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America 1907-1945 - Coggle Diagram
America 1907-1945
Second World War
- Roosevelt declared war on Japan on 8th December 1941
- Execution order 9066 saw the removal on Japanese Americans from the west coast into relocation camps between march and September 1942
- attack on pearl harbour triggered panic on America's west coast
- living conditions for the Japanese were primitive and depression among internees was rife
- strong racial elements to the treatment of the Japanese Americans
- war against Japan was seen in part as a race war depicted in propaganda as rats, vampires, dogs and gorillas
- 7th December the US naval base at Pearl Harbour was attacked by waves of Japanese bombers and fighters
- death toll of 2403 Americans
- attacks also on US airfields in the Philippines and Pacific Islands
- 8th December 1941 British colonies of Singapore and Hong Kong were bombed and Japanese troops invaded the British colony of Malay
- 1944 American factories produced one ship everyday and one plane every 5 minutes
- 1944 40% of the worlds arms were produced by America
- 6th August 1945 an American bomber dropped a single atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima killing between 60,000 to 80,000 people
- 9th of August a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki killing 40,000 immediately and many more over the following months, total died was 48857
- 15th August Japan surrendered
America and WW1
- Many opposed views by different groups in society regarding American involvement in the war
- 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared neutrality
- inevitably drawn into the war when Germany waged submarine war on British shipping trying to starve out the island nation
- attack on the Lusitania containing 1198 passengers (128 Americans) sparked outrage
- submarine war slowed down but resumed in 1917 when several American merchant ships were sunk
- discovery of the Zimmerman's letter from Germany to Mexico deemed America's western territories to be in danger
- April 17th Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany stating that "the world must be made safe for democracy"
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War At Home
- government received unprecedented powers over everyday life
- all men of military age were required to register for the draft and American army reached 5 million men
- government took control of railways, food production, fuel and employment from private enterprise
- taxes on individuals and corporations rose substantially to pay for the war effort and Americans urged to buy liberty bonds
- Americanisation program was introduced in schools to encourage migrants to become fully assimilated into American society
Suffrage and Prohibition
- many suffrages believed wartime service would ensure the vote, and so they rallied together selling bones and taking on male jobs
- others continued to protest which brought more attention to women's suffrage
- 1916 Woodrow declared his support for Women's suffrage
- 1920 19th amendment passed granting women the right to vote
- the Women's Christian Temperance Union had campaigned for prohibition since the 19th century
- believed the ban would protect women from domestic violence at the hands of drunken husbands
- urban reformers hoped it would reduce violence in the cities, employers imagined a more productive and orderly workforce
- Volstead Act of 1920 permitted prohibition under the 18th amendment
Aftermath
Influenza pandemic
- between 1918 and 1920 the world was in the grip of the "Spanish flu", in 1919 estimated 50 million died globally
- more American soldiers died of the flu than in battle
- 1918 estimated 26% of AEF had the Spanish flu first reported in army camps in Kansas
- believed first wave was carried on by troop ships travelling from Europe from the United states
- disease followed the war transport routes across continents and seas
- 25 million became ill and 675,000 died
Foreign Policy
- Wilson encouraged the US to look beyond its borders and develop foreign policy within the context of ideas, morality and the spread of democracy
- 1917 Wilson and "The Inquiry" drew up a peace settlement which was presented to congress 8th January 1918, the 14 points
- 8 points referred to territorial issues between combatant nations, 5 concerned means of ensuring a peaceful world, free trade, reduction of armaments, open diplomacy, freedom of seas. the last point focused on self determination
- 14th point proposed the League of Nations which America did not join and influenced the Treaty of Versailles
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Foreign Policy
Neutrality Act WWII
- laws passes in 1935, 1936, 1937 and 1939 to limit US involvement in future wars
Conscription
- introduced September 16th 1940
Lend-lease act WWII
- gave roosevelt virtually unlimited authority to direct material aid such as ammunition, tanks, airplanes, trucks and food to the war effort in Europe without violating the nations official position of neutrality
