1. Regardless of the outcome, should the President of the United States have a right to privacy in regards to the Oval Office tapes? Explain.
I believe that the President should have the right to privacy of recordings which took place in the privacy of the Oval Office. Although these tapes were being covered up because they held incriminating information against the president, it could have been because they had important information on a matter of national secruity. When we elect a President into office, we are intrusting him to protect us, and we muct give him a certain amount of privacy in order to do that.
2. Was President Nixon justified when he fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox? Explain.
I feel that in some cases a president would be justified to fire a special prosecutor, but in this specific situation, President Nixon was not. The President needs to be confortable with the fact that he has surrounded himself with people in the government whom he can trust. However, in this case, Nixon only wanted to fire Cox because he feared he was going to reveal some of Nixon's wrongdoings whale in office, which had nothing to do with national security or his ability to fulfill his obligations as commander in chief.
3. Was Nixon creating a Constitutional crisis by refusing to hand-over the tapes? Explain.
A crisis was indeed created by this incident. When Nixon refused Congress's order to turn over the oval office tapes, he created an inbalence between the three branches of government.
4. Why do you think the American public was so outraged by Watergate?
The public was outraged by the Watergate scandal because it caused them to lose a great amount of trust in their government. The President had lied to them all, and they felt betrayed.
5. Do you think President Nixon should have resigned? Explain.
I do not feel it was the right move for Nixon to resign the presidency. Even with all of his misdeeds in office, all resigning the office did was create a lack of stability in the office, and Nixon had already done alot of good for the nation as president, such as opening up communication with China.
6. Do you think President Nixon should have been prosecuted? Explain.
I do feel that after he finished his time as President, Nixon should have been prosictuted. It needed to be shown that nobody is above the law, including the president.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Watergate: Nixon's Downfall
1. How were the "plumbers" connected to President Nixon?
They were a group of men who helped President Nixon cover up leaks of information in the press. These are the same gentelmen who broke into the DNC at Watergate.
2. Who was the judge? Why did he hand out maximum sentences?
John Sirica was the judge and he handed out the maximum sentences because he believed that it was important to hold the White House responsable for their crimes.
3. How were Mitchell and Dean connected to Nixon?
Dean was a former White House counsil under the Nixon administration. Mitchell was Nixon's attorney general when the break in occured.
4. How were Haldeman and Erlichman connected to Nixon?
They were both members of Nixon's "inner circle. Haldeman was his chief of staff and Erlichman was his Chief domestic advisor.
5. What did the following men tell the Senate about Nixon?
a. Dean
Dean said that Nixon was involved in the cover up and even held meetings on how to successfuly excecute the cover up.
b. Butterfield
Butterfield revealed that President Nixon taped all of his conversations regarding the cover up.
6. Who was fired or forced to resign in the "massacre"?
Attorney General Richardson was forced to resign because he would not fire Cox for working to get the tapes revealed to the public. The deputy Atorney General also refused and was fired. Cox was eventually fired that night by Robert Bork.
They were a group of men who helped President Nixon cover up leaks of information in the press. These are the same gentelmen who broke into the DNC at Watergate.
2. Who was the judge? Why did he hand out maximum sentences?
John Sirica was the judge and he handed out the maximum sentences because he believed that it was important to hold the White House responsable for their crimes.
3. How were Mitchell and Dean connected to Nixon?
Dean was a former White House counsil under the Nixon administration. Mitchell was Nixon's attorney general when the break in occured.
4. How were Haldeman and Erlichman connected to Nixon?
They were both members of Nixon's "inner circle. Haldeman was his chief of staff and Erlichman was his Chief domestic advisor.
5. What did the following men tell the Senate about Nixon?
a. Dean
Dean said that Nixon was involved in the cover up and even held meetings on how to successfuly excecute the cover up.
b. Butterfield
Butterfield revealed that President Nixon taped all of his conversations regarding the cover up.
6. Who was fired or forced to resign in the "massacre"?
Attorney General Richardson was forced to resign because he would not fire Cox for working to get the tapes revealed to the public. The deputy Atorney General also refused and was fired. Cox was eventually fired that night by Robert Bork.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Women Fight for Equality
1. Experiences in the workplace
Once women realized the descrimination they faced in the workplace from their emploiers, they were motivated to further the feminist cause to reach the goal of complete equality to men.
2. Experiences in social activism
When women as a collective began to realize that the discrimination they faced when attempting to become involved in social activism, they realized that their cases were not isolated issues, but evidence of a large scale sexism which the country was facing.
3. "Consciousness raising"
Many groups, such as the NOW, were formed around this time in order to make the cause of feminism more widespread and more relevant in legslation. Their passionate activism helped get legislation passed which banned the descrimination of gender when hireing for jobs, and made the cause more widespread and organized.
4. Feminism
All of the previously listed factors went into making the feminst movement very wide spread. Women were finally realizing what they were missing out on, and fought to get it.
5. Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique
This magizene because very widespread and helped widen the feminism movement and intensify the passion which drove the women.
6. Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act was the result of the hard work of many feminist activists and officialy made it illegal to descriminate based on gender. It was a major victory for the feminist movemnet.
7. National Organization for Women (NOW)
This foundadition helped increase awareness for the feminist movement and fourght hard for pro-feminist legislation.
8. Gloria Steinem and Ms. Magazine
Steinem and her magizene were more factors which gained support and awareness for the feminist cause. The major boost in awareness for the cause during this time is what fuled the pro-faminist legislation which was passed.
9. Congress
Congress passed legislation which helped the feminist cause, including the Civil Rights act.
10. Supreme Court
At this time the Supreme Court began to make pro-feminist rulings which were major victories for the cause.
11. The Equal rights Amendment would have guaranteed equal rights under the law, regardless of gender. Who opposed this amendment? Why?
Extream conservatives and sexist people opposed this movement because they saw the way of life which they invisioned being lost. The traditional lifestyle of a woman's place being at the home and a man's place being at work was fading and it scared these people.
Once women realized the descrimination they faced in the workplace from their emploiers, they were motivated to further the feminist cause to reach the goal of complete equality to men.
2. Experiences in social activism
When women as a collective began to realize that the discrimination they faced when attempting to become involved in social activism, they realized that their cases were not isolated issues, but evidence of a large scale sexism which the country was facing.
3. "Consciousness raising"
Many groups, such as the NOW, were formed around this time in order to make the cause of feminism more widespread and more relevant in legslation. Their passionate activism helped get legislation passed which banned the descrimination of gender when hireing for jobs, and made the cause more widespread and organized.
4. Feminism
All of the previously listed factors went into making the feminst movement very wide spread. Women were finally realizing what they were missing out on, and fought to get it.
5. Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique
This magizene because very widespread and helped widen the feminism movement and intensify the passion which drove the women.
6. Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act was the result of the hard work of many feminist activists and officialy made it illegal to descriminate based on gender. It was a major victory for the feminist movemnet.
7. National Organization for Women (NOW)
This foundadition helped increase awareness for the feminist movement and fourght hard for pro-feminist legislation.
8. Gloria Steinem and Ms. Magazine
Steinem and her magizene were more factors which gained support and awareness for the feminist cause. The major boost in awareness for the cause during this time is what fuled the pro-faminist legislation which was passed.
9. Congress
Congress passed legislation which helped the feminist cause, including the Civil Rights act.
10. Supreme Court
At this time the Supreme Court began to make pro-feminist rulings which were major victories for the cause.
11. The Equal rights Amendment would have guaranteed equal rights under the law, regardless of gender. Who opposed this amendment? Why?
Extream conservatives and sexist people opposed this movement because they saw the way of life which they invisioned being lost. The traditional lifestyle of a woman's place being at the home and a man's place being at work was fading and it scared these people.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Why did the USA lose the Vietnam War?
1. US military tactics in Vietnam
They used traditional warfare tatics against the viet cong's gurella tatics which was uneffective. This is shown by the huge number of casualities that resulted from the war.
2. The unpopularity of the South Vietnamese regime
This hurt the US effort because the public was doing alot to help the communists win the war. This is especially appearent in the huge amounts of viet cong soldiers who were willing to fight, which helped make the large number of casualities the north forces faced not as much of a big deal.
3. The experience of the Viet Cong and the inexperience of the American soldiers
The viet cong had knowledge of the land on which the war was being fought. This was helpful in moveing weapons and effectively useing their gurella tatics.
4. Domestic opposition to the war in the U.S.
The domestic oppisition to the war made for alot of problems for those who were trying to gain support for the war. This especially hurt the US after the Tet offensive, s more and more began to call for an end to the war effort, and the government had to split their focas between Vietnam and the domestic issues.
5. Chinese and Soviet support for the Viet Cong
This hurt the Us in the regard that the viet cong was always well armed and ready to continue day and night gurlla warfare against the US forces. Their well armed soldiers were able to carry out the Tet offensive, which vastly brought down domestic support for the war effort.
6. 'But did they really lose?' Summarize the argument put forward in Source 57, and your view on it.
This source is basically arguing that we did nottechnically lose the war. Although it's a nice thought, unfortunatly it holds no credibility. We could not hold off the Viet Cong soldiers and basically were blown out of Vietnam.
They used traditional warfare tatics against the viet cong's gurella tatics which was uneffective. This is shown by the huge number of casualities that resulted from the war.
2. The unpopularity of the South Vietnamese regime
This hurt the US effort because the public was doing alot to help the communists win the war. This is especially appearent in the huge amounts of viet cong soldiers who were willing to fight, which helped make the large number of casualities the north forces faced not as much of a big deal.
3. The experience of the Viet Cong and the inexperience of the American soldiers
The viet cong had knowledge of the land on which the war was being fought. This was helpful in moveing weapons and effectively useing their gurella tatics.
4. Domestic opposition to the war in the U.S.
The domestic oppisition to the war made for alot of problems for those who were trying to gain support for the war. This especially hurt the US after the Tet offensive, s more and more began to call for an end to the war effort, and the government had to split their focas between Vietnam and the domestic issues.
5. Chinese and Soviet support for the Viet Cong
This hurt the Us in the regard that the viet cong was always well armed and ready to continue day and night gurlla warfare against the US forces. Their well armed soldiers were able to carry out the Tet offensive, which vastly brought down domestic support for the war effort.
6. 'But did they really lose?' Summarize the argument put forward in Source 57, and your view on it.
This source is basically arguing that we did nottechnically lose the war. Although it's a nice thought, unfortunatly it holds no credibility. We could not hold off the Viet Cong soldiers and basically were blown out of Vietnam.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Vietnam War Opposition
I plan to do the optional assignment which was to support the war in Vietnam.
1. Note all of the reasons why you feel the war in Vietnam is wrong.
(I'll do why it's right)
1. It is to stop the spread of the evil communism.
2. We are protecting the rights of the Vietnamese people, to be a free nation and not have to be ruled by a dictator.
3. We need to look out for our own intrests in the matter as well, it is necessary to protect ourselfs against the communists in the cold war and haveing another communist nation in Southeast Asia would start a domino effect which would cause many more nations to fall, giving the communists an upperhand in the cold war.
2. Note what you re trying to achieve with this poster.
With my poster I'll be trying to convince people that the war is a necessary one for the US and that it is worth every effort and dollar being spent to win and stop the spread of communism.
3. List possible images for your poster. Think about: background (e.g. destroyed villages); the central image (e.g. picture of a young soldier); whether you will need words to explain your image.
