Sunday, February 28, 2010

"Isolationism" and FDR (1935-1941)

1. What were the goals of the isolationists? Why is "isolationism" a misleading term?

The goals of isolationists were to stay out of war and believed neutrality was the best way to do that. They feared that technology would make the war even worse than WWI and that america's economy would not be able to stand another war. Their primary goal was to put American interests first. However the term isolationism is misleading because isolationists did not seek to completely sever ties with other countries, most favored international trade and respected the laws put into place since WWI.

2. What did some isolationists feel that there was no need for Americans to feel threatened by developments in Europe and Asia?

Some isolationists felt this way because of the pacific and atlantic oceans that separated America from Europe and Asia and the US had good relationships with the other countries in the western hemisphere.

3. What were the purposes of the Nye Committee hearings?

The purposes of the Nye Committee hearings were to uncover the reasons that the US had gotten involved with WWI through investigation of the munitions industry and the banking industry.The Nye Committee hearings hoped to prevent the U.S. from entering another world war.

4. List two impressions that the Nye Committee hearings created.

1. The Nye committee hearing increased the isolationist mood in the US and
2. Through newspaper coverage it created the impression that many American soldiers had died in WWI due to big corporations convincing Wilson to go to war.



5. What were the purposes of the Neutrality Acts?

The purposes of the Neutrality Acts were to keep the United States out of war through a strict policy of neutrality.

6. List two reasons that some Americans considered Roosevelt's leadership radical and dangerous.

1. When Roosevelt tried to "pack" the Supreme Court some Americans felt that he was becoming a dictator and 2. When he ran for a third term some Americans also saw this as too much power.

7. What was "Cash and Carry"?

Cash and Carry was part of the Neutrality acts that allowed the US to trade with other countries if the countries paid cash and picked up the goods themselves.

8. Why did President Roosevelt freeze Japanese assets in the United States?

Roosevelt froze Japanese assets in the US because he hoped it would prevent the Japanese from becoming more aggressive.

9. What was the purpose of the America First Committee?

The purpose of the America First Committee was to keep the United States out of war.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

World Events Set Stage for Isolationism

Answer the following questions and post them on your blog. Title: World Events Set Stage for Isolationism Labels: Isolationism, FDR, Germany, Japan, Hitler, Great_Depression, Open_Door_Policy

1. What was the Japanese reaction to the Treaty of Versailles? (pgs. 4 - 5)
Many people in Japan did not believe they would ever be treated fairly by Britain, France or the U.S.. At the conference the Japanese experienced racism against them. These countries also had policies the were anti-Japanese. Japan hoped to use the conference as a way to address this discrimination. They provided an amendment to the treaty that would address these racial problems however it was rejected. The Japanese were outraged and warned that in the future they would be less inclined towards international cooperation.

2. Read the pull-out box on page 4 entitled, "Japan Becomes a Great Power." Cite specific evidence Japan was becoming a strong power that rivaled European & American interests. And, why specifically was Japan threatened by U.S. actions?

Japan's rise to power was very rapid. IN the late 1860's Japan began a new program that modeled its navy on Britain's, its banking on the U.S.'s and its army and constitution on Prussia's. Between 1885 and 1920 the goods and services produced by Japan tripled, manufacturing and mining increased sixfold. Some Japanese wanted Japan to move in a democratic direction however many wanted Japan to build up military power to gain control. IN 1905 Japan defeated Russia (Russo-Japenese War) and gained access to parts of Manchuria. Japan then annexed Korea in 1910. In 1914 Japan declared war against Germany over asia. Japan wanted to expand into China however the US, Britain saw this as an issue. Japan felt threatened by the U.S.'s expansion into pacific islands like Hawaii, Guam the and the Philipines.


3. Why was the Washington Naval Conference convened and what was accomplished? (pg. 6) (Note: Japan signs the agreement.)
The Washington Naval conference convened because the U.S. was concerned about Japan's growth as a naval power and how it threatened U.S. interests. Parties agreed to place limits on the size of naval ships, placed moratorium on building new battle ships, outlawed the use of poison gases and limited the role of submarines in future wars.

4. The Senate's willingness to ratify the Kellogg-Briand Pact relected two strong and widely held sentiments. What were they? (pgs. 6 - 7)
The two strongly and widely held sentiments were that Americans remembered the carnage of WWI nod did not want to be involved in another European war, secondly policy makers avoided obligations and permanent alliances because they wanted to be able to act when they wanted to.

5. Why did Hitler enjoy popular support in Germany for most of the 1930s? Give three reasons. (pgs. 9 - 10)
Right after the election there was a fire in the German parliamentary building and Hitler took the is opportunity to blame German communists for it, claiming they were trying to overthrow the government and he used to fire as an excuse to suspend freedoms guaranteed in the German constitution. After another election in 1933 Hitler used his power to enact laws that gave him free reign. Hitler also targeted ethnic minorities because he believed that they were tainting the German race. Hitler's popularity came from the improvement of Germany's economic system and reducing unemployment as well as boosting nationals pride.

6. Japan voiced its intentions to invade China for what two reasons? (pg. 10)

Japan wanted to invade China to gain raw materials and to increase Japan's power.

7. Compare the Reichstag fire and the explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria. What did they accomplish?

