinese board game), crossword puzzles, pole sitting and swallowing goldfish, Jazz and Charleston (a dance fad) sports became hugely popular during this time and baseball players like Babe Ruth and Tye Cobb had huge fan bases. Boxing was also a massive sport and 200,000 watched the title fight Charles Lindbergh became the golden boy of the era. he was the first man to fly a solo flight across the atlantic in the Spirit of St Louis. He became so popular he was said to represent the spirit of the 20s on a person.
an increasing number of women were going to college and then to the work force. Flappers were women who smoked, drank, and had pre-martial relations. at this time it was assumed a women’s primary goal was getting married and then taking care of the family from the home. most of the freedom given to women were supposed to be in the freedom of choice of what they could buy for their families. for most people in the 20s even the fleeting expression of the youth culture happened mostly in fiction than in reality. most people lived normal lives and stuck to traditional values. Mar 26, 2009 Causes of the Depression Oct 24 1929 Black thursday - the stock market began to crash in only 5 days the stock market has utterly crashed and billions of dollars were lost. the crash was spurred by easy credit, this easy credit lead to the value of the stock markets almost tripled. people would borrow money to buy stocks and the assumption was that when the stocks rose in value they would be able to pay off the debts. virtually everything people owned had been purchased on credit. during the 20s there was a widening income gap b/w the rich and the poor but the poor could still get easy credit.
many people who lost their jobs were the only people in the family who had a job which meant that the family no longer had any income. b/c people found themselves chronically unemployed raised the suicide rate and seemed to shatter the american ideal that if you worked hard you would succeed in life Herbert Hoover was not the right man to be president for the situation. Hoover advocated the idea of Voluntarism - pushing for local private initiatives to end the the depression. he believed that economic order couldn’t be restored by government intervention. this lead people to believe that he didn’t see the scope of the problem and that his actions were ineffective and insensitive. he asked for business leaders to voluntarily maintain pay grades and employment levels he founded the Emergency Committee for employment in 1931 but still believed that it was a local responsibility cities and municipalities ran out of money and thus couldn’t afford to pay relief payments the Reconstruction Finance Corporation - founded in 1932 which made loans to banks and large corporations buy July of 1932 they had handed out 4 billion dollars to companies and state and city govs but by and large this was seen as a failure. The Bonus Army 1924 - vets of WW1 are given a bonus to be payed 20 years later. in 1931 congress received a request to be payed the bonus immediately. 10000 vets come to Washington and even though congress refuses to pay the bonuses early they had no where else to go set up shanty towns in Washington called Hoovervilles on July 28, 1932 the army is called in to violently evict to vets and their families from Hoovervilles. after which they burned it to the ground. this is a PR disaster as it turns the nation fully against Hoover. FDR - elected to the presidency in 1932 in the hope that he would bring new ideas and solutions to the depression. FDR’s struggle w/ polio helped him sympathize with the people of the depression. FDR’s Brain trust - his advisors and leaders in their fields. Harold Ickes (rep), Henry Wallace (semi-socialist), Henry Morgenthau (fiscal conservative), Frances Perkins FDR himself was intellectually flexible. he would accept any solution that he though would work no matter who it came from and what ideological background it came from Eleanor Roosevelt - probably FDR’s most important advisor. her activism made sure that FDR was never labeled as insensitive. people treated her as a personal friend which allowed the administration to get a feeling of what the american people were going through. She travelled across the nation almost non-stop. she was also an advocate for racial equality. many have argued that although FDR was an astute politician it was Eleanor that made it successful The New Deal - during the election FDR really didn’t have an idea of how to save the nation but that he would try bold, persistent experimentation. FDR exuded confidence and hope and as a result FDR won 57% of the pop vote and dems won both houses of congress. FDR stressed that the only thing people had to fear was fear itself. americans responded with a surge of support. FDR reassured the american people that things were going to get better. The first 100 days march 9 - june 16 1933 congress enacted more than a dozen major bills the Emergency Banking act - the main crisis facing the nation was the banking crisis. this act increased gov reg of banks. FDR stressed afterwards that banks were again safe federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured all deposits under 5000 federal securities act and the formation of the SEC to shore up the stock markets Federal emergency relief act - 500 million to states and cities to pay relief to unemployed Civilian Conservation Corp - meant to employ jobless youth in federal make work programs the TVA - sought to revitalize the poorest area of the nation - created cheap electricity, flood control, and recreation areas. the two most important items of the first 100 days were the ag adjustment act and national industrial recover act AAA- reduced acreage being farmed to raise the value of food and produce - total farm income increased 50% under this program. this program often harmed tenant farmers and share croppers as their land was the land that was taken out of production. drought also stricken the nations farms the NIRA - tried to rekindle a sense of shared cooperation and goals. major ind were granted immunity from anti-trust legislation so they would come together to wouldn’t compete each other out of business. consumers were encouraged to buy only from companies that were part of the program. it also provided 3.3 billion for public works programs. 34,000 public projects were completed under the public works administration. the supreme court declared the new deal unconstitutional as it gave the pres power that the congress should have. the new deal was only partially successful. but people supported it b/c at least someone was trying to help them.
