Isolationism and FDR (1935-1941)

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

The primary goal of the isolationists was to stay uninvolved in war. They wanted American to stand strong amid all the chaos that was erupting around it. Overriding all others goals was the isolationists' deep want not to compromise American interests; the isolationists felt that America needed to be able to make its own decisions and act however and whenever it wanted, without pressure from other countries.

The term "isolationism" is a misnomer because it insinuates that American wanted to cut itself off completely from the rest of the world; this is, in fact, not the whole truth. America was still very interested in staying in the midst of foreign trade, and also continued to obey the international laws that were set up after WWI.

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

Said isolationists thought that the distance provided by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans would be enough of a buffer zone to keep out any conflicts developing in Europe or Asia. Also, the U.S. was allies with all the other nations in the Western hemisphere - surely this provided some protection, as well.

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

The purposes of the Nye Committee hearings were to uncover the reasons for the U.S. entering WWI; hopefully, by uncovering these reasons, war could more easily be avoided in the future.

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

1) American soldiers had died in battle because business men, looking to make money, had pressured President Wilson into going to war.

2) Any strong business plans or convictions would simply be leading America into WWII.

5. What were the purposes of the Neutrality Acts?
The Neutrality Acts were meant to keep America from going to war by ending the "powerful business interests" that Nye and many Americans believed would bring them into world conflict. The Neutrality Acts hoped to keep the U.S. out of the conflict by not allowing to lean one way or the other; even if the president had wanted to, he could not have supported one side more than the other.

6. List two reasons that some Americans considered Roosevelt's leadership radical and dangerous.
1) Roosevelt attempted to insert several new members to the Supreme Court -members who just so happened to be sympathetic to him politically.

2) In 1940, he decided to run for a third term of presidency - at that time, this was completely unheard of.

7. What was "Cash and Carry"?
"Cash and Carry" was the main "act" of the Neutrality Act of 1939. "Cash and Carry" allowed the U.S. to trade with warring nations, but said nations had to pay for the imports in cash, and pick them up from U.S. shores themselves.

8. Why did President Roosevelt freeze Japanese assets in the United States?
In an attempt to limit Japanese aggression, Roosevelt stopped all sales of scrap metal and aviation fuel to them. Japan felt that the U.S. was cutting them off too severely; in order to feel less "strangled", Japan moved in the northern part of French Indochina. Roosevelt saw this as one step too far; immediately, he froze all Japanese assets in the U.S.

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

The AFC aimed to pick up right where the isolationists had left off and lobby as hard as they could to keep America out of the war.

World Events Set Stage for Isolationism

1. What was the Japanese reaction to the Treaty of Versailles? (pgs. 4 - 5)

Japan was torn in its reaction to the Treaty. Some Japanese saw the Treaty as a way to become closer to the world powers, and as a way to negotiate bigger trade deals to support its rapidly booming economy. Others, though, worried that the major world powers would always treat Japan as a second-tier country; racist behavior was common, and prevalent enough for Japan to push for a clause to be added to the Treaty that would make descrimination based on race illegal.

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

Japan's navy was based off of Britain's; its army and constitution were based off of Prussia; its banking system off of the USA - all evidence shows that Japan was becoming a modern, powerful country. Simply between 1885 and 1920, its GDP tripled. Manufacturing and mining industries grew by a factor of six. In 1905, Japan was able to defeat Russia, gaining itself certain parts of Manchuria. In 1910, Japan invaded and annexed Korea. Eventually, it started looking towards China - just like other major world powers, Japan was trying to expand over its surrounding territory. Japan was threatened by the U.S.' presence in the Pacific; the U.S. was then in control of Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines, and Japan worried that its own plans for expansion were being stifled.

3. Why was the Washington Naval Conference convened and what was accomplished? (pg. 6) (Note: Japan signs the agreement.)

The Washington Naval Conference was called to discuss Japan's sudden surge of naval power in the Pacific, which the U.S. viewed as a threat to their interests in that region. The conference accomplished several things: size regulations were placed on naval ships, a temporary ban was placed on battleship production , the use of poison gas in warfare was banned, and the use of submarine warfare was severely limited. All nine countries involved also agreed to sign a treaty that marked China as a sovereign power, and set up a policy of open trade with China. A final accomplishment of the conference was that it was agreed upon that future conflicts in the Pacific region would be submitted to be solved before a committee.

4. The Senate's willingness to ratify the Kellogg-Briand Pact relected two strong and widely held sentiments. What were they? (pgs. 6 - 7)

1) Americans remembered how bloody WWI had been and voraciously wanted to avoid entering another European war.

2) Political leaders strongly wanted to avoid making permanent alliances; they much prefered being able to what they wanted, whenever they wanted.