Images I can use could be a mixture of awe inspiring patriotic photos (flag being lifted from world war 2 ect) and pictures depicting communism as evil. This way it gives the message that the US, which has historically been a defender of moral rightnes, is once again going to war to protect the free world from another dangerous evil
4. List some possible slogans for your poster.
"America, we must once again protect ourselfs and the worldfrom another evil threat"
1. Note all of the reasons why you feel the war in Vietnam is wrong.
(I'll do why it's right)
1. It is to stop the spread of the evil communism.
2. We are protecting the rights of the Vietnamese people, to be a free nation and not have to be ruled by a dictator.
3. We need to look out for our own intrests in the matter as well, it is necessary to protect ourselfs against the communists in the cold war and haveing another communist nation in Southeast Asia would start a domino effect which would cause many more nations to fall, giving the communists an upperhand in the cold war.
2. Note what you re trying to achieve with this poster.
With my poster I'll be trying to convince people that the war is a necessary one for the US and that it is worth every effort and dollar being spent to win and stop the spread of communism.
3. List possible images for your poster. Think about: background (e.g. destroyed villages); the central image (e.g. picture of a young soldier); whether you will need words to explain your image.
Images I can use could be a mixture of awe inspiring patriotic photos (flag being lifted from world war 2 ect) and pictures depicting communism as evil. This way it gives the message that the US, which has historically been a defender of moral rightnes, is once again going to war to protect the free world from another dangerous evil
4. List some possible slogans for your poster.
"America, we must once again protect ourselfs and the worldfrom another evil threat"
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Vietnam War Turning Points
1. Why was the Tet Offensive a turning point? Explain your answer.
The Tet offensive brough up many domestic questions surrounding the war. Many questioned how the Communists were able to wage a successful offensive against the US forces considering all the money the US was putting into the war. It was also very destructive and carried with it many casualities. It caused a major drop in domestic support for the war.
2. Are Sources 51 and 52 making the same point about the My Lai Massacre?
No. Source 51 is curseing the actions that took place as unmoral, compareing them to those that the Nazis would carry out in WWII. Source 52 tried to justify the actions that were taken as not a mass murder but a stand against the evils of communism.
3. Why do you think it took 12 months for
anyone to do anything about the massacre?
It became a "dont't ask don't tell" situation because of the fear of what would happen if word got out. Those involved in the massacre knew what would happen if the American public found out about the killing of so many innocents at the hands of the US Army. The already miniscule support that remained for the war would dissappear and there would be political nightmares for all involved in the war.
4. Why was the massacre so shocking to
the American public?
American throughout history had been held to a higher moral standard. Never before had such non excusable devistateing actions been taken willingly by US soldiers. It was a shock because most everybody thought that the US was above that.
The Tet offensive brough up many domestic questions surrounding the war. Many questioned how the Communists were able to wage a successful offensive against the US forces considering all the money the US was putting into the war. It was also very destructive and carried with it many casualities. It caused a major drop in domestic support for the war.
2. Are Sources 51 and 52 making the same point about the My Lai Massacre?
No. Source 51 is curseing the actions that took place as unmoral, compareing them to those that the Nazis would carry out in WWII. Source 52 tried to justify the actions that were taken as not a mass murder but a stand against the evils of communism.
3. Why do you think it took 12 months for
anyone to do anything about the massacre?
It became a "dont't ask don't tell" situation because of the fear of what would happen if word got out. Those involved in the massacre knew what would happen if the American public found out about the killing of so many innocents at the hands of the US Army. The already miniscule support that remained for the war would dissappear and there would be political nightmares for all involved in the war.
4. Why was the massacre so shocking to
the American public?
American throughout history had been held to a higher moral standard. Never before had such non excusable devistateing actions been taken willingly by US soldiers. It was a shock because most everybody thought that the US was above that.
Monday, May 3, 2010
The U.S. struggles against the Communist in Vietnam
a) Were the armies finely balanced or was the balance strongly weighted to one side or the other?
In regards to the strengths of the armies, the US/South Vietnamise army had the advantage. They had better weapons and better trained troops. If the war had been foughttraditionally they would have won the war easily.
b) Which quality was most important in determining who won the war? Was one feature so important that being ahead in that area meant that other advantages or disadvantages did not matter?
The effective use of gurella tatics on behalf of the Viet Cong was the reason why US forces could not defeat them. This outweighed any advantages the US had, because they simply could not find a way to defend the unpradictible tatics used by the Viet Cong.
a. The U.S. weaknesses were:
1) Their inability to adapt to the gurella tatics used by Viet Cong
2) Their lack of support from the Vietnamese civilians
3) Their low moral due to the constant fear of attack from Viet Cong forces.
b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were:
1) Their effective use of gurella tatics
2) The support of the Vietnamese civilians
3) Their high morale due to their genuine belief in their cause and the fact that they were winning the war
c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example:
Their bomb raids were effective in slowing the transportation of arms to the South and slowd military movements.
d. However, there were some major failures as well. Examples of these were:
They were simply not able to figure out a successful way to combat the gurella tatics used by the Viet Cong forces. They continued to take heavy casualities in the day and night attacks by the gurella warriors. These continued blows not only hurt the US militarly but moraly as well. The continued loss of life killed the moral of the soldiers stationed in Vietnam and caused them to live in constant fear.
e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as:
They played every advantage they had to their fullest. They used their knowledge of the land to effectively use gurella tatics and basically win the war. They Took advantage of favor from the citizens and used them for help in whatever ways they could. They caused the US soldiers to fear them.
f. However, they also suffered defeats, for example:
The bombing raids by the Americans were successful in killing over 1 million Vite Cong soldiers. This was not considered unacceptable by the Communist leaders, however, because of the high numbers of Viet Cong soldiers.
g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be [Insert weakness here] because:
Weakness : inability to adapt to gurella warfare
because.. This was the reason they lost. They could not adapt and it destroied them in every aspect of the war. They lost casualitys and morale because of the constant attacks they could not defend against.
h. The key Viet Cong strength was [Insert strength here] because:
Strenght: gurella warfare
because... It played off all of their advantages and won them the war (above mentioned reasons).
In regards to the strengths of the armies, the US/South Vietnamise army had the advantage. They had better weapons and better trained troops. If the war had been foughttraditionally they would have won the war easily.
b) Which quality was most important in determining who won the war? Was one feature so important that being ahead in that area meant that other advantages or disadvantages did not matter?
The effective use of gurella tatics on behalf of the Viet Cong was the reason why US forces could not defeat them. This outweighed any advantages the US had, because they simply could not find a way to defend the unpradictible tatics used by the Viet Cong.
a. The U.S. weaknesses were:
1) Their inability to adapt to the gurella tatics used by Viet Cong
2) Their lack of support from the Vietnamese civilians
3) Their low moral due to the constant fear of attack from Viet Cong forces.
b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were:
1) Their effective use of gurella tatics
2) The support of the Vietnamese civilians
3) Their high morale due to their genuine belief in their cause and the fact that they were winning the war
c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example:
Their bomb raids were effective in slowing the transportation of arms to the South and slowd military movements.
d. However, there were some major failures as well. Examples of these were:
They were simply not able to figure out a successful way to combat the gurella tatics used by the Viet Cong forces. They continued to take heavy casualities in the day and night attacks by the gurella warriors. These continued blows not only hurt the US militarly but moraly as well. The continued loss of life killed the moral of the soldiers stationed in Vietnam and caused them to live in constant fear.
e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as:
They played every advantage they had to their fullest. They used their knowledge of the land to effectively use gurella tatics and basically win the war. They Took advantage of favor from the citizens and used them for help in whatever ways they could. They caused the US soldiers to fear them.
f. However, they also suffered defeats, for example:
The bombing raids by the Americans were successful in killing over 1 million Vite Cong soldiers. This was not considered unacceptable by the Communist leaders, however, because of the high numbers of Viet Cong soldiers.
g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be [Insert weakness here] because:
Weakness : inability to adapt to gurella warfare
because.. This was the reason they lost. They could not adapt and it destroied them in every aspect of the war. They lost casualitys and morale because of the constant attacks they could not defend against.
h. The key Viet Cong strength was [Insert strength here] because:
Strenght: gurella warfare
because... It played off all of their advantages and won them the war (above mentioned reasons).
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The U.S. Enters the Vietnam War
1. Many neutral observers in Vietnam were critical of US policy. Explain why.
This is because the Us suppoered the anti-communist governments established in the south, even though they were extreamily currupt.
2. Explain how US politicians would have defended their policies.
They would have argued that if Vietnam fell to communism, many other countries in the region would follow suit. It was necessary to stop a communist takeover of an entire contenent.
3. The following events are not listed in correct date order. Place them in the correct chronological order. (Write the year inside the parenthesis, i.e. (1965). Then note the reason for each U.S. action, and how it brought the U.S. into deeper involvement in Vietnam.
The reasons you can choose from are: No direct involvement; financial support; political involvement; military involvement. Also, note what events triggered the increased involvement.
( 8 ) Assassination of JFK - Johnson becomes president
( 2 ) Formation of South Vietnam
( 9 ) Gulf of Tonkin Incident
( 7 ) Number of 'advisers' reaches over 11,500- military involvement. This brought the US more into the conflict because this highly increased the US presence in South Vietnam.
( 6 ) JFK sends military advisers- military invlovement. This brought the US more into the conflict because it created a US military presence in the conflict that was going on between North and South Vietnamise forces.
( 10 ) U.S. Marines land at Da Nang- military involvement. This brought the US more into the conflict because this officially started war between North Vietnam and the US
( 1 ) U.S. stops elections in Vietnam- political involvement. This brought the US more into the conflict because It angered many who supported an Communist Vietnam and was looked upon as a lack of principlas on behalf of the US, which condemned Stalin for takeing similar actions in the USSR.
( 3 ) U.S. supports South Vietnam government after army overthrow Diem- political involvement- This brought the US more into the conflict because this was their way of keeping communism from spreading throughout the entire region. They believed that if it can be stopped in Vietnam, it won't spread further.
( 5 ) Viet Cong attacks on U.S. and South Vietnam bases
( 4 ) Viet Cong formed
4. Choose two events that you think were critical in getting the U.S. involved in a war in Vietnam. Explain
your choice.
I think the forming of Viet Cong and the attack at the Gulf of Tonkin were the most curtial events. This is because they really forced the US's hand in Vietnam. Vite Cong symbolized the communist sprit which many rallied around. It grew at a rate that the US could not ignore because it had alot of power to spread communism which would be dangerous to the US. The attack at the Gulf of Tonkin forced the US to retaliate. It showed that the communist threat was not only strong but viloent and letting it continue without interfearing would be dangerous.
This is because the Us suppoered the anti-communist governments established in the south, even though they were extreamily currupt.
2. Explain how US politicians would have defended their policies.
They would have argued that if Vietnam fell to communism, many other countries in the region would follow suit. It was necessary to stop a communist takeover of an entire contenent.
3. The following events are not listed in correct date order. Place them in the correct chronological order. (Write the year inside the parenthesis, i.e. (1965). Then note the reason for each U.S. action, and how it brought the U.S. into deeper involvement in Vietnam.
The reasons you can choose from are: No direct involvement; financial support; political involvement; military involvement. Also, note what events triggered the increased involvement.