from the right the american liberty league - they believed that the new deal was a short path the socialism the US chamber of Commerce from the left Francis Townsend - he didn’t think that FDR went far enough. he advocated for an old age pension. seniors would get 200 a month but that they had to spend it all w/i 30 days. Huey Long - former gov of Louisiana and very popular. became senator of Louisiana in 1932. advocated the Share the Wealth program. wanted 100% taxation of income over 1 million and expropriation of all wealth over 5 million. this was to make every man a king as the gov would use this money to buy every family a car, home, kids get college education etc. he was assassinated before he had the chance to run for president the second new deal - the economy was recovering but very very slowly. FDR met these challenges with another new deal. provided direct public relief with the Civil works administration that payed out 1 billion to the unemployed in small work projects. everyone was expected to work to get the relief money. congress set up the works progress administration which was very similar to the CWA put more than 8 million people to work and injected 11 billion into the economy. completed a massive amount of work projects both physical and intellectual. the second new deal move the nation to the left and form the foundation of the modern welfare state the resettlement administration and rural electrification administration were aimed to support poor rural farmers and workers national labor relations act - protected unions and guaranteed collective bargaining
the supreme court was also a challenge to FDR’s new deal. at least 4 hated everything about FDR and the new deal the court packing scheme forced the supreme to back down. FDR believed he had saved capitalism but historians argue that he had move the nation away from capitalism and towards the welfare state. we will never know if FDR’s programs would have pulled the nation out of the depression b/c WW2 came along.
at the end of WW1 many americans wanted a return to isolationism. Nye Committee - a senate committee that investigated why the US joined the first world war. after they reported that greedy industrialists dragged the states into the war 70% of americans were for isolation Neutrality acts a series of laws passed by congress that were meant to keep America neutral. it outlawed the sale of materials and weapons to nations at war. Isolationism Americans believed that there geographic isolation would protect them from world affairs. leftists were afraid that involvement in world affairs would upset internal affairs. supports of isolation on the right were sympathetic to Fascist. Charles Lindbergh and the Committee to Defend America First and they advocated that america stay out of european affairs. the calls for peace and neutrality weakened as Hitler rose in power Preparedness - Oct 1938 - FDR asks congress for 300 million for military appropriations. FDR told the army air corp to get ready to get 30000 new aircraft a year. 1937 - FDR’s Quarantine speech - FDR spoke of a quarantine against aggressive nations. people really didn’t follow the ideals of the Speech. FDR had little choice in 1939 but to invoke neutrality when Britain and France declared war. He didn’t ask for thought neutrality like Wilson did in WW1. FDR feared an allied defeat would leave America alone. 1939 - Cash and Carry - Congress changed the neutrality act so that the US could sell the Allies weapons from the states. they just had to pay cash and come get them themselves. sept 1940 - destroyers for bases - sending 50 battleships in exchange for leases on British bases the arsenal of democracy - FDR wanted the US to become the supplier for the allies in the war. Lend-lease act - america would lend the Allies weapons and supplies on a lease basis. the US navy started to escort Allied convoys across the north atlantic which meant that the only thing Americans weren’t doing was fighting but other than that neutrality was out. FDR himself had strong feelings on the issue and let it be known that he would hold hands with the devil to defeat Hitler. he just needed to get the American people on his side. the road to Pearl Harbor the american relationship w/ the Japanese had been tense for a long time. there was discrimination against Japanese immigrants in the US. they weren’t allowed to become citizens and were segregated. the Japanese saw this as an insult on their honor. when the Japanese invaded China this brought the two nations two odds. the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere was the Japanese empire.
by december 1941 there were only 1.6 million men in the US armed forces and war production was just 15% of american industrial output. w/i a week of Pearl Harbor the War Powers Act was passed which gave the president unprecedented power the Joint Chiefs of staff was created to coordinate the different wings of the armed forces and the OSS was formed to gather intelligence. FDR was committed to changing the American economy from a consumer economy to a war economy the US became the worlds greatest arms manufacturers. defense spending grew 10 times to 36% of the GDP. spending went to 98 billion a year up from 9 billion. the war resulted in a massive industrial boom the america and recreated the middle class. the progress of war - europe
Invasion of Italy - the invasion into the “soft underbelly of europe” 43-44 - Allies win the naval battle and air battle and begin their massive bombing raids against Germany July 6 44 D-Day operation overlord. V-E day was may 8 1945. War in the Pacific Battle of Midway - june 1942 - marked the end of Japanese advancement in the South Pacific. Guadalcanal and the Marianas - these islands became important bases for american bombers. by fall of 1944 the Japanese Navy was decimated but still the japanese continued to fight. On the Home Front War production board - directed war support in America, distributed war contracts and materials war manpower commission - supervised the mobilization of men and women in the military and factories/agriculture. unemployment dropped massively. there was intense rationing. the Office of War info - meant to sell the message of rationing to the public. it explained the war to people and gain popular support. they depicted it as a moral battle. the enemy had to be destroyed not just defeated. FDR’s four freedoms - freedom of speech, religion, want, and fear. these what FDR said America was fighting for. this war was a fight against autocracy and subjugation. Japanese Internment executive order 9066 feb, 1942 - the internment of 112000 Japanese Americans - 2/3 of which were native born americans. all japanese americans were moved off the west coast. they were forced to sell their homes and properties and had to live in camps for the duration of the war. In Hawaii there wasn’t internment even thought there were more Japanese people there. they were (mostly) interned in the American Southwest. women at war during WW2 about 19 million women were employed 1/3 of the work force and represented an essential part of war production. the gov called on women to release able bodied men to fight by getting a war job. need prompted heavy industry’s to hire women for the first time. women’s work was a major factor of the production of the war industry. the gov still emphasized that women’s work was only temporary and that when the war ended they should go back to their homes. this didn’t happen though. post war women’s jobs were mostly part-time and “pink collar” jobs the second wave of feminism had it’s roots in women’s role in war production african-americans at war 2 million blacks worked in war industries. they still faced discrimination in the factories and other jobs. blacks served in both theaters but were still segregated. black leaders saw that the gov needed their support in the war so they started the double V campaign over the Nazi’s and racism executive order 8802 - prohibited discriminatory practices against blacks. blacks like women found that they were pushed out of their jobs after the war ended. Congress for Racial Equality was formed during the war and fought for civil liberties for blacks Returning soldiers most soldiers viewed the war as a transformative part of their lives. they had fought and died with men of different race, religion and nationality.