Like the fire in Reichstag, many historians believe that caused the incident themselves so they could blame it on the Chinese. With the Reichstag fire Hitler was able to blame communists and gain power and the Japenese were able to use the explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria as an excuse to invade China.

8. Why was the united States unable to oppose Japan in the early 1930s with a significant military force? (pgs. 11 - 12)

The U.S. had been unprepared for Japan's aggression and had drastically reduced its military since WWI. Japan was also violating treaties it had signed and had dropped out of the Washington Naval Treaties and built up it's Navy.

9. Describe the major similarities and differences among liberal democracy, fascism, and socialism. (pg. 8)

Liberal democracies have a constitution, with elected representatives and emphasis on freedom of individuals.
Fascism is an authoritarian form of government that puts the economy and government under control and emphasizes strong control over the individual.
Socialism was meant to create a classless society to end the exploitation of workers . Socialism rejects capitalist economic systems by taking means of production away from owners and under the power of the state.

Monday, February 8, 2010

New Deal Essay Outline

Introduction (thesis): Trhough relief for the needy, economic reform and financial recovery the U.S. government tried to help the problems of the Great Depression; however these "3 R's" had limited success.

support 1: Relief for the needy
how's: creating jobs (PWA, CCC)
help for home owners (home owner's loans)
power/ resources for rural areas -TVA
judgement: although these programs were successful at creating jobs, it was extremely successful and many people considered some of the jobs to be unesseccary.

Support 2: Economic Relief/financial recovery
how's: emergency banking act, FDIC, more jobs (PWA, CCC), AAA social securtiy
judegement: the emergency banking act reassured people but it also went against some new deal principles when it caused people to lose money in banks that were closed down. Also the new deal never solved any underlying econmic problems and when the budget was cut the country went into a recession. The AAA was ruled unconstituational and was also very controversial. Social securtiy lead to reession of 1937, although it did acknowledge that people had a right to be cared for

The depression did not end until the start of WWII

Support 3:
how's
wagner act
social security (can go under relief for needy also)
NRA
judgement: the NRA was later ruled unconstituational along with the AAA, and as a result FDR tried to pack the Supreme court making himself look like a dictator
the wagner act did help unions a lot but it unions began having "sit down strikes" and eventually violence breaks out between business and labor

Counter argument:
AAA- was successful at raising crop prices
New Deal measures created millions of jobs
Labor unions made huge progress- wagner Act
nationals confidence was boosted
PWA_ creates a lot of jobs
CCC- creates jobs and also helps forests
Native Americans, blacks and women all saw some benefits from the new deal
social security- people who were unemplyed/old ect. could be provided with money to live off of, it is still around today

conclusion: the New Deal did make many imporvements however it did not end the depression and at times even caused problems (recession of 1937) and there were many many flaws.

Monday, February 1, 2010

FDR & the New Deal

Read 22-2 and answer the first 3 questions. Then read Chapter 23-1 through page 696 and answer the remaining 4 questions. Please post your answers to your blog. These are due at the beginning of your next class.

Title: FDR & the New Deal Labels: Dust_Bowl, FDR, fireside_chats, Great_Depression


1. Describe how people struggled to survive during the depression.
People lost their jobs, were evicted from their homes and had to live on the streets, sometimes sleeping in parks or sewer pipes, wrapping themselves in newspapers to try and prevent getting cold. Eventually shantytowns began appearing, which were little "towns" essentially built of junk that people lived in.

2. How was what happened to men during the Great Depression different from what happened to women? Children?

During the Great Depression the men had a hard time coping with unemployment. They were often out on the streets looking for jobs. Some men became so discouraged that they left their families or stopped trying. Women canned food and sewed their own clothes, but working women, especially married working women became hugely resented because they were taking jobs from men. Women weren't seen out on the streets as much as men, but many women starved and froze to death. For children, poor diets and no money led to many health problems. Child-welfare services had their budgets cut.Schools were softening the year and even closing in some cases. Many teenagers hopped on freight trains in search of work but this was dangerous.

3. Describe the causes and effects (on people) because of the Dust Bowl.
Farmers had overflowed land, destroying the prairie grass that kept the earth in place. When drought and winds came, the dust bowl was caused. Between the dustbowl and evictions, thousands of farmers left their land in the oklahoma, kansas, new mexico texas and colorado region and went to california.

Objective: Summarize the initial steps Franklin D. Roosevelt took to reform banking and finance.

4. What was the New Deal and its three general goals? (The 3 Rs)

The New Deal was a program meant to ease the hardships of the depression. It's three goals were relief for the needy, economic recovery and financial reform.

5. What did Roosevelt do during the Hundred Days?
During the Hundred Days,Roosevelt worked intensely on the New Deal. Congress passed 15 major pieces of New Deal legislation.

6. Why were Roosevelt's fireside chats significant?
The fireside chats were significant because they made americans feel as thought the president were talking with them. He used clear, simple language for all the public to understand and explained the New Deal measures.

7. Describe four significant agencies and/or bills that tightened regulation of banking and finance.
Glass-Steagall Act-established FDIC, reassured banking customers that their money was safe
Federal Securities Act-required all corporations to provide complete information on all stock offerings. This heed them accountable.
The Securities and Exchange Commission-to regulate stock market
Repealing prohibition-meant to raise nation's revenue by taxes on alcoholic beverages.