( 8 ) Assassination of JFK - Johnson becomes president
( 2 ) Formation of South Vietnam
( 9 ) Gulf of Tonkin Incident
( 7 ) Number of 'advisers' reaches over 11,500- military involvement. This brought the US more into the conflict because this highly increased the US presence in South Vietnam.
( 6 ) JFK sends military advisers- military invlovement. This brought the US more into the conflict because it created a US military presence in the conflict that was going on between North and South Vietnamise forces.
( 10 ) U.S. Marines land at Da Nang- military involvement. This brought the US more into the conflict because this officially started war between North Vietnam and the US
( 1 ) U.S. stops elections in Vietnam- political involvement. This brought the US more into the conflict because It angered many who supported an Communist Vietnam and was looked upon as a lack of principlas on behalf of the US, which condemned Stalin for takeing similar actions in the USSR.
( 3 ) U.S. supports South Vietnam government after army overthrow Diem- political involvement- This brought the US more into the conflict because this was their way of keeping communism from spreading throughout the entire region. They believed that if it can be stopped in Vietnam, it won't spread further.
( 5 ) Viet Cong attacks on U.S. and South Vietnam bases
( 4 ) Viet Cong formed
4. Choose two events that you think were critical in getting the U.S. involved in a war in Vietnam. Explain
your choice.
I think the forming of Viet Cong and the attack at the Gulf of Tonkin were the most curtial events. This is because they really forced the US's hand in Vietnam. Vite Cong symbolized the communist sprit which many rallied around. It grew at a rate that the US could not ignore because it had alot of power to spread communism which would be dangerous to the US. The attack at the Gulf of Tonkin forced the US to retaliate. It showed that the communist threat was not only strong but viloent and letting it continue without interfearing would be dangerous.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Cuban Missile Crisis
1. Kennedy described Wednesday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 27 as the darkest days of the crisis. Use the information on page 350 to explain why.
These two days, being the days when there was a faceoff at the American blocade of Cuba and when there was an incident whihc involved an American plane beiong shot down, were the days when conflicts caused war to be as realistic of a possability as it ever was.
2. Do you think that nuclear war was ever a possibility in this crisis?
I think it was a very valid possability. Both countrys had the ability to devistate eachother, and tentions between the two were just about as high as possible without full scale war breaking out.
3. Is Source 26 a Soviet or an American cartoon? Explain your answer by referring to the details in the cartoon.
I would think that the cartoon was an American one, because the Soviet leader is depicted as sweating heavily, whale JFK looks calm and collected.
4. Using Source 27 list any evidence you can find for and against each of the explanations.
Why did the Soviet Union place nuclear missiles on Cuba?
To bargain with the USA
This is a likely reason, because it happened.
To test the USA
This is likely because at the time the US was not in very good standing with the world stage.
To trap the USA
This suggests that the USSR was trying to start a nuclear war, but because this never actually happened, it is unlikely this is a valid reason.
To get the upper hand in the arms race
This is a very likely reason because with the missles so close to the US it would be very easy for the USSR to launch an attack.
To defend Cuba
It is unlikely this was the reason because the USSR was makeing such a public deal about the missles being there. They were makeing a statement of somemkind.
5. Choose the explanation(s) that you think best fit what you have found out about the crisis. Explain your choice.
I feel it was a mixture of trying to gain the upper hand in the arms race and to bargin with the US. They did even the score of the arms race by haveing ready to launch missles in such close geographical proximity to the US. Also, they could use this as a way to bargin the US into removeing some of their missles, which would also be helpful in the arms race between the two superpowers.
These two days, being the days when there was a faceoff at the American blocade of Cuba and when there was an incident whihc involved an American plane beiong shot down, were the days when conflicts caused war to be as realistic of a possability as it ever was.
2. Do you think that nuclear war was ever a possibility in this crisis?
I think it was a very valid possability. Both countrys had the ability to devistate eachother, and tentions between the two were just about as high as possible without full scale war breaking out.
3. Is Source 26 a Soviet or an American cartoon? Explain your answer by referring to the details in the cartoon.
I would think that the cartoon was an American one, because the Soviet leader is depicted as sweating heavily, whale JFK looks calm and collected.
4. Using Source 27 list any evidence you can find for and against each of the explanations.
Why did the Soviet Union place nuclear missiles on Cuba?
To bargain with the USA
This is a likely reason, because it happened.
To test the USA
This is likely because at the time the US was not in very good standing with the world stage.
To trap the USA
This suggests that the USSR was trying to start a nuclear war, but because this never actually happened, it is unlikely this is a valid reason.
To get the upper hand in the arms race
This is a very likely reason because with the missles so close to the US it would be very easy for the USSR to launch an attack.
To defend Cuba
It is unlikely this was the reason because the USSR was makeing such a public deal about the missles being there. They were makeing a statement of somemkind.
5. Choose the explanation(s) that you think best fit what you have found out about the crisis. Explain your choice.
I feel it was a mixture of trying to gain the upper hand in the arms race and to bargin with the US. They did even the score of the arms race by haveing ready to launch missles in such close geographical proximity to the US. Also, they could use this as a way to bargin the US into removeing some of their missles, which would also be helpful in the arms race between the two superpowers.
Monday, April 26, 2010
The U.S. Attempts to Contain Cuba
1. Why was Cuba so important to the United States?
Cuba was important to America because of its closeness to the US both economically and geographically. Its importance grograpahically was important because of a military base the US had on the island.
2. Why do you think the Americans chose to equip Cuban exiles rather than invading themselves?
It was too dangerous to directly invade the USSR friendly Cuban nation because this could have been taken as an act of war by the Soviet Union, which could have caused a nuclear war.
3. Why did the invasion fail?
The invasion failed because the US did not provide the necessary air support to the Cuban rebels. Tey were outnumbered and faceing a much stronger, better equipped, and better trained adversary without the help they depended on.
4. Compare Source 17 on page 345 (in the Arms Race.pdf reading) with Source 24 on page 348. Describe how the Soviet Union missiles on Cuba changed the Cold War balance of power.
The USSR's ability to have missles in Cuba took away the US advantage of stratigic missle location. Before this point, the US had missles that could strike the Soviet Union in a very short amount of time, but after this the USSR had missles that could be equally quick and devistateing if ever used.
Cuba was important to America because of its closeness to the US both economically and geographically. Its importance grograpahically was important because of a military base the US had on the island.
2. Why do you think the Americans chose to equip Cuban exiles rather than invading themselves?
It was too dangerous to directly invade the USSR friendly Cuban nation because this could have been taken as an act of war by the Soviet Union, which could have caused a nuclear war.
3. Why did the invasion fail?
The invasion failed because the US did not provide the necessary air support to the Cuban rebels. Tey were outnumbered and faceing a much stronger, better equipped, and better trained adversary without the help they depended on.
4. Compare Source 17 on page 345 (in the Arms Race.pdf reading) with Source 24 on page 348. Describe how the Soviet Union missiles on Cuba changed the Cold War balance of power.
The USSR's ability to have missles in Cuba took away the US advantage of stratigic missle location. Before this point, the US had missles that could strike the Soviet Union in a very short amount of time, but after this the USSR had missles that could be equally quick and devistateing if ever used.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The American Dream in the 1950s
1. Baby Boom
As soldiers came home from war, they reproduced an a high rate from the late 40s to the early 60s. This period is known as the baby boom.
2. Dr. Jonas Salk
The doctor who developed the vaccene for polio.
3. Interstate Highway System
The use of automobiles was booming at this time, so President Eisenhower passes an act which ordered the construction of a national highway system which went through all states.
4. Franchise
A company that offers a similar product at many location. These began to appear throughout the US during this era.
5. In a paragraph, describe in detail how Americans spent their leisure time in the 1950s
In the 1950 people spent their free time by going out and enjoying themselfs mostly. Almost every adult was driveing at this point, so they could go out now more. People would go to drive ins to see movies or go to popular spots with things to do.
As soldiers came home from war, they reproduced an a high rate from the late 40s to the early 60s. This period is known as the baby boom.
2. Dr. Jonas Salk
The doctor who developed the vaccene for polio.
3. Interstate Highway System
The use of automobiles was booming at this time, so President Eisenhower passes an act which ordered the construction of a national highway system which went through all states.
4. Franchise
A company that offers a similar product at many location. These began to appear throughout the US during this era.
5. In a paragraph, describe in detail how Americans spent their leisure time in the 1950s
In the 1950 people spent their free time by going out and enjoying themselfs mostly. Almost every adult was driveing at this point, so they could go out now more. People would go to drive ins to see movies or go to popular spots with things to do.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The Arms Race
1. Read Source 12. What methods do you think Dulles had in mind to 'liberate captive peoples' without a war?
Dulles probably wanted to stop the spread of communism by spreading capatilist influence and pushing back the borders of communism in USSR controled nations. This way full out war with the Soviet Union could likely be avoided but the US could still limit communist influence.
2. Look at Source 13. Would you agree that the Communist world was encircled? Explain your answer.
I feel this statement is accurate because the pre WWI like alliance systems that were formeing around the world were mostly non-communist, except for the Warasaw pact, which was surrounded by capatilst pro-US alliances on all sides.
3. Carefully examine the verticle timeline on page 343. Then look back at Source 12. Do you think the development of nuclear weapons was what Dulles might have had in mind?
It is likely that the development of the H-bomb had something to do with the confidence Dulles showes in source 12. He seams to be be very confident about the ability of the US to push back the borders of communism is states with Soviet influence. If countries knew that the US had H-bomb abilitys, they would be less likely to stand up to US attempts at spreading capatilism.
4. Look at Source 16. What is the Soviet cartoon saying about the U-2 plane?
It is saying that the US is useing the UR plane to spy on the USSR, and dipicting this to be an unapproprate act.
5. Read the Factfile on page 344. Explain why the USSR was so angry about the US spy flights.
The USSR was upset about the U2 flights because they felt the US had been dishonest with them. The Soviets had already turned down a treaty proposed by the US asking for open airs above both contries. The USSR thought that fact that the Americans went ahead and did so anyways was a dishonest action.
6. How would the USA justify this violation of Soviet territory?
The fact that the USSR was continueing to develop nuclear weapons proves that the spying was necessary. The US had to know the nuclear ability of the USSR, because if they attacket the US, we had to be able to retaliate.
7. If the USSR had had U-2 planes, do you think it would have used them? Why?
They would have not hesitated to use them. The USSr was just as curious as the US as to what the other country was doing domestically. Both countries were continueing to prepare for a possible war, and any knowledge about the other country was a great advantage.
8. Look at Source 17. Why do you think the USA had missiles based in Europe?
The US had missiles based in Europe so that they could respnd in minuits to an attack by the USSR. If they were to only send missiles that were based in the US than it would take 30 minuits for them to reach the USSR. This would give Soviet forces to cause great damage to the US.
9. Define the term 'nuclear deterrent' in not more than 20 words.
The theory adopted by the US and the USSR during the Cold Warthat haveing a surpuls of nuclear weapons with the ability to destroy the other country would avoid war because no country would dare attact the other with the knowledge that doing so would call for a response.
Dulles probably wanted to stop the spread of communism by spreading capatilist influence and pushing back the borders of communism in USSR controled nations. This way full out war with the Soviet Union could likely be avoided but the US could still limit communist influence.
