"Isolationism" and FDR (1935 - 1941)

1. What were the goals of the isolationists? Why is "isolationism" a misleading term?
The isolationsist wanted to keep America out of future wars in Europe. Isolationism is a misleading word because it seems to suggest compleat isolation but in reality is just millitary isolation.
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 that there was no need to feel threatened by developments in Europe and Asia because the Atlantic and Pacific oceans would prevent America from geting involved in anything across them.
3. What were the purposes of the Nye Committee hearings?
The Nye Committee hearings were hearings that investigated the reasons why America entered the first world war. Nye hoped that they would prevent entry into WWII
4. List two impressions that the Nye Committee hearings created.
The Nye Committee hearings created the impressions that the US entered the war so that componies could gain priffits from it as well as the feeling that big buissines and banks would get them into the second world war.
5. What were the purposes of the Neutrality Acts?
The Neutrality Acts were created to maintain U.S neutrality from the wars by preventing commerce for a little while. However their were many loopholes.
6. List two reasons that some Americans considered Roosevelt's leadership radical and dangerous.
Two reasons that American's felt that Roosevelt's leadership was radical and dangerous were hies attempt to pack the Supreem Court and that he tryed for a third term at president
7. What was "Cash and Carry"?
"Cash and Carry" allowed the U.S to trade with beligerants as long as they payed for and took the goods themselves.
8. Why did President Roosevelt freeze Japanese assets in the United States?
Roosevelt froze Japanese assets in the U.S in order to stop further Japanese agression by denying them resources.
9. What was the purpose of the America First Committee?
The America First Committee was created in order to keep the U.S out of war, while still protecting the U.S from foreighn threat.

World Events Set Stage for Isolationism

1. What was the Japanese reaction to the Treaty of Versailles? (pgs. 4 - 5)
The Japanese were outraged at the treaty of Versailles because the entire conference was very racist against them and they did not gain anything from it. Furthermore, they felt like the other nations did not have any interest in the well being of Japan.
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 was becoming a strong power because they began to trade with the rest of the world. Also, they based their banking on the U.S, government and military on Prussia, and their navy on Great Britain. Finally, they won a war with Russia and began to expand their empire into Korea. They felt threatened by the U.S because the U.S began to conquer islands near Japan and they felt like they were to close to Japan.
3. Why was the Washington Naval Conference convened and what was accomplished? (pg. 6) (Note: Japan signs the agreement.)
The Washington Navel Conference was convened to limit the extent of a Navel arms race because of Japan's growing power. The conference limited the size of ships, put a maximum on the number of battle ships, and established an open trade policy with China.
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 strong and widely held sentiments were the U.S could act militarily in self defense and the U.S did not need to act militarily against those that broke the treaty.
5. Why did Hitler enjoy popular support in Germany for most of the 1930s? Give three reasons. (pgs. 9 - 10)
Hitler enjoyed popular support in Germany for most of the 1930's because he promised and tried to get back Germany's political and territorial status before WW1 as well as helping to get Germany out of its economic depression. Moreover, Hitler was able to put the blame for Germany's humiliation after WWI on different groups to help cement his power. He also restored the pride of many German's.
6. Japan voiced its intentions to invade China for what two reasons? (pg. 10)
Japan voiced its intentions to invade China in order to expand its power and gain raw materials and natural recourses so it didn't have to rely on trade alone for them.
7. Compare the Reichstag fire and the explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria. What did they accompllish?
The Reichstag fire and the explosion on the railway in Manchuria were similar because both gave the party that was damaged a reason to advance its goals and both may have been caused by the ones it "hurt" in order to blame the people they didn't like and thus advance their goals.
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 was unable to oppose Japan in the early 1930s with a significant military force because it had reduced its military from around 3 million troops to less than 3 hundred thousand.
9. Describe the major similarities and differences among liberal democracy, fascism, and socialism. (pg. 8)
The major differences between liberal democracy and fascism and socialism are in a liberal democracy the people control the government and in the other two the government controls everything. Also in fascism and in a democracy the people are allowed to own property, but in socialism the government owns everything. They are similar in that the government does not control every aspect of ones life as in communism. Also, fascism and socialism both generally have dictators or people who act as such.

New Deal Essay Outline

A strong, well-developed thesis statement that provides a structured framework for an argument.
The nature and scale of the problem facing Roosevelt
The action he took through the 1930s (the "Hows")
The impact of the New Deal on Americans (Successes / Failures / In-betweens)
The reasons for opposition to the New Deal (Counter-argument)
Your own judgement on its success. (To what extent... / with what success...)

Thesis: The New Deal did very little to help solve the Great depression. This is shown throught the unconstitutional laws involved, the packing of the supreem court, and the socialistic ideas involved.

