Unit 8

What "layers of sediment" suddenly broke free after "Pearl Harbor to cause the river of history [to] rush off on a startling new course?"

- Growing economic interdependence of the whole industrialized world in its need for energy, raw materials, markets, and advanced technology. - Another and more crucial layer was the rise of the non-Western parts of the world, particularly East Asia, and their challenge to the military, political, and economic dominance the West had established in the nineteenth century.

What forces worked to limit the emigration of Jews from Germany once the Nazis began their persecutions?

- The desire not to leave Germany until absolutely necessary - Isolationist sentiments following WWI - US immigrant quota limited annually at 153,774 - Nazi confiscation of personal assets as a precondition to Jewish emigration - Poland and Romania also wanted to relocate their Jews, making the effort impossibly difficult. No country was willing to relocate/accept 3.5 million. - Some were too old to leave - Some believed it their religious duty to stay - Some were in concentration camps and prisons - With the start of the war, emigration from Germany was prohibited.

What two distinct elements were involved in Americas clash with Japan in East Asia and the Western Pacific? What historical stereotypes blinded both the Japanese and the Americans?

1 - One was the fact that Japan, having modernized its military and economic institutions in imitation of the West, now found that it depended on foreign resources and markets to live but lacked the base of a broad overseas empire or a vast continental expanse such as the leading powers of the West possessed. 2 - The second factor was the rise of nationalism throughout Asia and the whole non-Western world, partly inspired by the success of the Japanese and especially their defeat of Russia in 1904-5. The rise of Chinese nationalism also meant that the Japanese had to act fast if they were to carve out their empire before it was too late. This set the time for the Japanese war of conquest in China that finally led to Pearl Harbor. STEREOTYPES Americans were so deeply instilled with nineteenth-century concepts of Western racial and cultural superiority that they could not really believe the "LITTLE" Japanese would dare attack them, even though, in the weeks preceding Pearl Harbor, American intelligence had gathered clear evidence of an impending strike. The Japanese, for their part, thought Americans so decadently SOFT in their splendid isolation that they would not have the perseverance to try to pierce the far-flung defense lines Japan established for itself through its smashing early victories.

Why did the Federal Reserve "do nothing" after the Crash? What should it have done?

And once the Crash was over and the Depression deepened, the Federal Reserve still did nothing. Strong had known what to do under the new circumstances, and there can be little doubt that he would have done it. They might not have known what to do. They did not have the wisdom needed. "We have the power to deal with such an emergency instantly by FLOODING the Street with money." - Ben Strong

Why did the American military fail to attack the concentration camps more aggressively? Contrast the reactions of Generals Eisenhower and Patton to Nazi horrors?

Because through bombing, "the first victims would be the Jews." And bombing railroads was not an effective long-term solution. It would have been costly, dangerous and we didn't have the intelligence required for success. EISENHOWER Eisenhower had heard ominous rumors about the camps, of course, but never in his worst nightmares had he dreamed they could be so bad. He sent immediately for a delegation of congressional leaders and newspaper editors; he wanted to make sure Americans would never forget this. PATTON Patton had visited the Ohrdruf camp with Eisenhower and become physically ill from what he saw. However, he later publicly likened "the Nazi thing" to differences between the Republicans and Democrats.

How did World War II bring about the collapse of overseas Western empires? Why did it make the U.S. the leader of the so-called First World?

COLLAPSE This was all it said. Not very helpful: The resulting welter of poor, weak, new states—together with some similarly backward units left over from the old order—produced a so-called Third World, united in resentful defiance of the customary leadership of the West. US LEADERSHIP We were the only ones unscathed by the war. The United States, which was the only major power to survive the war without serious injury, used its position of temporary economic dominance to take the lead in creating a worldwide system aiming at free trade and international economic cooperation. The United States found itself to be the military mainstay of the First World.

What was the Volstead Act? How did Prohibition lead to the rise of organized crime?

