Impact of War on Domestic Policies

Question 1

What did Harding call for after Wilson’s presidency?

Answer 1

Return to ‘normalcy’

Question 2

How many were unemployed in 1919 and how any were unemployed in 1921 during sharp economic depression?
Social reaction to this?

Answer 2

1919: 1 million…1921: 5 million
Protests, strikes, riots… return to pre war life would remove these problems

Question 3

What were Harding’s six aims?

Answer 3

1. Balance the books
2. Lower taxes (high due to war)
3. Introduce tariffs
4. Wider use of radios
5. Address the ‘race question’
6. Establish the Department of Welfare

Question 4

What were the 3 General ideals of ‘isolationism’ in America post WW1?

Answer 4

1. Cutting back on number of immigrants
2. Tariffs encouraging to ‘Buy American’…. Fordney-McCumber tariff act
3. Rejection of League of Nations

Question 5

The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 allowed how many immigrants? Revised in 1924 to how many?

Answer 5

357,000 to 150,000

Question 6

Examples of USA not being entirely isolationist.

Answer 6

Washington Conference: set limits on national navies; 1921-1922
USA helped Europe rebuild economically.

Question 7

How many neutrality acts were passes between 1935 and 1939?

Answer 7

4

Question 8

Increased sales of goods occurred due to what reasons?

Answer 8

New technology, cheaper goods, hire-purchase

Question 9

What act was passed in 1941 to counter the Neutrality acts of previous years?
What was its value by the end of the war?
Another FDR scheme to bypass Neutrality Acts?

Answer 9

Lend-Lease Act 1941 due to Britain no longer being able to afford goods.
$51 Billion
Destroyers-for-bases deal: FDR gave 50 Naval Destroyers for use of bases in British held countries.

Question 10

How much did the US industry produce during 1942?

Answer 10

$47 billion worth of war goods.

Question 11

Industry profits in 1940 and 1943?

Answer 11

$17 million and $28 million

Question 12

Working week and wages increased or decreased during World War Two?

Answer 12

Increased

Question 13

How many soldiers went to fight in WW2, how many died?

Answer 13

16 million; 400,000

Question 14

What plan was setup to aid Europe vs communism after WW2?

Answer 14

Truman Doctrine, followed by Marshall plan gave aid to war torn countries to prevent communist takeover.

Question 15

Which act was passed, and when, to aid with mass evacuations for Nuclear Defence?
What else was also set up?

Answer 15

The Interstate Act, 1956
Federal Defence Administration (early 1950s) gave advice through pamphlets.

Question 16

How many Nuclear bombs did the US have between 1947-1948?
What did this lead to?

Answer 16

13 to 50
Arms race… MAD.

Question 17

How did the creation of a large permanent army near the beginning of the Cold War affect the USA?

Answer 17

Cost money but provided employment.

Question 18

How many US soldiers fought and died in the Korean War?

Answer 18

260,000 … 34,000

Question 19

Why did the Republicans gain support in the 1950s?
What percentage of the GNP was spent at its peak on defence during the Korean War and how was it raised?

Answer 19

Frustration with handling of Korean war… high cost of Cold War.
14%; tax increases and borrwing

Question 20

Why was the Vietnam War so unpopular?

Answer 20

Draft policy- in the form of a lottery on TV, gameshow element.
Heavy Spending
Poor treatment of Veterans (many homeless/ disabled/ unemployed)
Heavy media coverage: showed atrocities of soldiers

Question 21

Give an example of the way in which America tried to prove itself to be stronger than the USSR?

Answer 21

Space Race

Question 22

Which two wars showed the shift from domestic to foreign affairs in terms of government policy?

Answer 22

Korea and Vietnam

Question 23

Korean war dates?

Answer 23

1950-1953

Question 24

Vietnam war dates?

Answer 24

1955-1975

Question 25

How many soldiers died in Vietnam?

Answer 25

50,000

Question 26

How much was spent funding the Vietnam war?

Answer 26

$173 billion (1975)

Question 27

Famous journalist who helped uncover the atrocities in Vietnam? What were these atrocities?

Answer 27

Walker Cronkite, 1968 Rewards of ice cream/ beer for high kill counts, soldiers on drugs, massacre of a village.

Question 28

What was the route of foreign policy to be taken during Truman's presidency?

Answer 28

Truman doctrine

Question 29

How much was spent on nuclear weapons between 1940 and 1996 in present day dollars?

Answer 29

$8.9 trillion

Question 30

When was the Bay of Pigs invasion? What was it/ significance?

Answer 30

1961 Cuban exiles cooperating with CIA in attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro’s communist government. Increased tensions between USA and Cuba… closer ties between Cuba and USSR… embarrassment for JFK’s administration.

Question 31

When was the Cuban Missile crisis? What was it/ effect?

Answer 31

1962 USA discovered USSR secretly hiding missiles in Cuba wanting to protect Castro’s government because of the Bay of Pigs invasion. Global fear of nuclear war… USA promised not to invade Cuba and missiles were removed.

Question 32

In which countries did the US deploy ballistic missiles?

Answer 32

Italy and Turkey

Question 33

In which countries did the USSR try to deploy missiles?

Answer 33

Cuba

Question 34

When did the USA become a founding member of the UN?

Answer 34

1945