2. Look at Source 13. Would you agree that the Communist world was encircled? Explain your answer.
I feel this statement is accurate because the pre WWI like alliance systems that were formeing around the world were mostly non-communist, except for the Warasaw pact, which was surrounded by capatilst pro-US alliances on all sides.
3. Carefully examine the verticle timeline on page 343. Then look back at Source 12. Do you think the development of nuclear weapons was what Dulles might have had in mind?
It is likely that the development of the H-bomb had something to do with the confidence Dulles showes in source 12. He seams to be be very confident about the ability of the US to push back the borders of communism is states with Soviet influence. If countries knew that the US had H-bomb abilitys, they would be less likely to stand up to US attempts at spreading capatilism.
4. Look at Source 16. What is the Soviet cartoon saying about the U-2 plane?
It is saying that the US is useing the UR plane to spy on the USSR, and dipicting this to be an unapproprate act.
5. Read the Factfile on page 344. Explain why the USSR was so angry about the US spy flights.
The USSR was upset about the U2 flights because they felt the US had been dishonest with them. The Soviets had already turned down a treaty proposed by the US asking for open airs above both contries. The USSR thought that fact that the Americans went ahead and did so anyways was a dishonest action.
6. How would the USA justify this violation of Soviet territory?
The fact that the USSR was continueing to develop nuclear weapons proves that the spying was necessary. The US had to know the nuclear ability of the USSR, because if they attacket the US, we had to be able to retaliate.
7. If the USSR had had U-2 planes, do you think it would have used them? Why?
They would have not hesitated to use them. The USSr was just as curious as the US as to what the other country was doing domestically. Both countries were continueing to prepare for a possible war, and any knowledge about the other country was a great advantage.
8. Look at Source 17. Why do you think the USA had missiles based in Europe?
The US had missiles based in Europe so that they could respnd in minuits to an attack by the USSR. If they were to only send missiles that were based in the US than it would take 30 minuits for them to reach the USSR. This would give Soviet forces to cause great damage to the US.
9. Define the term 'nuclear deterrent' in not more than 20 words.
The theory adopted by the US and the USSR during the Cold Warthat haveing a surpuls of nuclear weapons with the ability to destroy the other country would avoid war because no country would dare attact the other with the knowledge that doing so would call for a response.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Eisenhower & The Cold War
1. The Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb in 1949.
After the USSR exploded their first atomic bomb, the US made sure they were prepared, both how to minimize casualitys and to retaliate. They developed and successfuly tested the first H-bomb.
2. In 1951, the Iranian prime minister placed the oil industry in Iran under the Iranian government’s control.
The CIA saw to it that the pro-American Shah of Iran regained power in Iran so that the country, which was struggling economically, wouldn't turn to the USSR for help.
3. The Guatemalan head of government gave American-owned land in Guatemala to peasants.
The CIA invaded the country and overtook the government to stop communist actions that were being taken by the government.
4. In 1956, Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt and occupied the Suez Canal.
The UN stopped the fighting, but did not syntaphise with any of the three invadeing countries at all, and rather let Egypt keep control of the land. After this the US released a doctrine saying that the US would not hesitate to defend the middle east against any communist country.
5. Soviet tanks invaded Hungary and fired on protesters in 1956.
The US did nothing. It was appearent that Esienhower was not going to enforce the policy of containment in the sattalite nations.
6. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik.
The US was shocked at the Soviets' scientific superitority. US scientists frantically worked to put up their own sattalite, and eventually did.
7. In 1960, the Soviet Union brought down an American U-2 piloted by Francis Gary Powers.
President Eisenhower did admit to the flights spying on the USSR, and promised to discontinue them, but would not appoligize. This caused the 60s to begin with a great tention between the two superpowers.
After the USSR exploded their first atomic bomb, the US made sure they were prepared, both how to minimize casualitys and to retaliate. They developed and successfuly tested the first H-bomb.
2. In 1951, the Iranian prime minister placed the oil industry in Iran under the Iranian government’s control.
The CIA saw to it that the pro-American Shah of Iran regained power in Iran so that the country, which was struggling economically, wouldn't turn to the USSR for help.
3. The Guatemalan head of government gave American-owned land in Guatemala to peasants.
The CIA invaded the country and overtook the government to stop communist actions that were being taken by the government.
4. In 1956, Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt and occupied the Suez Canal.
The UN stopped the fighting, but did not syntaphise with any of the three invadeing countries at all, and rather let Egypt keep control of the land. After this the US released a doctrine saying that the US would not hesitate to defend the middle east against any communist country.
5. Soviet tanks invaded Hungary and fired on protesters in 1956.
The US did nothing. It was appearent that Esienhower was not going to enforce the policy of containment in the sattalite nations.
6. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik.
The US was shocked at the Soviets' scientific superitority. US scientists frantically worked to put up their own sattalite, and eventually did.
7. In 1960, the Soviet Union brought down an American U-2 piloted by Francis Gary Powers.
President Eisenhower did admit to the flights spying on the USSR, and promised to discontinue them, but would not appoligize. This caused the 60s to begin with a great tention between the two superpowers.
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Red Scare (1950s).
1. HUAC- The HUAC was a committie which investigated possible communist influences in the US government and US industries.
2. Blacklist- A list of influential Americans who have communist backgrounds.
3. Alger Hiss- A state department official who was accused of being a spy for the USSR. President Richard Nixon gained early fame for trying to have him convicted.
4. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg- Were convicted of and executed for leaking information on the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. This information helped the Soviets successfuly create an atomic bomb three to five years earlier than expected.
5. Joseph McCarthy- The Republican US senator who became famous for accuseing the US government of being riddled with Communists.
6. McCarthyism- Senator McCarthy's unsupported accusations of US government officials being communist.
7. Senator McCarthy decided to make his crusade against domestic communism to gain popularity. His ability to be reelected into his senate seat was not strong, and he needed a vocal point to gain popularity from the voters. The most sesical way to do this was to play off the voters' greatest fear, communists at home. By convinceing the American public that the US government was full of communists, he also convinced them he was the only hope to find them. Not to look pro-communist, even those who doubted him followed him. This helped him gain popularity among the voters.
2. Blacklist- A list of influential Americans who have communist backgrounds.
3. Alger Hiss- A state department official who was accused of being a spy for the USSR. President Richard Nixon gained early fame for trying to have him convicted.
4. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg- Were convicted of and executed for leaking information on the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. This information helped the Soviets successfuly create an atomic bomb three to five years earlier than expected.
5. Joseph McCarthy- The Republican US senator who became famous for accuseing the US government of being riddled with Communists.
6. McCarthyism- Senator McCarthy's unsupported accusations of US government officials being communist.
7. Senator McCarthy decided to make his crusade against domestic communism to gain popularity. His ability to be reelected into his senate seat was not strong, and he needed a vocal point to gain popularity from the voters. The most sesical way to do this was to play off the voters' greatest fear, communists at home. By convinceing the American public that the US government was full of communists, he also convinced them he was the only hope to find them. Not to look pro-communist, even those who doubted him followed him. This helped him gain popularity among the voters.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Korean War Lessons
the US aims in Korea
how the support of the UN helped
how far the US achieved its aims
whether MacArthur should have been allowed to invade North Korea
why MacArthur was removed
the military and civilian cost of war
The US has one goal in Korea and that is to stop the spread of Communism throughout the reigon as much as possible. Fortunatly, we have gained the support of the UN in our mission to contain Soviet influence, largely due to the absence of the USSR from UN assembly due to their boycott. This has given us the aid of many UN nations, but we are still takeing on the majority of the responsability of this war as a nation. What is absolutly necessary in Korea is to regain South Korea's freedom from communist forces occupying the reigon. If communism is allowed to continue to spread at its current rate, it could very well take over all of Asia, which would be divistateing to our containment efforts. A secondary goal of the war would be to eliminate communism from Koera entirely. North Korea's communist, one-state regime is a dangerous one. Even if South Korea is saved, they still will have a communist threat directly north of them, with a large influence in Asia. When we invaded North Korea, the Chinese forces (who are communist and have been tought to be anti-American by Soviet influences) met us with an unexpected strength. We weere pushed back behind the origional divider of Korea, and former President Tuman decided to pull troops. US Military General MacArthur went against direct orders and threatened the Chinese anyways, and was removed from his position. Although he was only doing what he thought was best for the country and the safety of the American people, the President needs to know he is surrounded by people he can trust, so MacArthur was removed from his position. Had that war been started, chances were the USSR would have been involved. That would have made the war a hard one to win, and the costs of loseing the war would have been unthinkable to the US people and nation as a whole. As of now the US policy of containment has been rather unsuccessful, due mainly to a lack of aggression, especially in Asia. Communist forces have already taken over China, who we had previously thought of as our biggest ally in Korea, and if we had to invade Korea to stop it from takeing over there. In the future we need to be more aggressive to stop communist threats before they reach the point they did in China and Korea, or we could face an entirely Communist Asia, and even Europe.
how the support of the UN helped
how far the US achieved its aims
whether MacArthur should have been allowed to invade North Korea
why MacArthur was removed
the military and civilian cost of war
The US has one goal in Korea and that is to stop the spread of Communism throughout the reigon as much as possible. Fortunatly, we have gained the support of the UN in our mission to contain Soviet influence, largely due to the absence of the USSR from UN assembly due to their boycott. This has given us the aid of many UN nations, but we are still takeing on the majority of the responsability of this war as a nation. What is absolutly necessary in Korea is to regain South Korea's freedom from communist forces occupying the reigon. If communism is allowed to continue to spread at its current rate, it could very well take over all of Asia, which would be divistateing to our containment efforts. A secondary goal of the war would be to eliminate communism from Koera entirely. North Korea's communist, one-state regime is a dangerous one. Even if South Korea is saved, they still will have a communist threat directly north of them, with a large influence in Asia. When we invaded North Korea, the Chinese forces (who are communist and have been tought to be anti-American by Soviet influences) met us with an unexpected strength. We weere pushed back behind the origional divider of Korea, and former President Tuman decided to pull troops. US Military General MacArthur went against direct orders and threatened the Chinese anyways, and was removed from his position. Although he was only doing what he thought was best for the country and the safety of the American people, the President needs to know he is surrounded by people he can trust, so MacArthur was removed from his position. Had that war been started, chances were the USSR would have been involved. That would have made the war a hard one to win, and the costs of loseing the war would have been unthinkable to the US people and nation as a whole. As of now the US policy of containment has been rather unsuccessful, due mainly to a lack of aggression, especially in Asia. Communist forces have already taken over China, who we had previously thought of as our biggest ally in Korea, and if we had to invade Korea to stop it from takeing over there. In the future we need to be more aggressive to stop communist threats before they reach the point they did in China and Korea, or we could face an entirely Communist Asia, and even Europe.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Dropping the Atomic Bomb
1. What factors have affected viewpoints on Truman's decision?
- The devistation the bomb caused was outstanding. It absolutle devistated the Japanese (75000 instant deaths and tens of thousands more due to radation poinioning)
- The ability of the US to win without the bomb.
- The devistation an invasion would have caused on both sides.
- The unimaginable treatement of US prisioners of war in Japanese death camps.