Drafted by Wheeler, the Volstead Act specified the means of enforcing the Prohibition amendment. Worst of all, the nation's vast thirst gave rise to a new phenomenon—organized crime, in the form of transnational syndicates that controlled everything from manufacture to pricing to distribution. A corrupt and underfunded Prohibition Bureau couldn't begin to stop the spread of the syndicates, which considered the politicians who kept Prohibition in place their greatest allies. Not only did Prohibition create their market, it enhanced their profit margins: from all the billions of gallons of liquor that changed hands illegally during Prohibition, the bootleggers did not pay, nor did the government collect, a single penny of tax.

What did FDR promise in the 1932 campaign? Once FDR took office, what was the basis of his New Deal?

Dynamic leadership Balanced budget New deal He created Deficit Spending (spending money we don't have). He abolished the "Gold Standard". He gave hope through speaking of small successes.

What happened at the end of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905? How did the U.S. play a role in the war's resolution?

Everyone thought that Russia would crush the Japanese but Japan was obliterating Russia. Russia's government was about to collapse. Roosevelt stepped in with a treaty that formally ended the war.

How much did American anti-Semitism affect the reaction of the United States to the Holocaust? In the face of clear evidence that FDR and Americans in general had knowledge of the slaughter of the Jews, are you satisfied with Vanden Heuvel's apology for U.S. inaction?

FDR face much Anti-Semite pressure, but he and his wife proved to be some of the biggest Jewish allies to be found. It doesn't matter if I'm satisfied. The article talked about all the things that FDR actually did to help Jews. I guess I'm confused as to what more was expected of him. He saved lives. That does not make him equally guilty as Hitler and the Nazis.

To what extent was FDR and his administration guilty of doing less than they could have to save European Jews?

GUILTY - Sent away a German ship carrying Jewish refugees - Did not bomb Auschwitz or the railways However, - America's reaction to Kristallnacht was stronger than that of any of the other democracies. - His critics severely underestimate limitations on presidential power; clearly, the President could not unilaterally command an increase in quotas. - The US took in twice as many Jewish refugees accepted by the rest of the world. - The number of Jews saved by winning the war as quickly as possible was vastly greater than the total number who could have been saved by any rescue efforts proposed by anyone between 1941 and 1945.

What ideas did Coolidge have about government?

He believed in small government. He wanted to reduce the size of its control and programs. He believed in Laissez-faire.

How did our imaginary investor become wealthy in the 1920s? What role did enormous margins play in the speculation boom in the stock market? How did our story relate to the causes of the Great Depression?

He invested in two companies in the stock market. People would buy stock that was worth little but they predicted that it would be worth a ton more later. People got rich by buying cheap stock and selling it at high prices. What goes up must come down. Eventually inflation leads to deflation. Because everybody was invested in the stock market, when it crashed people lost everything.

What seems to be missing in modern life that our heroes do for us?

Human Resourcefulness that triumphs over technology https://quizlet.com/184876307/hist-1700-unit-8-modern-america-flash-cards/

How does the federal government share the blame for the Depression? What three government policies in 1930-33 turned "a recession into a calamity?"

In the years 1930-33 three fateful government policies were relentlessly pursued and turned a heretofore ordinary recession into a calamity. 1 - First, Congress passed the beggar-thy-neighbor Smoot-Hawley TARIFF, the highest in American history. This forced other industrial countries to retaliate, and world trade collapsed. 2 - Second, the Hoover administration insisted on trying to balance the FEDERAL BUDGET in the face of steeply declining tax revenues. Government spending diminished while the greatest percentage tax increase in American history was passed in 1932. 3 - Finally, the Federal Reserve maintained an anti-inflationary POLICY, adopted at the height of the boom, while the American economy underwent its greatest-ever deflation. In effect, the Federal Reserve kept treating the patient for fever long after the patient had begun to freeze to death.

What lessons did the Japanese learn from Europeans (including the U.S.) that led to WWII in the Pacific?

