criticism from 'muckrakers' - journalists (Ida Tarbell and Upton Sinclair) dedicated to highlighting the evils present in the US via the cheap press that was available to all.

positive example from individual politicians showed what could be done to improve quality of life.

serious decline of agriculture as homesteaders struggled to compete ith bonanza farms.

recession and unemployment as living standards dropped.

no US welfare state in contrast to the new ideas seen in the German welfare state.

reform of political parties in order to open up the political process to a wider electorate.

desire for women's rights and female franchise.

1903: National Women's Trade League founded.

1905: Locher v. New York overturns law restricting working day.

1908: Muller v. Oregon upholds regulation fo working hours for women.

1917: literacy test required for all immigrants.

political movement founded in 1890s mainly representing farmers favouring free coinage of silver and govt. control of railroads and other industries.

• falling prices - especially wheat and cotton.
• plus high tariffs were implemented on foreign goods so US faced high competition.
• from later 1880s harvests deteriorated due to bad weather.

• traditionally US followed the gold standard.
• bimetallists felt silver should be used in coinage production.
• between 1865+1910 world production of gold had decreased and there was rapid growth in silver production.
• pressure from this silver industry led the Sherman Silver Purchase Act 1890 - conservatives thought this would undermine.
• 1896 Cleveland removed measure believing business community - who favoured the gold standard - had been lost.

this scared much of big business and was the start of change - however, much of this change happened after his.

1893 panic damaged the Democrats as well as the leadership of Bryan being too radical for some.

• progressivism positively influenced the Republicans until 1912.
• after the Gilded Age, party balance evenly split and both parties were similar.
• support from big business and prosperous industrial workers.
• well funded election campaigns led by political strategists like Mark Hanna.

• populism divided the party.
• core support still in South
• segragationist view dominated the party
• continued belief of laissez-faire to maintain business support under Cleveland 'Bourbon Democrat'.
  issue of free silver divided the Democrats as did the radical policies of Bryan in 1896.

1912: Taft (R) v. Wilson (D) v. TR (Progressive) v. Debs (Socialist)

President in 1901 after McKinleys assassination and then won by a landslide in 1904.

• immediately made his intention to tackle big business clear.
• made the Sherman Anti Trust Act effective.
• 1903 Dept of Commerce and Labour Act.
• 1906 Hepburn Act.
• 1908 organised National Conservation Conference.
• intervened in industrial disputes - e.g. 1902 anthracite coal act.

elected in 1909 after TR respected the 2 term tradition of Presidents.

✅

• continued TR's antitrust policies.
• introduced an 8 hour day and mine safety legislation.
• introduced the federal income tax and corporation tax.
• brought in the direct election of senators.

❌

• lacked the political skills to handle divisions.
• sacked the conservationist appointed by TR.
• aligned largely with the conservative wing of the Republican party.
• Payne-Aldrich Act did very little to lower tariffs.

the implementation of the income tax had given the govt a new source of income - the 1916 REVENUE ACT taxed the rich more and redistributed wealth.

social reform:

• federal child labour act (first one)
• workmen's compensation act
• adamson act - laid down 8 hour workday

anti-trust measures

• federal investigations
• Clayton Anti-Trust Act furthered the Sherman Act.

financial and economic reforms

• 1913 Underwood Tariff Act - lowered average tariff rates from about 40% to 27% and reintroduced the federal income tax.
• Federal Reserve Act 1913 - implemented a central bank to oversee monetary stability and therefore establish an ensure economic stability in the US.

• the issue of tariff reform split the party under Taft.
• TR felt that Taft was too conservative so challenged him for party nomination.
• Taft was the party nominee so Taft ran for the progressives and split the vote.

• promoted 'new freedom'.
• attacked corporations and wanted 'trustbusting'.
• wanted reduced tariffs.

• Wilson and Democrats received a massive victory.
• Progressives came second.
• if Taft and TR had worked together, they could have won.

linked to the missionary work undertaken by Americans due to the belief that WASPS (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) were a superior peoples with a duty to help members of 'lesser races'.

e.g. the removal of yellow fever in Cuba and the building of schools and hospitals.

'open door' policy as opposed to actual territorial expansion.
the USA faced surpluses in farm produce and needed a market to absorb these.
Following 1893 depression.

TURNER THESIS and need to continue expanding to be a successful and powerful country.

preclusive imperialism: if the USA didn't impose control of a country one of the other empires would instead.