5. Why did Hitler enjoy popular support in Germany for most of the 1930s? Give three reasons. (pgs. 9 - 10)

He improved the economy and reduced unemployment; he restored Germany's national pride; he rejected all provisions of the Treaty of Versailles and went on to put Germany back in a position of power.

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

Japan's reasons for invading China were to increase Japan's power in general and to obtain raw materials that were bountiful in the area.

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

Both were explosions in public areas that shocked the public. In both cases, the government blamed it on groups that were in the way of their plans for power - Hitler blamed it on the Communists in order to persuade the populace that a new, stronger government was necessary to maintain control; Japan blamed it on China in order to create a "valid" reason for invading China. Historians think that both explosions were really launched bu the government. Both explosions accomplished exactly what the government wanted it to - after the explosion in Germany, the populace immediately looked to Hitler to take action and strengthen the government. After the explosion in Japan, Japan immediately invaded China because it had "proof" that the invasion was validated.

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

Since WWI, the US had massively reduced the size of its military. The US was simply not prepared to send what little military force they did have out into the world to fight the impressive Japanese navy.

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

Both fascism and socialism saw themselves as a challenge to liberal democracy; they both thought of themselves as the new future of government. Liberal democracies are based off of a constitution, and place high value on the rights of the individual; fascism encourages government control of the economy and few rights for individuals; socialism combined the ideas of fascism and liberal democracy, aiming to create a state in which every individual was equal.

FDR & the New Deal

1. Describe how people struggled to survive during the depression.
In the cities, people who had lost their jobs and homes were forced to wrap themselves in newspapers in order to stay warm sleeping on the streets at night. Shantytowns sprung up all over; these were groups of makeshift shacks. In order to get food, people dug through the garbage cans; lines for soup kitchens wrapped around the block. African-Americans suffered severe outpourings of violence, and Latino-Americans faced threats of deportation.
In rural areas, things were not much better. Though people could grow their own food, farmers lost land to the banks and to lenders at rapid rates, and the conditions that were referred to as the Dust Bowl made it impossible to grow any good amount of produce.

2. How was what happened to men during the Great Depression different from what happened to women? Children?
For men, the Great Depression was an extreme stifling of traditional family values. No longer could they provide for their families - it was a loss of pride. They wandered the streets every day, searching in vain for some form of work; if they could not find it, some even left their families rather than stay at home and be a dissapointment.
For women, the Great Depression forced them into a larger, more major role in the household. It was the women who bought things on bargain, the women who mended clothes for reuse after reuse after reuse, the women who scrupulously put together a meal on the table. They did not, by any means, have it easier - they starved quietly at home, unable to get jobs due to sexism.
For children, the Great Depression was a terrible trauma. Lack of medical care and proper wellfare in general caused many child deaths. The school year was shortened, at times abolished completely, but this was not a solace - when children were not in school, they were often forced to work. Some found a way out in riding trains across the country, hopping on the back unseen, but for the most part, children were just as trapped in the despair of the Great Depression as their parents were.

3. Describe the causes and effects (on people) because of the Dust Bowl.
The Dust Bowl was caused by a few key things: overfarming in the 1800s, overproduction of crops with no rest period, and a natural but devastating drought. The Dust Bowl had an incredible effect on the people who lived in this Western area - farmers could not produce crops, because their land would not hold plants; children and adults alike grew sick from breathing in the vast amounts of dirt that were circulating through the air; it became impossible to keep anything neat or sanitary, for the dust invaded every space.

4. What was the New Deal and its three general goals? (The 3 Rs)
The New Deal was FDR's plan get the nation back on its feet after the Great Depression. It's three goals were relief for the needy, economic recovery, and financial reform.
5. What did Roosevelt do during the Hundred Days?
During the Hundred Days, Roosevelt passed over 15 pieces of Legislature that worked towards the New Deal. First, he carried out reform in the banking and financial businesses, passing the Emergency Banking Relief Act. He closed all banks; those that were deemed sound via the EBR Act could reopen, while those that were unstable could be given loans and helped to be made firm again.

6. Why were Roosevelt's fireside chats significant?
Roosevelt's fireside chats were significant because they connected the president directly to the American populace. For the first time, Americans felt like the president was really getting on their level and working with them, not simply for them. This generated unheard of respect for FDR.

7. Describe four significant agencies and/or bills that tightened regulation of banking and finance.

*The Emergency Banking Relief Act: Mandated that all banks be inspected by the Treasury Department and evaluated for financial soundness before being reopened.

*The Glass-Steagall Act: Established the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation). The FDIC insured up to $5,000 for each individual account; this proved to Americans that their money was safe, and made banks be more cautious.

*The Federal Securities Act: Forced corporations to make their stock information readily accessible to the public, and made them responsible and punishable for any discrepancies.

*The Securities and Exchange Commision: Overall "watchdog" for the stockmarket; one main goal was to stop insider information from unfairly tipping the balance in the market.