2. Do you think he made the right decision? Give your reasons.
Harry Trubman not only made the right decision in droping the atomic bombs on Japan, he made the only morally right decision he possably could have. As President, he took an oath. In said oath he promised the American people he would protect them and their rights above all else. Invadeing Japan would have been absloutly devistateing for America. an estimated 220,000 soldiers would have been killed, which means 220,000 wives left widowed, parents left childless, and children left with only one parent. droping the bombs was directly responsable for saveing the lives of these would be casualitys of war. As devistateing as this was for the Japanese, a domestic war would have been almost if not equally devistateing. The bottom line is droping the bombs saved lives, which is what Trubman promised the American people he would do.
- The devistation the bomb caused was outstanding. It absolutle devistated the Japanese (75000 instant deaths and tens of thousands more due to radation poinioning)
- The ability of the US to win without the bomb.
- The devistation an invasion would have caused on both sides.
- The unimaginable treatement of US prisioners of war in Japanese death camps.
2. Do you think he made the right decision? Give your reasons.
Harry Trubman not only made the right decision in droping the atomic bombs on Japan, he made the only morally right decision he possably could have. As President, he took an oath. In said oath he promised the American people he would protect them and their rights above all else. Invadeing Japan would have been absloutly devistateing for America. an estimated 220,000 soldiers would have been killed, which means 220,000 wives left widowed, parents left childless, and children left with only one parent. droping the bombs was directly responsable for saveing the lives of these would be casualitys of war. As devistateing as this was for the Japanese, a domestic war would have been almost if not equally devistateing. The bottom line is droping the bombs saved lives, which is what Trubman promised the American people he would do.
The War in the Pacific
1. What was the importance of the Battle of Midway?
The battle was the turning point of the Pacific aspect of the war. The US devistated the Japanese, destorying 4 aircraft carriers with 250 planes. After this battle the US continued to push the Japanese back across the Pacific towards Asia.
2. What strategy did the United States adopt in fighting Japan?
After Midway, the US stayed on the offensive, "leapfroging" from one pacific island to the other in order to push the Japanese back and lessen their presence in the Pacific.
3. Why did the Japanese fight so hard on Iwo Jima?
The Japanese realized that their chances of not completly loseing the war were diminishing and that a loss at Iwp Jima would mean almost certain failure of the war.
4. Why did the Allies believe Okinawa was a foretaste of an invasion of Japan?
They believed the great losses suffered at Okinawa would be what an invasion of Japan would be like becasue of highly defended the island was. Japan itself would be similarly defended, which would mean a similar resistance and death toll.
5. What was the Manhattan Project?
The Manhattan Project was a project led by many US scientists who developed the atomic bomb.
6. Ultimately, why did President Truman decide to drop atomic bombs on Japan?
He decided it was necessary to drop the bomb becasue in the long run it would save lives. As much destruction as it caused it prevented all the destruction that an invasion and lenghtly battle would have caused.
The battle was the turning point of the Pacific aspect of the war. The US devistated the Japanese, destorying 4 aircraft carriers with 250 planes. After this battle the US continued to push the Japanese back across the Pacific towards Asia.
2. What strategy did the United States adopt in fighting Japan?
After Midway, the US stayed on the offensive, "leapfroging" from one pacific island to the other in order to push the Japanese back and lessen their presence in the Pacific.
3. Why did the Japanese fight so hard on Iwo Jima?
The Japanese realized that their chances of not completly loseing the war were diminishing and that a loss at Iwp Jima would mean almost certain failure of the war.
4. Why did the Allies believe Okinawa was a foretaste of an invasion of Japan?
They believed the great losses suffered at Okinawa would be what an invasion of Japan would be like becasue of highly defended the island was. Japan itself would be similarly defended, which would mean a similar resistance and death toll.
5. What was the Manhattan Project?
The Manhattan Project was a project led by many US scientists who developed the atomic bomb.
6. Ultimately, why did President Truman decide to drop atomic bombs on Japan?
He decided it was necessary to drop the bomb becasue in the long run it would save lives. As much destruction as it caused it prevented all the destruction that an invasion and lenghtly battle would have caused.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
War for Europe and North Africa - Part II
6. What was D-Day?
A group of almost 3 million allied forces landed behind German lines in Normandy, France and attacket, beginning the largest land-sea-air attack in army history.
7. What happened at the Battle of the Bulge?
After the allied forces took their first German city, the Germans launched an offensive on the allied forces to try to regain the lost territory. The battle lasted one month and crippled the Nazi forces, who lost 120,000 soldiers.
8. What did Allied troops find in Germany?
They found the Nazi death camps that were used by the Nazis in an attempt to eliminate all non-aryans liveing in Europe.
9. What happened to Hitler? What happened to F.D. Roosevelt? Who became U.S. President?
Hitler killed himself after it was evident that Germany was goingf to have to surrender. FDR died of a stroke befoere he got to see the allied forces win the war and his VP Harry S. Trubman took over as President of the United States.
A group of almost 3 million allied forces landed behind German lines in Normandy, France and attacket, beginning the largest land-sea-air attack in army history.
7. What happened at the Battle of the Bulge?
After the allied forces took their first German city, the Germans launched an offensive on the allied forces to try to regain the lost territory. The battle lasted one month and crippled the Nazi forces, who lost 120,000 soldiers.
8. What did Allied troops find in Germany?
They found the Nazi death camps that were used by the Nazis in an attempt to eliminate all non-aryans liveing in Europe.
9. What happened to Hitler? What happened to F.D. Roosevelt? Who became U.S. President?
Hitler killed himself after it was evident that Germany was goingf to have to surrender. FDR died of a stroke befoere he got to see the allied forces win the war and his VP Harry S. Trubman took over as President of the United States.
Monday, March 8, 2010
War for Europe & North Africa
1. To what did Roosevelt and Churchill agree early in the war?
Both countries agreed that Germany and Italy posed the greatest threat to the allied nations. Therefore they both decided to focas most of their firepower on Europe early in the war and to take on Japan after gaining the upperhand in Europe.
2. Why was winning the Battle of the Atlantic so crucial to the fortunes of the Allies?
It was very important to the allies because if they could not ship in the Atlantic than there would be no way to ship foods to Great Britian and the Brtitsh would be forced to surrender.
3. Why was the Battle of Stalingrad so important?
Even though the Soviets ended up loseing 1,100,000 men in defending Staingrad, their victory there is looked upon as a turning point in the war. From that point forward, the Germans were continually moved beckwards and the Soviets eventually moved westward towards and into Germany.
4. What happened in the war in North Africa?
Rather than opening a new front in Germany the US and Britain invaded Aferica and defeated all axis powers there.
5. What happened after the Allies invaded Italy?
Allied forces defeated Mouslinni's army and he was arrested and declared the "most hated man in Italy". Hitler didnt like the idea of fighting the war on German soil, however, and rather brought the fight to Italy. There, 40 miles from Rome, a battle that would take 4 months began, ending with 30,000 axis casualitys and 25,000 allied casulaties.
Both countries agreed that Germany and Italy posed the greatest threat to the allied nations. Therefore they both decided to focas most of their firepower on Europe early in the war and to take on Japan after gaining the upperhand in Europe.
2. Why was winning the Battle of the Atlantic so crucial to the fortunes of the Allies?
It was very important to the allies because if they could not ship in the Atlantic than there would be no way to ship foods to Great Britian and the Brtitsh would be forced to surrender.
3. Why was the Battle of Stalingrad so important?
Even though the Soviets ended up loseing 1,100,000 men in defending Staingrad, their victory there is looked upon as a turning point in the war. From that point forward, the Germans were continually moved beckwards and the Soviets eventually moved westward towards and into Germany.
4. What happened in the war in North Africa?
Rather than opening a new front in Germany the US and Britain invaded Aferica and defeated all axis powers there.
5. What happened after the Allies invaded Italy?
Allied forces defeated Mouslinni's army and he was arrested and declared the "most hated man in Italy". Hitler didnt like the idea of fighting the war on German soil, however, and rather brought the fight to Italy. There, 40 miles from Rome, a battle that would take 4 months began, ending with 30,000 axis casualitys and 25,000 allied casulaties.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Mobilizing for WWII.
1. Selective Service System
The selective service system provided for a larger base of recruits when the US was preparing themselfs for the war. The 5 million volenteers they had wasen't enough and this system provided 10 million more soldiers for the war effort.
2. Women
the WAAC established a system where women could help the war effort in a number of non combat aspects so that the men could focas on combat.
3. Minorities
Many minorties signed up to fight in the war despite the descrimination. Soma Japanese-Americans were able to be spies for the US. Also the Native Americans volnteered in record numbers.
4. Manufacturers
Manufacturers ended up mass produceing war materials rather than private macherniary. They were able to mass produce to an extent that it greatly contributed to the war efort on the US's side because we had the resources to mass produce much more than the axis powers.
5. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD)
The estlabilishment of the OSRD created an opprunity for the US to have the most advanced possible weapons and equipiment during the war because it brought together many of the greatest thinking minds and used them to work together to help create these war techlolgys.
6 Entertainment industry
Propaganda films were made to glorify the USSR and vilify the Nazis and the Japanese to encourage more volunteers to sign up to serve.
7. Office of Price Administration (OPA)
The riseing demand and dropping supply on consumer goods threatened to couse hige inflation. The OPA did not allow for this to happen because it froze prices on most consumer goods.
8. War Production Board (WPB)
The WPB made sure that companies produced the necessary amount of war goods for the US war effort.
9. Rationing
Rations were placed on the amount of gods that could be used in the war effort that citizens liveing domestically could consume. This ment that there was always enough for the soldiers who needed it.
The selective service system provided for a larger base of recruits when the US was preparing themselfs for the war. The 5 million volenteers they had wasen't enough and this system provided 10 million more soldiers for the war effort.
2. Women
the WAAC established a system where women could help the war effort in a number of non combat aspects so that the men could focas on combat.
3. Minorities
Many minorties signed up to fight in the war despite the descrimination. Soma Japanese-Americans were able to be spies for the US. Also the Native Americans volnteered in record numbers.
4. Manufacturers
Manufacturers ended up mass produceing war materials rather than private macherniary. They were able to mass produce to an extent that it greatly contributed to the war efort on the US's side because we had the resources to mass produce much more than the axis powers.
5. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD)
The estlabilishment of the OSRD created an opprunity for the US to have the most advanced possible weapons and equipiment during the war because it brought together many of the greatest thinking minds and used them to work together to help create these war techlolgys.
6 Entertainment industry
Propaganda films were made to glorify the USSR and vilify the Nazis and the Japanese to encourage more volunteers to sign up to serve.
7. Office of Price Administration (OPA)
The riseing demand and dropping supply on consumer goods threatened to couse hige inflation. The OPA did not allow for this to happen because it froze prices on most consumer goods.
8. War Production Board (WPB)
The WPB made sure that companies produced the necessary amount of war goods for the US war effort.
9. Rationing
Rations were placed on the amount of gods that could be used in the war effort that citizens liveing domestically could consume. This ment that there was always enough for the soldiers who needed it.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Japan and U.S. Relations in 1941
Japan and U.S. Relations in 1941
Document A
- Japan wanted to defeat England.
- They saw the defeat of the US as a way of helping themselfs defeat England.
- They were trying to take over many countrys in Asia and the pacific.
Document B
- There was a great deal of raceism in the US in the early 1940s.
- FDR and the US government was "turning his back" to Japan by not looking at the country as a threat because of raceist views against them.
Document C
- The US made a peace proposal that the Japanese say as unsatisfactory not even a month before the attack on pearl harbor.