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Monroe Doctrine
- the doctrine that kept the US out of European Affairs
The Great Depression
Causes
- decline of the agricultural sector
- decline of small business
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- uneven distribution of wealth
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Effects
- many investment businesses failed
- eroded consumer confidence
- thousands of investors trying to withdraw their savings resulting in more than 600 banks collapsing
- hundreds of thousands became unemployed
- charities as well as state and local governments struggled to provide support
- families were evicted from their homes
- some forced to live in shantytowns (Hoovervilles)
- unemployment reached 3.2 million march 1930
Hoover
- created Federal Farm Board to encourage cooperation on prices and commodities between producers
- aspired to revive spirit of progressivism
- championed private-public cooperation, or volunteerism to address the crisis by encouraging economic growth
- believed too much government intervention would damage American ideals of individualism and self-reliance
Managing The Crisis
- Hoover argued downturns were part of the natural cycle and the economy would soon recover
- encourage businessmen to maintain wages, prices and investments
- there was no direct federal assistance to the unemployed
- volunteerism failed to stimulate economic growth and by 1932 it was clear the depression wasn't just going away
- the reconstruction finance corporation loaned money to failing banks and railways
- Hoover still refused to offer direct federal assistance arguing no one was starving despite mass hunger and malnutrition
- food riots broke out across the country
- Hoovers policies became increasingly unpopular, more so after the Bonus army riot resulting in spraying veterans with tear gas and torching their camp
- Hoover's attack on unarmed citizens was seen as symbolic of Hoover's insensitivity to the plight of the unemployed
Not So Golden Age
Red Scare
- 1919 there were 36,000 strikes involving 4 million workers hoping for better pay and working conditions
- red being the colour of revolution
- workers went on strike to maintain the gains won during the war and to counter inflation
- most strikes were focused on achieving union recognition
- communists and foreigners became figures of fear, and government believed the strikes were part of a worldwide conspiracy to impose communism and destroy capitalism
- immigrants were the target of much resentment from many Anglo-Saxon Protestants, Jews and Roman Catholics were particularly resented Sacco and Vanzetti
- immigration act of 1917 restricted immigration from any country not owned by the US adjacent to Asia
Red Summer
- black soldiers returning home from war hoping that the fight for democracy in Europe would lead to a better deal at home
- once armistice was signed white supremacy returned to full swing
- soldiers were subject to assault and lynching's
- 26 riots broke out across the country, leaving uncounted numbers of people dead, wounded or homeless
- chaos ensued and federal troops were called in to restore order, later admitting to killing 20 African Americans
- the NAACP reported as many as 250 were killed in the Elaine riot, hundreds were arrested and 122 were indicted, 72 charged with murder, 12 received death sentences
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1920's The Golden Age
Open for business
- by 1922 the recession was over and Productivity and economic output boomed
- 1921 - 1924 GNP jumped from $69 billion to $93 billion
- world's largest creditor nation
- automobile industry led the charge, and new industries such as chemicals, aviation and electronics developed rapidly (assembly line technique to thank)
- more employers adopted welfare capitalism by providing social benefits to their workers
- American plan adopted by employers was to have an "open-shop" policy (a workplace free of government regulation)
- many businesses used strike breakers and private detectives and blacklisted union members to deter people from joining unions
- new American heroes were businessmen who represented the American way of life
- not all were prosperous rural areas, working-class factory workers, farmers and minority groups barely made a living wage
- Government policies reflected a pro-business mood of the 1920s
- less people were interested in voting " Americans were only interested in being consumers"
The New Woman
- she epitomised sexual freedom and youthful abandon
- represented youth, personal liberty, & physical freedom
- the challenging of gender expectations provoked disgust in some American states
- law passed in 1921 in Ohio that women could be fined and arrested for wearing skirts more than 3 inches above the ankle
- women's experiences were varied depending on class, race and locality
- all shared the rejection of restrictive clothing
- new lighter fabrics were introduced into the markets and department stores started selling the latest clothes trends