Industrialization and power. They wanted to expand their empire and they learned how to do it by following what we did. They ripped our their neighbors by taking their land.

What attributes characterized Japan during the centuries prior to the mid-1800s?

Isolationism Xenophobia Feudalism They kept to themselves and though they were a superior race.

How did the automobile help to change American sexual mores?

It changed everything. Before the 20's dating had lots of rules, but because of the automobile there was lots of privacy. Couples could drive somewhere on a date and do whatever they wanted.

Why did the Japanese plan for victory in the Pacific fail? What miscalculations did they make?

JOHN WAYNE Japan didn't understand what we would do. When they bombed us we got really pissed off and sought for revenge. POWER They underestimated the power of the US. We had a ton of resources and manpower. INVENTIVE They underestimated our problem-solving skills. We created the atomic bomb.

Why did people admire Lindbergh so much? How did Lindbergh's image match reality? What did Lindbergh do before World War II that brought his name and image back to the forefront?

Lindbergh made the first solo flight across the Atlantic and people saw that as an unbelievable and courageous feat. He was portrayed as a god fearing man but he was an atheist. He was accused of being a fascist sympathizer and had a fascination with Nazi Germany. He became one of the most vocal opponents of American involvement in the War.

How did Prohibition advocates achieve majorities by manipulating minorities? Why was the drive for womens suffrage linked to the drive for Prohibition? What other alliances did the ASL forge? How did the ASL use World War I to further its cause?

MINORITIES To get the vote and sway elections. "I do it the way the bosses do it, with minorities," Wheeler said. By delivering his voters to one candidate or another in a close race, he could control an election: "We'll vote against all the men in office who won't support our bills. We'll vote for candidates who will promise to." WOMEN - The suffrage movement had long shared a constituency with the anti-liquor movement. The same people (largely women) cared about both issues. - "The only hope of the Anti-Saloon League's success," said Susan B. Anthony, "lies in putting the ballot into the hands of women." OTHER ALLIANCES - Western populists who wanted to secure ratification of the income tax amendment. - Progressives who were fighting the political power of the saloons in order to bring about the "uplift" of urban immigrants. - Southern racists whose living nightmare was the image of a black man with a bottle in one hand and a ballot in the other. WWI A dry Wisconsin politician named John Strange summarized how the ASL was able to use World War I to attain its final goal: "We have German enemies across the water," Strange said. "We have German enemies in this country, too. And the worst of all our German enemies, the most treacherous, the most menacing, are Pabst, Schlitz, Blatz and Miller." That was nothing compared with the anti-German—and pro-Prohibition—feeling that emerged from a Senate investigation of the National German-American Alliance (NGAA), a civic group that during the 1910s had spent much of its energy opposing Prohibition.

What American declaration did the Japanese use as their model for expansion in East Asia and the Pacific?

Monroe Doctrine They used it to show how they were doing something similar and to justify their actions.

How effective were the presidents who served during the 1920s?

Not at all effective. Harding was not fit to be president and was one of the very worst. Coolidge became president after Harding and did absolutely nothing for 6 years. Both were credited for almost bringing down western civilization.

Who was Wayne B. Wheeler? How did he turn the Anti-Saloon League (ASL) into a powerful political force in Ohio and then the nation? How did he become the legislative bully of the U.S. Senate?

One of the first full-time employees of the Anti Saloon League. A "locomotive in trousers" he rode his bike from town to town gathering supporters. Initiated many legal cases on the leagues behalf, delivered lot of speeches, and launched many telegram campaigns. He had strategic savvy and an unstoppable drive to get what he wanted. He had his supporters vote against the men in office who wouldn't support their bills and had them vote for candidates who did promise to.

Why is America's strong partnership with Japan one of the least expected but most significant results of World War II?