- Japan had negoiatiors in the US "trying" to work out a peace deal.
- Japan didn't want the US to expect they planned on atticking Pearl Harbor.
- Japan was dishonest with the US leading up to pearl harbor.
Document D
- The Emperor ordered the attack on pearl harbor.
- The japanese were highly motivated in their attack on Hawaii
- the japanese believed success was necessary at the attack on pearl harbor to bring their country to glory and anything else would mean complete destruction for the empire.
Document E
- The US and japanese had many deceptions ion their pre war communications
- The japansese lied to the US to make them unprepared for the attack
- The US felt betrayed by the Japenese attack on pearl harbor.
Document A
- Japan wanted to defeat England.
- They saw the defeat of the US as a way of helping themselfs defeat England.
- They were trying to take over many countrys in Asia and the pacific.
Document B
- There was a great deal of raceism in the US in the early 1940s.
- FDR and the US government was "turning his back" to Japan by not looking at the country as a threat because of raceist views against them.
Document C
- The US made a peace proposal that the Japanese say as unsatisfactory not even a month before the attack on pearl harbor.
- Japan had negoiatiors in the US "trying" to work out a peace deal.
- Japan didn't want the US to expect they planned on atticking Pearl Harbor.
- Japan was dishonest with the US leading up to pearl harbor.
Document D
- The Emperor ordered the attack on pearl harbor.
- The japanese were highly motivated in their attack on Hawaii
- the japanese believed success was necessary at the attack on pearl harbor to bring their country to glory and anything else would mean complete destruction for the empire.
Document E
- The US and japanese had many deceptions ion their pre war communications
- The japansese lied to the US to make them unprepared for the attack
- The US felt betrayed by the Japenese attack on pearl harbor.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
America Moves Toward War
1. What did the 1939 Neutrality Act allow?
It allowed for waring nations to purchace war materials from the US so long as they came to the US to buy the materials and transported them back to their own country up front. They also had to pay up front for the materials.
2. Who were the Axis powers?
Japan
Germany
Italy
3. What did the Lend-Lease Act do?
The lend lease act allowed the US to "lend" war materials to the allied nations in the war. In reality they were giveing the materials to the countrys in the hopes that it would help them win the war before the US had to get involved.
4. What pledges were contained in the Atlantic Charter?
The Atlantic Charter was a pact between Great Bratian and the US in which they pledged to collective security, disarment, self-determination, economic coorperation, and freedom of the seas.
5. Who were the Allies?
The Allies were the United Nations, an improved verison of the League of Nations.
6. What did the attack at Pearl Harbor do to the U.s. Pacific fleet?
The attacket left the US PAcific crippled and it took a long time to recover.
7. Why did Germany and Italy declare war on the U.S.?
They declared war on the US because of the egos of their leaders. They didnt want to look afraid to the rest of the world.
It allowed for waring nations to purchace war materials from the US so long as they came to the US to buy the materials and transported them back to their own country up front. They also had to pay up front for the materials.
2. Who were the Axis powers?
Japan
Germany
Italy
3. What did the Lend-Lease Act do?
The lend lease act allowed the US to "lend" war materials to the allied nations in the war. In reality they were giveing the materials to the countrys in the hopes that it would help them win the war before the US had to get involved.
4. What pledges were contained in the Atlantic Charter?
The Atlantic Charter was a pact between Great Bratian and the US in which they pledged to collective security, disarment, self-determination, economic coorperation, and freedom of the seas.
5. Who were the Allies?
The Allies were the United Nations, an improved verison of the League of Nations.
6. What did the attack at Pearl Harbor do to the U.s. Pacific fleet?
The attacket left the US PAcific crippled and it took a long time to recover.
7. Why did Germany and Italy declare war on the U.S.?
They declared war on the US because of the egos of their leaders. They didnt want to look afraid to the rest of the world.
Monday, March 1, 2010
"Isolationism" and FDR (1935 - 1941)
1. What were the goals of the isolationists? Why is "isolationism" a misleading term?
Isolationists wanted first and foremost to stay out of war, not to completly isloate the US from forgin trade and interaction completly, as the title isolstionist might infer. They felt the best way for the US to handle the ongiong forgin issues was to keep a policy of neutrality.
2. What did some isolationists feel that there was no need for Americans to feel threatened by developments in Europe and Asia?
They felt the geographic distance between the US and Asia/Europe and the US allies in the western hemisphere would protect them from danger.
3. What were the purposes of the Nye Committee hearings?
They were ment to reveal the reasoning behind America's enterence into WWI as being a buisness move by big buisnesses and banks to make money off the war. Those who put on the hearings hoped it would sway many Americans to the isolationist cause.
4. List two impressions that the Nye Committee hearings created.
a. greed was behind the US entering WWI
b. the US must not let the same thing happen again and have millions of US soldiers killed because of greed
5. What were the purposes of the Neutrality Acts?
It was to prevent the US from entering the war for any reason. It bared the US from selling war materials to any country during the war.
6. List two reasons that some Americans considered Roosevelt's leadership radical and dangerous.
a. He attempted to "pack" the Supreme court
b. He ran for a 3rd tearm as president
7. What was "Cash and Carry"?
This part of the new neutrality act passed in 1939 allowed for the US to sell goods to waring nations as long as they payed the US for the goods and came and picked the goods personally.
8. Why did President Roosevelt freeze Japanese assets in the United States?
He did this as an economic sancion of Japan for occupying French Indochina.
9. What was the purpose of the America First Committee?
It was a committie dedicated to keeping the US out of war.
Isolationists wanted first and foremost to stay out of war, not to completly isloate the US from forgin trade and interaction completly, as the title isolstionist might infer. They felt the best way for the US to handle the ongiong forgin issues was to keep a policy of neutrality.
2. What did some isolationists feel that there was no need for Americans to feel threatened by developments in Europe and Asia?
They felt the geographic distance between the US and Asia/Europe and the US allies in the western hemisphere would protect them from danger.
3. What were the purposes of the Nye Committee hearings?
They were ment to reveal the reasoning behind America's enterence into WWI as being a buisness move by big buisnesses and banks to make money off the war. Those who put on the hearings hoped it would sway many Americans to the isolationist cause.
4. List two impressions that the Nye Committee hearings created.
a. greed was behind the US entering WWI
b. the US must not let the same thing happen again and have millions of US soldiers killed because of greed
5. What were the purposes of the Neutrality Acts?
It was to prevent the US from entering the war for any reason. It bared the US from selling war materials to any country during the war.
6. List two reasons that some Americans considered Roosevelt's leadership radical and dangerous.
a. He attempted to "pack" the Supreme court
b. He ran for a 3rd tearm as president
7. What was "Cash and Carry"?
This part of the new neutrality act passed in 1939 allowed for the US to sell goods to waring nations as long as they payed the US for the goods and came and picked the goods personally.
8. Why did President Roosevelt freeze Japanese assets in the United States?
He did this as an economic sancion of Japan for occupying French Indochina.
9. What was the purpose of the America First Committee?
It was a committie dedicated to keeping the US out of war.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
World Events Set Stage for Isolationism
1. What was the Japanese reaction to the Treaty of Versailles?
The Japanese were greatly offended because the treaty did not include the anti-raceism amendment they proposed. Their representatives at the treaty were not listened to and discriminated against and all over the western world japanese people were treated badly. Because the treaty did not include the anti-raceism legislation they requested they felt the need to distance themselfs from the western world and took a nationalist policy throughout the country.
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?
After 1860 Japan became open to thr rest of the world. Before this they had pratciced extream isolationism and did not interact with other countrys economically in any way. Once they began tradeing with other countrys, however, their economic, military, and political power grew exponentially. They became a world power after this but felt threatened by the US's constant growing presence in the pacific, which interfeared with the imperialist policys Japan was beginning to develop.
3. Why was the Washington Naval Conference convened and what was accomplished?
It was conviened because many nations, includeing the US, felt threatened by Japan's growing naval power. The treaty which was signed by all participateing countries limited naval importance in future wars and created other regulations on warefare.
4. The Senate's willingness to ratify the Kellogg-Briand Pact relected two strong and widely held sentiments. What were they?
a. Wanting to aviod war
b. Wanting the ability to take forceful international action when necessary
5. Why did Hitler enjoy popular support in Germany for most of the 1930s? Give three reasons.
a. Improved economy
b. reduced unemployment
c. fed on built up anger from WWI
6. Japan voiced its intentions to invade China for what two reasons?
a. To become self-sufficiant and not need to rely on forgin trade
b. as a retaliation to the bombing of a japanese train station.
7. Compare the Reichstag fire and the explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria. What did they accompllish?
They both gave their respective governments a reason to accomplish a task that would benifit said government. The fire gave Hitler a reason to declare all German Constitutional rights invalid, which helped his druing his rise to power. The bombing of the train station gave the Japanese a reason to invade China, which helped them expand their power outside of their island nation territory.
8. Why was the united States unable to oppose Japan in the early 1930s with a significant military force?
The US had drastically reduced the size of their military after WWI.
9. Describe the major similarities and differences among liberal democracy, fascism, and socialism.
The major differences among these political idologies is their views on the place of government in the lives of the people. Fascists believe that govenrment should have total, unquestioned, rule over the people. Basically the individual surrenders all of his/her rights to the government. Socialists are similar in the sence that they both believe in the lack of individual rights, hovever socialists believe that all citizens should be considered equal, and that all citizens should work for the betterment of society. Liberal democracy is the only of these ideologies that believes in and stresses the importance of the rights of the individual. This political system believes in a government run by elected officials who's job is to represent the views and concerns of the poeple whom they represent.
The Japanese were greatly offended because the treaty did not include the anti-raceism amendment they proposed. Their representatives at the treaty were not listened to and discriminated against and all over the western world japanese people were treated badly. Because the treaty did not include the anti-raceism legislation they requested they felt the need to distance themselfs from the western world and took a nationalist policy throughout the country.
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?
After 1860 Japan became open to thr rest of the world. Before this they had pratciced extream isolationism and did not interact with other countrys economically in any way. Once they began tradeing with other countrys, however, their economic, military, and political power grew exponentially. They became a world power after this but felt threatened by the US's constant growing presence in the pacific, which interfeared with the imperialist policys Japan was beginning to develop.
3. Why was the Washington Naval Conference convened and what was accomplished?
It was conviened because many nations, includeing the US, felt threatened by Japan's growing naval power. The treaty which was signed by all participateing countries limited naval importance in future wars and created other regulations on warefare.
4. The Senate's willingness to ratify the Kellogg-Briand Pact relected two strong and widely held sentiments. What were they?
a. Wanting to aviod war
b. Wanting the ability to take forceful international action when necessary
5. Why did Hitler enjoy popular support in Germany for most of the 1930s? Give three reasons.
a. Improved economy
b. reduced unemployment
c. fed on built up anger from WWI
6. Japan voiced its intentions to invade China for what two reasons?
a. To become self-sufficiant and not need to rely on forgin trade
b. as a retaliation to the bombing of a japanese train station.
7. Compare the Reichstag fire and the explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria. What did they accompllish?
They both gave their respective governments a reason to accomplish a task that would benifit said government. The fire gave Hitler a reason to declare all German Constitutional rights invalid, which helped his druing his rise to power. The bombing of the train station gave the Japanese a reason to invade China, which helped them expand their power outside of their island nation territory.