- americans wanted the total destruction of their enemies and the creation of peaceful world. But Britain wanted to retain its imperial position and a balance of power in europe. Russia wanted a permanently weakened Germany and a buffer zone to protect themselves the big three - FDR, Churchill and Stalin - called for the unconditional surrender of Germany. At Yalta Stalin agreed to the temporary partitioning of germany and the establishment of the United Nations in return for the Britain and the US recognizing Poland as part of Russia
FDR died on Apr 12, 1945 - he was replaced by Harry Truman. Truman attended the Potsdam Conference from mid july to early august. Truman had a deep distrust of Stalin and the Soviets and this affected his dealing at the Conference. the allies couldn’t really agree on anything other than the de-militarization of Germany.
Truman decides to drop the A-bomb on Japan b/c he was informed an invasion of Japan could cost over a million lives. august 6. ‘45 - Hiroshima bombed three days later Nagasaki was bombed and on the 14th of August the Emperor of Japan surrendered. April 2, 2009 post war germany was divided into 4 occupation zones. the zones were supposed to be only temporary. England and the US joined their zones and the French later joined as well. Russians refused to include their zone and began to communize their zone. june 20 1948 - Russian cut off all allied rail and highway traffic to Berlin. the US responded with the Massive air supply. This blockade marked the clear division of europe. the blockade showed that this would be a political, ideological and military division. Russia began cutting off their satellites from western european influence resulting in Kennan’s Long telegram explaining the fanatical ideological split b/w Russia and the US. Churchill called this division the Iron Curtain adding that Western Europe would not be safe by ignoring the Russian problem are by trying to appease it. the only thing Russians understand only strength. The Truman Doctrine - in March of 1947 Truman gave a speech to Congress calling for aid to Greece and Turkey and in it he outlines the American policy of containing Soviet expansion and influence. Truman described global politics as a competition and it was americas obligation to aid free people anywhere in the world. this transformed the US into the Globes police man against the Soviets. the Soviet bloc consisted of Poland, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. these nations would join together to for the Warsaw Pact which was a mirror organization of NATO. NATO was the first time that the US had entered into a Peace time military alliance. the Domino theory dominated US policy to contain Communism. it was the fear that if one nation fell to Communism the nations around it could fall as well. This theory lead to American actions in Asia, south america, europe and the middle east. the fall of China shocked the nation and it was assumed that they had “lost” China
in June 1950 communists swept to power in 1950. the north wanted a completely communists Korea and the south wanted a completely democratic Korea. the domino theory dominated the US policy in Korea
July 1953 - armistice was signed with no real winner or peace treaty. The Fall of french Indochina happened in may 1954 and was divided along the 17th parallel. this division was done by the french. the north was communist and the south was democratic. by this time the US was already to pay 75% of the French expenses Ngo Dinh Diem was set up by the US as premier of south there was supposed to be an election to unify the nation but the American's figured that the communists would have won so they blocked the election Military advisors were sent to Vietnam to protect the south from the communists. Directory: userfile -> file userfile -> Recovery: What's a Coach Got To Do With It? By Bill Ryan userfile -> Title: Associate Professor userfile -> Chief Patron Shri Avinash Dikshit Commissioner Patron userfile -> Iccf congress, seixal, portugal 5th to 12th October 2002 userfile -> Unit 1: Exploration and Colonization userfile -> Ap united States History Course Description userfile -> Note: Please look through resources very carefully. This is a controversial issue so some sources may have bias. Check carefully for the expertise or background of the writer or contributor userfile -> Ap united states history mr. Storrs – Room 306 2009-2010 text file -> Listing: thinking process with music file -> The principal aim of regional geography is to understand the unique characteristics of a given region. Regions can be defined according to human and/or physical attributes Download 327.31 Kb. Share with your friends:
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