PARTNERSHIP Cataclysmic defeat convinced the Japanese that economic security could never be built through empire but could only be maintained by world peace and free trade. They also became persuaded that dictatorial rule, especially by the military, had brought disaster and that democracy was the only safe alternative.

Why is the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor a turning point in history for the United States and the world? What changes for Americas role in the world did it bring?

Pearl Harbor marked a shift in the course of American and world history. History has become divided by a clear prewar and postwar line of cleavage in the United States and the rest of the world, with Pearl Harbor being the moment of sharpest transition. - America itself would have to serve as the main support of world order - Even after the other great nations had recovered, American military power would have to continue to play a major stabilizing role - United States became economically dependent on the rest of the world - No more splendid isolation from world problems

Who was Benjamin Strong? How and why did he seek to make the New York Federal Reserve the central bank of the U.S.? How did Strongs death from tuberculosis in October 1928 help lead to the Depression?

President of the Bankers' Trust Company Governor of the New York Federal Reserve The unquestioned boss of the Federal Reserve He immediately set out to make the New York Federal Reserve in fact, if not in theory, the central bank of the United States. In large measure he succeeded. He did so first of all because New York at that time utterly dominated American finance, while the outbreak of the First World War made it indispensable to world finance as well. Strong had been the leader of the FR. His coworkers didn't know much about banking, only politics. The now leaderless Federal Reserve did nothing. It kept the discount rate at 5 percent, where Strong had left it the summer before. Far worse, it allowed bankers to use the Fed itself to bankroll the increasingly reckless speculation.

What did Prohibition accomplish?

Prohibition accomplished nothing. More people started to drink than ever before. It caused a massive crime wave with organized crime making millions from selling alcohol.

Besides its attempt to end drinking, how did Prohibition fundamentally change the way we live from speedboat design to the creation of Las Vegas?

Provoked: Establishment of first nationwide criminal syndicate Idea of home dinner parties Deep engagement of women in political issues other than suffrage Creation of Las Vegas

How does the 16th Amendment allowing for the income tax relate to the rise of Prohibition? How did it also help lead to its end?

RISE paved the way for prohibition by directly taxing alcohol. Made prohibition fiscally feasible. END Income taxes plummeted in the Great Depression. The government was going broke. With the return of beer alone, Roosevelt said the federal treasury would be enriched by hundreds of millions of dollars.

How have the media affected culture in the twentieth century?

The media controlled a lot of peoples opinions and made people believe what they needed and wanted to believe.

Why is it inaccurate to assume that the Crash of 1929 caused the Great Depression?

The stock market rebounded in early 1930, for instance, regaining 50 percent of the ground it had lost in the debacle of October 1929. Wall Street had already recovered by the time of the depression.

How did Americans regard their material blessings after WWI?

They partied hard and thought that poverty was going to be gone for good. There was an abundance of great wealth. Machines could produce unbelievable quantities of stuff.

What happened during the ratification process in the states? How fast was it achieved?

To the shock of many, ratification would come with astonishing velocity. (Just over a year) For years the ASL's vast national organization had been mobilizing its critical minority of voters to carry legislative elections in every state. But what really put across ratification in an eventual 46 states had nothing to do with political organizing. The income tax had made a Prohibition amendment fiscally feasible. The social revolution wrought by the suffragists had made it politically plausible. Now Wheeler picked up the final tool he needed to wedge the amendment into the Constitution: a war. From the moment of submission, it had taken 394 days to meet the approval of 36 state legislatures—

What finally got the U.S. out of the Depression?

WWII got us out of the Great Depression. We needed all sorts of supplies and things for the war and so this created jobs which jump started the economy.

How is isolationism a good example of reactionary forces operating after WWI?

We pulled away from the rest of the world and focused on our abundance. At this time we believed that we should not worry about problems going on in other countries. We just kept to ourselves.

How did Winston Churchill characterize the Holocaust?

Winston Churchill's judgment that the Holocaust "was probably the greatest and most terrible crime ever committed in the whole history of the world."