8. Why was the united States unable to oppose Japan in the early 1930s with a significant military force?
The US had drastically reduced the size of their military after WWI.
9. Describe the major similarities and differences among liberal democracy, fascism, and socialism.
The major differences among these political idologies is their views on the place of government in the lives of the people. Fascists believe that govenrment should have total, unquestioned, rule over the people. Basically the individual surrenders all of his/her rights to the government. Socialists are similar in the sence that they both believe in the lack of individual rights, hovever socialists believe that all citizens should be considered equal, and that all citizens should work for the betterment of society. Liberal democracy is the only of these ideologies that believes in and stresses the importance of the rights of the individual. This political system believes in a government run by elected officials who's job is to represent the views and concerns of the poeple whom they represent.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
New Deal Essay Outline
Thesis : The Roosevelt Administration looked to bring about the recovery of the US economy by creating a number of big government programs aimed at improving the economic and social welfare of the US, and to an extent this was successful, but did not fix the major underlying issues that faced the nation and did not end the Depression.
Problems-
- Industries fail
o Causes mass layoffs
Causes high unemployment
- unemployment, along with irresponsible lending by banks, led to the inability of many to pay back loans
o causes many banks to run out of money, not able to give people their money
people stop depositing in banks and lose all faith in the system
- after WWI farmers began overproducing crops
o large supply and lower demand causes price of farm goods to drop significantly
o many farmers go out of business
- Speculation on the stock market causes market to crash
o Many lose huge sums of money due to stock market crash
Measures Taken-
- major legislation passed aimed at fixing problems causing the depression
- emergency banking act-
o passed 1st day in office
o closed down all banks so they could be examined by federal government for economic stability
o banks deemed able to survive economically (sometimes with help by the federal government by the means of loans) were allowed to reopen, those deemed unstable closed
- Securities exchange commission-
o Aimed to fix problems on wall street
o Placed many government regulations on the stock market, such as not allowing speculation
- Agricultural Adjustment Administration-
o Aimed at fixing the problems in the agricultural sector of the economy
o Gave incentives to farmers who killed off extra live stock and crops in order to even out supply and demand
- National Recovery Act-
o Aimed at regulating socio-economic trends
o Regulated prices for many products and limited the freedom of the market in order to ensure fair trade
- Federal Deposit Insurance Cooperation-
o Aimed at further restoring US confidence in the banking system
o Guaranteed those who deposited into banks $X if the bank failed
Effects-
- Emergency banking act
o Restored faith in the banking system
o Saved many banks that were on the brink of failure
o Caused those who deposited into the banks deemed unable to survive to lose their money, with no refund
- Securities Exchange Commission
o Prevented people from taking advantage of the stock market, which caused the ’29 crash
- Agricultural Adjustment Administration
o Stabilized the market for goods from the farms
o Wasted food that could be used to help those suffering from hunger
o Widely considered immoral
- National recovery act
o Highly criticized because of limitations on free market
o Hurt business
o Eventually deemed unconstitutional
- Federal deposit insurance cooperation
o Provided an insurance policy to those who deposited in banks
o Restored faith in banks
Judgment
- Successful in…
o Restoring confidence in banks
o Stabilizing farming sector
o Highly improving stock marker fairness
o Creating jobs
o Somewhat lowering unemployment
- Failed in…
o Ending recession
o Bringing country together
o Being uncontroversial (many said was unconstitutional, communism, took advantage of tax payers, too confusing)
o Simplicity (accused of having too many rules and regulations)
o Fairness (stocking the supreme court)
- overall judgment
o successful in fixing minor problems and restoring confidence in banking system… but did not accomplish final goal of ending great depression because of radicalness and copiousness of rules, regulations, and government programs
Problems-
- Industries fail
o Causes mass layoffs
Causes high unemployment
- unemployment, along with irresponsible lending by banks, led to the inability of many to pay back loans
o causes many banks to run out of money, not able to give people their money
people stop depositing in banks and lose all faith in the system
- after WWI farmers began overproducing crops
o large supply and lower demand causes price of farm goods to drop significantly
o many farmers go out of business
- Speculation on the stock market causes market to crash
o Many lose huge sums of money due to stock market crash
Measures Taken-
- major legislation passed aimed at fixing problems causing the depression
- emergency banking act-
o passed 1st day in office
o closed down all banks so they could be examined by federal government for economic stability
o banks deemed able to survive economically (sometimes with help by the federal government by the means of loans) were allowed to reopen, those deemed unstable closed
- Securities exchange commission-
o Aimed to fix problems on wall street
o Placed many government regulations on the stock market, such as not allowing speculation
- Agricultural Adjustment Administration-
o Aimed at fixing the problems in the agricultural sector of the economy
o Gave incentives to farmers who killed off extra live stock and crops in order to even out supply and demand
- National Recovery Act-
o Aimed at regulating socio-economic trends
o Regulated prices for many products and limited the freedom of the market in order to ensure fair trade
- Federal Deposit Insurance Cooperation-
o Aimed at further restoring US confidence in the banking system
o Guaranteed those who deposited into banks $X if the bank failed
Effects-
- Emergency banking act
o Restored faith in the banking system
o Saved many banks that were on the brink of failure
o Caused those who deposited into the banks deemed unable to survive to lose their money, with no refund
- Securities Exchange Commission
o Prevented people from taking advantage of the stock market, which caused the ’29 crash
- Agricultural Adjustment Administration
o Stabilized the market for goods from the farms
o Wasted food that could be used to help those suffering from hunger
o Widely considered immoral
- National recovery act
o Highly criticized because of limitations on free market
o Hurt business
o Eventually deemed unconstitutional
- Federal deposit insurance cooperation
o Provided an insurance policy to those who deposited in banks
o Restored faith in banks
Judgment
- Successful in…
o Restoring confidence in banks
o Stabilizing farming sector
o Highly improving stock marker fairness
o Creating jobs
o Somewhat lowering unemployment
- Failed in…
o Ending recession
o Bringing country together
o Being uncontroversial (many said was unconstitutional, communism, took advantage of tax payers, too confusing)
o Simplicity (accused of having too many rules and regulations)
o Fairness (stocking the supreme court)
- overall judgment
o successful in fixing minor problems and restoring confidence in banking system… but did not accomplish final goal of ending great depression because of radicalness and copiousness of rules, regulations, and government programs
Sunday, January 31, 2010
FDR & the New Deal
1. Describe how people struggled to survive during the depression.
The many who became unemployed during this time could no longer afford to pay for houseing or food. They battled with poor conditions (cold, poor sanatation) and extream hunger every day and battled to survive.
2. How was what happened to men during the Great Depression different from what happened to women? Children?
Men struggled with unemployment especially because up untill this point men ahd always been expected to work in order to provide for their families, and the fact that they could no longer do this was a concept many men could not face, and they became hobos, wandering about aimlessly. Women did more than ever attempting to keep their families afloat. They canned food and made clothing that could not be bought anymore. Some even went out nd got jobs, though they were payed less than the men were for equal pay. Children suffered because their parents could not provide for them. The poor living conditions and lack of nutrition caused serious health problems for the youts.
3. Describe the causes and effects (on people) because of the Dust Bowl.
Over farming and plowing of farm land in the midwest led to a geography of mostly sand and dust. This, combined with a period of drout and rough sand storms, led to viloent sand storms that forced familys living in this area to abandon their homes and move westward to California.
4. What was the New Deal and its three general goals? (The 3 Rs)
The new deal was a nickname for the FDR administration, based on a quote from a champaign speech in which a "new deal" was promised to the American people. Its goals were economic recovery, relief for the needy, and finincial reform.
5. What did Roosevelt do during the Hundred Days?
He passed fifteen major pieces of legislation into law createing a greater government involvement in the nations economy.
6. Why were Roosevelt's fireside chats significant?
They restored the American people's faith in government and the banks. Many people allowed their saveings to go back to the banks after these "chats".
7. Describe four significant agencies and/or bills that tightened regulation of banking and finance.
Glass-Steagall Act- established the Federal Deposet Insurence Coorperation to protect people's money in the banks.
Federal Secruities Act- Forced all major coorperations to release accurate stock information.
Securities and Exchange Commission- Provided frderal regulation for the stock market.
The 21st amendment- repealed the prohibition
The many who became unemployed during this time could no longer afford to pay for houseing or food. They battled with poor conditions (cold, poor sanatation) and extream hunger every day and battled to survive.
2. How was what happened to men during the Great Depression different from what happened to women? Children?
Men struggled with unemployment especially because up untill this point men ahd always been expected to work in order to provide for their families, and the fact that they could no longer do this was a concept many men could not face, and they became hobos, wandering about aimlessly. Women did more than ever attempting to keep their families afloat. They canned food and made clothing that could not be bought anymore. Some even went out nd got jobs, though they were payed less than the men were for equal pay. Children suffered because their parents could not provide for them. The poor living conditions and lack of nutrition caused serious health problems for the youts.
3. Describe the causes and effects (on people) because of the Dust Bowl.
Over farming and plowing of farm land in the midwest led to a geography of mostly sand and dust. This, combined with a period of drout and rough sand storms, led to viloent sand storms that forced familys living in this area to abandon their homes and move westward to California.
4. What was the New Deal and its three general goals? (The 3 Rs)
The new deal was a nickname for the FDR administration, based on a quote from a champaign speech in which a "new deal" was promised to the American people. Its goals were economic recovery, relief for the needy, and finincial reform.
5. What did Roosevelt do during the Hundred Days?
He passed fifteen major pieces of legislation into law createing a greater government involvement in the nations economy.
6. Why were Roosevelt's fireside chats significant?
They restored the American people's faith in government and the banks. Many people allowed their saveings to go back to the banks after these "chats".
7. Describe four significant agencies and/or bills that tightened regulation of banking and finance.
Glass-Steagall Act- established the Federal Deposet Insurence Coorperation to protect people's money in the banks.
Federal Secruities Act- Forced all major coorperations to release accurate stock information.
Securities and Exchange Commission- Provided frderal regulation for the stock market.
The 21st amendment- repealed the prohibition
Thursday, January 28, 2010
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 the most important cause of the Great Depression of 1929, because of the chain effect it had on other sectors of the economy which all together combined to cause the economic depression.
main point one- Crash caused major domino effect which led to major problems with unemploiment, poverty, and failed banking systems.
- investors lose money
- causes buisnesses to lose profit; lay off workers
- laied off workers spend less money; buisnesses have to cut production
- lack of money among thosealready effected by economic problems cannot pay back lones; banks run out of money
- cannot give people back their money
main point two- boom of investors during this time means wall street crash effects large amount of people directly
- amount of stock owners grew from 4million in 1920 to 20million (1/6 of the American population at the time)in 1929
- 600,000 "speculators" buy stocks on money borrowed from a loan; cannot pay back lone when stocks don't rise as much as expected.
- banks loan $9million to "speculators" without regard to their ability to pay such a loan back
- once market shows sighs of decline 20 million investors all try to sell their stocks at the same time buy only the uber-rich can afford to buy.
main point three- there were other causes, but they were isolated and did not have a similar chain reaction to that of the stock market crash
- overfarming leads to the forclosure of many farms, but this mainly only effected the farming community, which was not as big a portion of the country at this time than it had been in previous generations
- new technologies made some older goods unnecessary, which hurt these industries, once again no chain reaction
- Tarrifs created on forgin goods hurt international trade (ex: 1930 Hawley-Smoot Tarrif
The Wall Street Crash was the most important cause of the Great Depression of 1929, because of the chain effect it had on other sectors of the economy which all together combined to cause the economic depression.
main point one- Crash caused major domino effect which led to major problems with unemploiment, poverty, and failed banking systems.