HAWAII:

• 1898 the US annexed Hawaii.
• was an important stopping station in the Pacific.
• since 1975, US had imported Hawaiian sugar duty free and the country had become increasingly dependent on the US economy.
• by the 1890s, there were 3,000 american sugar growers living on the island.
• 1887: the US established their first major pacific naval base at Pearl Harbour.
• 1890: McKinley tariff removed duties on raw sugar and Hawaiian growers lost their trading advantage and suffered as a result.
• 1891: the new Hawaiian Queen led a rebellion and US residents called for help.
• after the arrival of the marines, the rebels surrendered.
• The US then went on to annex the country because of its important location.

THE PHILIPINES:

• the USA purchased the Island from Spain as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1898.
• progressive imperialism.
• preclusive imperialism - threat from Britain, Germany or Japan.
• they seemed incapable of ruling themselves independently.
• there was strong opposition to American rule and the US had to fight a 4 year war of subjugation.

PUERTO RICO:

• invaded in 1898 after being given a degree of independence from the Spanish colony before the Spanish-American war.
• the Spanish surrendered after little fighting.
• under the Organic Act of 1900, Puerto Rico was to be administered by the US.

THE MAINE INCIDENT:

• an explosion of an American battleship to the Havana Harbour that was blamed by the US press on a Spanish mine.
• led to a blockade of Cuba.

REASONS FOR US INVOLVEMENT:

• an aggressive and patriotic press campaign that inflamed public opinion - the yellow press.
• to protect US business interests in Cuba and offer a distraction from the Depression of the 1890s.
• the geographical closeness of Cuba and the ideas of the Monroe Doctrine.
• fears the US could not control an independent Cuba.

RESULTS OF THE WAR:

• US victory.
• Cuban independence was recognised by the US by they were allowed possession of Guantanamo Bay.
• Spain lost parts of their empire - Puerto Rico.
• The USA was able to purchase the Philippines.
• the USA had demonstrated its areas of interest as set out in the Monroe Doctrine.

CUBA:

• after Spain withdrew, there was massive debate over how Cuba should be dealt with.
• prior to the war, the Teller Amendment was passed which stated the US would not annex Cuba.
• after the war, the belief was held that they could not rule themselves and that independence would threaten American commercial interests on the island.
• 1903: Cuba's final treaty with the US was signed. this imposed a new political system on the country and made its economy heavily dependent on the USA.
• Cuban sugar and tobacco were tied to the US markets through preferential tariffs.

THE ROOSEVELT COROLLARY:

• corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
• sanctioned US armed intervention in latin america when it felt necessary to prevent financial and/or political collapse.

PANAMA CANAL:

• 1881: an american company took over the rights to build the canal after the french company previously in control ran into financial difficulties.
• Roosevelt refused to pay the money Colombia were asking for on top of the sale fee.
• 1903: the people of Panama staged a national revolt for independence from the rule of Colombia and were supported by the US.
• Panama achieved independence and allowed US construction on the canal which was completed in 1914.
• control of the canal was only transferred back to Panama in 2000.

BIG STICK POLICY:

• seen in the Dominican Republic.
• Concept of the US policing South America as part of the Roosevelt Corollary.
• in 1904, the US took control of the customs revenue of the Dominican Republic to pay off the debt owed to America.

the USA had become interested in China and Japan in the second half of the 19th C for economic reasons as they were anxious to develop the vast potential of the markets of these countries.

CHINA:

• 1899: open door policy introduced with Britain, Russia and Germany who also had desires to expand territorially - first note asking states to respect each others trading rights in China, even in each others spheres of influence.
• 2nd note announced in 1900 asserting the principle of equal and impartial trade in all parts of China not just in the existing foreign spheres of interest.
• it also asserted that in future, the US govt would protect the lives and property of US citizens living in China - important after Boxer Rebellion broke out against foreigners in China.

JAPAN:

• 1900: the US had to implement legislation to put a stop to the substantial Japanese immigration into Hawaii and the USA.
• the openly racist nature of these laws upset the Japanese, as did the annexation of the Philippines.
  Tensions were high.
• the US felt threatened by the growing Japanese navy and interests in China.
• in 1908, the two countries agreed to respect each others interests in China and to maintain the current situation in the pacific to start to develop better relations.
• open door policy was initiated and confirmed by the US's agreement for Japan to annex Korea.