Unconstitutional laws:
-AAA
-NRA
-the laws didn't help because they were not allowed to exist
-the laws violated the constitution, so even if they helped, the hurt citizens in other ways

Packing the Supreem Court:
-grab for power
-limited support for other laws
-showed FDR only wanted more power, and not to help the people

Socialistic ideas:
-wanted to spread wealth, not help all American's, just poor
-could change U.S to communism, more dangorous than the Depression
-socialism deprives rights, and puts many into povorty

Counter-created jobs:
-did create jobs, but they were unnecessary
-also destroyed others ie. in the AAA(less land, less jobs)
-jobs promoted FDR's agendas, not America's needs

FDR & the New Deal

1. Describe how people struggled to survive during the depression.
People struggled to survive during the depression by creating shantytowns, begged, dug through garbage, whent to soup kitchens and bread lines, moved, familial support.
2. How was what happened to men during the Great Depression different from what happened to women? Children?
Men became brocken by the lack of work, and those that weren't speant post of their time loking for new jobs and manny were unable to cope with not being able to support their families. Some were driven to andon their families all together. Women would do things such as mend clothing and can foods so that their famileis would not not have to spend as much money. Also, they could not find work because many didn't beleive that women should work if their husband was unemployed. Children could not be properly nurished and thus suffered many health problems. Also school years were shortened and some young people left on trains to search for work.
3. Describe the causes and effects (on people) because of the Dust Bowl.
The causes of the dustbowl was over farming because of the large influx of money. The effects were widespread poverty, mass exodus's of people, and a lack of food.
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 FDR's way to fix the depresion, its goals were releif for the needy, economic recovery and financial reform.
5. What did Roosevelt do during the Hundred Days?
Roosevelt passed over 15 maajor peices of legislation to start the New deal. Some of these focused on banking.
6. Why were Roosevelt's fireside chats significant?
Roosevelt's fireside chats were significant because it was the first use of the radio by a president to talk to the American people, and many felt as though he were talking directly to them and were prone to listen to what he said and act on it.
7. Describe four significant agencies and/or bills that tightened regulation of banking and finance.
One significant bill that tightened regulation of banking and finance was the Glass-Steagall Act which espablished the FDIC. The FDIC provided federal insurences for banck accounts. Another was the Federal securities act which requiered corporations to report on their stock offerings and be liable to missinterpritation. An agency created was the Securities and Exchange commision which regulated the stock market.

Causes of the Great Depression Outline

To what extent was the Wall Street Crash a cause of the Great Depression of 1929? Support your argument with specific examples.

The wall street crash was one of four major causes of the Great Depression. The other three being agricultural failures, industrial failures, and foreign tariffs.

Stock Market Crash
-people loose money
-can't pay off debts
-no spending

Agricultural Failures
-farmers buy many farm implements
-demand for farming suddenly drops after WW1
-don't make money and can't pay off debts

Industrial Failures
-demand goes down
-industries make less money
-people get laid off and wages don't increase
-no spending
Foreign Tariffs
-prevent American businesses from exporting
-people are laid off because companies aren't making money
-economy becomes stagnant ie, no spending

Causes & Early Effects of the Great Depression

1. What happened on "Black Tuesday"?
On Black Tuesday the stock market crashed and people began to sell all their stocks before prices dropped even lower. People were stuck with debt and with nothing to repay it, and others lost all of their savings.

2. How did the economic trends of the 1920s in industry, agriculture, and with consumers help cause the Great Depression? (Make sure you include significant details about each area in your answer. It should be at least a paragraph)
The economic trends of the 1920s in industry helped cause the great depression because many industries were not preforming well. There were some that during the war had done very well, and now were no longer needed, and others that just were not doing well. The agriculture helped cause the Great Depression because people did not need as much food after the war, and prices dropped significantly. Consumers helped cause the Depression because they did not have enough money to spend on goods and prices were increasing.

3. According to your reading, what are the major causes of the Great Depression?
The major causes of the Great Depression were over production, low wages, paying with credit, and lack of consumption.

4. What was Hoover’s philosophy of government?
Hoover's philosophy of government was that it should cause cooperation between competing groups in society. In other words that the government should make compromises for the groups that argued.

5. What was Hoover’s initial reaction to the stock market crash of 1929?
Hoover's initial reaction to the stock market crash of 1929 was to try to get the leaders in the American economy to try to work together and keep wages and such at there current place and demand no more or less of them, this didn't help. He also created the Hoover Dam which did somewhat help the economy.
6. What was the nation’s economic situation in 1930?
In 1930 the nation's economy was shrinking, unemployment was increasing, the number of homeless was rising, and shantytowns were popping up everywhere.
7. How did voters in 1930 respond to this situation?
Voters responded to this in 1930 by voting the Republicans out of Congress and voting anti-Hoover Democrats in.
8. What did Hoover do about the economic situation?
Hoover supported and helped create many cooperatives, and started to intervene directly in the form of the Federal Home Loan Bank Act, the Glass-Steagle Banking Act, and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.
9. How did the economy respond to his efforts?
The economy did not respond at all to his efforts and if anything, kept getting worse than it already was.