- investors lose money
- causes buisnesses to lose profit; lay off workers
- laied off workers spend less money; buisnesses have to cut production
- lack of money among thosealready effected by economic problems cannot pay back lones; banks run out of money
- cannot give people back their money
main point two- boom of investors during this time means wall street crash effects large amount of people directly
- amount of stock owners grew from 4million in 1920 to 20million (1/6 of the American population at the time)in 1929
- 600,000 "speculators" buy stocks on money borrowed from a loan; cannot pay back lone when stocks don't rise as much as expected.
- banks loan $9million to "speculators" without regard to their ability to pay such a loan back
- once market shows sighs of decline 20 million investors all try to sell their stocks at the same time buy only the uber-rich can afford to buy.
main point three- there were other causes, but they were isolated and did not have a similar chain reaction to that of the stock market crash
- overfarming leads to the forclosure of many farms, but this mainly only effected the farming community, which was not as big a portion of the country at this time than it had been in previous generations
- new technologies made some older goods unnecessary, which hurt these industries, once again no chain reaction
- Tarrifs created on forgin goods hurt international trade (ex: 1930 Hawley-Smoot Tarrif
Monday, January 25, 2010
Causes & Early Effects of the Great Depression
1. What happened on "Black Tuesday"?
"Stockbrokers were ordered to sell at whatever the price, and the stock market crashed."
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)
Many industrys that had previously been important and booming became no longer important due to the development of new technolegies. These industries could no longer make a profit. During WWI the demand for crops grew tremendously and with this being true many farmers began to grow a supless of crops. The demans dropped after the war, however, and farmers grey more that they could pay for and went into debt. As unemployment rose, inflation grew as well, and people stopped buying goods because of the raise in price.
3. According to your reading, what are the major causes of the Great Depression?
a. dependency on credit
b. uneven distribution of income
c. failure of industries
d. failure of farmers
e. dangerous consumer habits
4. What was Hoover’s philosophy of government?
He believed the government's chief purpose was to settle disputer between competeing partys, but was also a strong supporter of individualism.
5. What was Hoover’s initial reaction to the stock market crash of 1929?
He said it was part of the natural economic cycle and that everybody should stay calm.
6. What was the nation’s economic situation in 1930?
The depression was at an all time low.
7. How did voters in 1930 respond to this situation?
Many incumbant republicans were voted out of office.
8. What did Hoover do about the economic situation?
At first he reflected his beliefs in small governmet intervention by only takeing minor measures , such as establishing the National Credit Corperation, which loaned money to smaller banks. Eventually, however, the public demanded a more activest approach by the federal government, and he the economy into the government's hands by signing into law the federal home loan bank act and establishing the reconstruction finance committie.
9. How did the economy respond to his efforts?
Buisness failures continued.
"Stockbrokers were ordered to sell at whatever the price, and the stock market crashed."
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)
Many industrys that had previously been important and booming became no longer important due to the development of new technolegies. These industries could no longer make a profit. During WWI the demand for crops grew tremendously and with this being true many farmers began to grow a supless of crops. The demans dropped after the war, however, and farmers grey more that they could pay for and went into debt. As unemployment rose, inflation grew as well, and people stopped buying goods because of the raise in price.
3. According to your reading, what are the major causes of the Great Depression?
a. dependency on credit
b. uneven distribution of income
c. failure of industries
d. failure of farmers
e. dangerous consumer habits
4. What was Hoover’s philosophy of government?
He believed the government's chief purpose was to settle disputer between competeing partys, but was also a strong supporter of individualism.
5. What was Hoover’s initial reaction to the stock market crash of 1929?
He said it was part of the natural economic cycle and that everybody should stay calm.
6. What was the nation’s economic situation in 1930?
The depression was at an all time low.
7. How did voters in 1930 respond to this situation?
Many incumbant republicans were voted out of office.
8. What did Hoover do about the economic situation?
At first he reflected his beliefs in small governmet intervention by only takeing minor measures , such as establishing the National Credit Corperation, which loaned money to smaller banks. Eventually, however, the public demanded a more activest approach by the federal government, and he the economy into the government's hands by signing into law the federal home loan bank act and establishing the reconstruction finance committie.
9. How did the economy respond to his efforts?
Buisness failures continued.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
The Twenties Woman
1. Note two ways women's fashions changed.
Women liked to ware more revealing clothes during this time than had been generally accepted up to that point. They also went for more boyish looking hair styles.
2. Note two ways women's social behavior changed.
Women began to act in ways that had only been accepted for men to act like up untill that point. Two examples of pratcices that were pratciced by women with these new values were smokeing/drinking and casual dateing.
3. Note two words that describe the attitude reflected by these changes.
Flapper; Double Standard
4. Note one way women's work opportunities improved.
The booming industrial economy opened up new jobs that woman could preform.
5. Note two ways women's home and family life improved.
Marriges were now considered equal partnerships and were based on love.
6. Note three negative effects that accompanied women's changing roles in the 1920s.
1)Women struggled to balence their family and work lives.
2)Women were never payed as much as men and were not given equal opprunity to rise in status in their jobs.
3) Women were held to a social double-standard under which they were not expected to express themselfs as much as men could.
Women liked to ware more revealing clothes during this time than had been generally accepted up to that point. They also went for more boyish looking hair styles.
2. Note two ways women's social behavior changed.
Women began to act in ways that had only been accepted for men to act like up untill that point. Two examples of pratcices that were pratciced by women with these new values were smokeing/drinking and casual dateing.
3. Note two words that describe the attitude reflected by these changes.
Flapper; Double Standard
4. Note one way women's work opportunities improved.
The booming industrial economy opened up new jobs that woman could preform.
5. Note two ways women's home and family life improved.
Marriges were now considered equal partnerships and were based on love.
6. Note three negative effects that accompanied women's changing roles in the 1920s.
1)Women struggled to balence their family and work lives.
2)Women were never payed as much as men and were not given equal opprunity to rise in status in their jobs.
3) Women were held to a social double-standard under which they were not expected to express themselfs as much as men could.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Prohibition and the Scopes Trial
Do you think the passage of the Volstead Act and the ruling in the Scopes trial represented genuine triumphs for traditional values?
The Scopes Trial and the Volstead act were both attempts to reform the American way of life to a more traditional style. The Scopes trial was successful in accomplishing this taks, however, the Volstead act was not, and, in fact had results of quite the oppisite.
The Scopes trial, which ensured the fact that it was illegal to teach evolution in a classroom, indeed brought back more traditional values to the schooling system. It increased upon the importance of the Bible and religion in the daily lives of the American citizen. Religion's importance was not being stressed as much as it had been in past times, such as the two Great Awakenings. This ruling, however, insured that at least in the classroom the Bible's importance would be maintained. This ruleing was likely considered a victory for Americans with more traditional values, and for the time being, proved to be so.
The Volstead act, which made alchohol illegal, was extreamily unsuccessful in bringing back traditional values to the daily life of the American citizen, and actually created more moral problems than there were when such beverages were legal. Before the illegalization of alchohol pro-prohibitionists argues that such beverages caused problems in society such as: domestic abuse, poverty, and crime. Once the act was passed, however, those who still wanted to drink badly enough found ways to do so, but they were just behind the collective backs of law enforcement, and much more dangerous. Many created their own alchohol and distributed it illegalily, createing a general lack of respect for the law in the country at the time. Also, people often didn't know what they were doing when they created such beverages, and accidently hurt themselfs in the process. Another problem that the prihibition caused is a major rise in organized crime. "Gansters," as they were called, found that selling alchohol was a very successful way to make money for their gangs, which enabled them to become more powerful, and more viloent. The failure of the prohibition led to it being the first Constitutional Amendment in United States history to be repealed, and it still is the only such case today.
The Scopes Trial and the Volstead act were both attempts to reform the American way of life to a more traditional style. The Scopes trial was successful in accomplishing this taks, however, the Volstead act was not, and, in fact had results of quite the oppisite.
The Scopes trial, which ensured the fact that it was illegal to teach evolution in a classroom, indeed brought back more traditional values to the schooling system. It increased upon the importance of the Bible and religion in the daily lives of the American citizen. Religion's importance was not being stressed as much as it had been in past times, such as the two Great Awakenings. This ruling, however, insured that at least in the classroom the Bible's importance would be maintained. This ruleing was likely considered a victory for Americans with more traditional values, and for the time being, proved to be so.
The Volstead act, which made alchohol illegal, was extreamily unsuccessful in bringing back traditional values to the daily life of the American citizen, and actually created more moral problems than there were when such beverages were legal. Before the illegalization of alchohol pro-prohibitionists argues that such beverages caused problems in society such as: domestic abuse, poverty, and crime. Once the act was passed, however, those who still wanted to drink badly enough found ways to do so, but they were just behind the collective backs of law enforcement, and much more dangerous. Many created their own alchohol and distributed it illegalily, createing a general lack of respect for the law in the country at the time. Also, people often didn't know what they were doing when they created such beverages, and accidently hurt themselfs in the process. Another problem that the prihibition caused is a major rise in organized crime. "Gansters," as they were called, found that selling alchohol was a very successful way to make money for their gangs, which enabled them to become more powerful, and more viloent. The failure of the prohibition led to it being the first Constitutional Amendment in United States history to be repealed, and it still is the only such case today.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Americans Struggle with Postwar Issues
After World War I, many Americans feared that Communists would take over the country.
1. How did the Justice Department under A. Mitchell Palmer respond to this fear?
Palmer led a series of raids in an attempt to capture all communists, socialists, and anarchists in the United States.
2. Why did Palmer eventually lose his standing with the American public?
The public saw his actions as pointless and aimed at increasing his popularity with voters and soon lost faith and intrest in him.
3. How did the Ku Klux Klan respond to this fear?
They responded by setting goals of driveing Jews, Cathloics, and forgin born people out of the country and keeping black people in their place. They said that this would help preserve American values.
4. Why did the Klan eventually lose popularity and membership?
They were a viloent group, which was a turn off to many who were not as radical as them.
5. Briefly describe how Sacco and Vanzetti became victims of the Red Scare.
They were tried and convicted of murders they did not commit because of unfair assumptions of them because of their Italian heritages and anarchist values.
1. How did the Justice Department under A. Mitchell Palmer respond to this fear?
Palmer led a series of raids in an attempt to capture all communists, socialists, and anarchists in the United States.
2. Why did Palmer eventually lose his standing with the American public?
The public saw his actions as pointless and aimed at increasing his popularity with voters and soon lost faith and intrest in him.
3. How did the Ku Klux Klan respond to this fear?
They responded by setting goals of driveing Jews, Cathloics, and forgin born people out of the country and keeping black people in their place. They said that this would help preserve American values.
4. Why did the Klan eventually lose popularity and membership?
They were a viloent group, which was a turn off to many who were not as radical as them.
5. Briefly describe how Sacco and Vanzetti became victims of the Red Scare.
They were tried and convicted of murders they did not commit because of unfair assumptions of them because of their Italian heritages and anarchist values.
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