Topic 1 - Eisenhower onwards

Question 1

when was Eisenhower president and under what party (IKE)

Answer 1

1953-61
Republican
- he served two terms

Question 2

sum up Eisenhower

Answer 2

• ex military man so who better to deal with overseas military affairs
• he ends Korean War (draw)
• he kept South Korea democratic which is what Truman tried to do but was called weak and communist
• sacks Jo McCarthy - red scares disappear

Question 3

why was Eisenhower elected and re-elected

Answer 3

• supreme commander of the allied forces in SWW - highly regarded and ace military strategy
• military background
• democratic failures like Wilson and Truman - went to war and red scares
• ends the Korean war in 3 months
• deals with communism and fear dies down
• sacks Mc Carthy

Question 4

what was the impact of Eisenhower’s military background

Answer 4

• highly regarded
• a strong military strategy was essential at this time
• calm tensions
• trusted
• the above meant no issues with Congress and media
• communist fears at this time settled by the fact he was a war general

Question 5

what was the domestic policy of Eisenhower

Answer 5

• low taxes
• laissez faire
• golden 50s
• 1957 Federal Highways Agency Act
• Little Rock, Arkansas - got army to walk 9 AA to school - direct intervention in CR - sends in 10,000 paratroopers

Question 6

what was the impact of Eisenhower’s 1957 Federal Highways Agency Act

Answer 6

• allows the American Dream
• join states together to connect the nation
• $50 billion
• travel easier - more in country trade and commerce which benefits the economy
• more ways of travel
• car manufacturing increase
• tourism - spend money - Disney world opened in Cali in 1955
• suburbia - American dream - improve social standing
• Levitt brothers built suburbia (AA banned)
• it was also a precaution in case America was attacked by nuclear bombs - escape quicker as less backlog of cars and traffic jams - increase national security

Question 7

what was the foreign policy of Eisenhower

Answer 7

• ends the Korean war
• starts US involvement in the Vietnam war - in 1954 he sent financial aid - but when you first get involved its hard to not get further involved
• met with Soviet Pres Khrushchev in USA - seen as a landmark meeting when tensions high - Khrushchev wasn’t met nicely - re-sparked tensions and people chanted at him - mistake by Ike
• he loses the space race which scared the Americans

Question 8

discuss the style/personality of Eisenhower

Answer 8

• sympathies for CR
• overly nice
• clear with what he was doing
• worked well with congress
• invisible hand presidency - got things done behind the scenes without people knowing - he didn’t let issues build up or get in the media - quick
• big deal with media relations
• he hired a media appearance manager - realised he needed them on side so they don’t attack him
• also war hero so good with them anyway
• media minimised problems due to this
• he was a good orator - confident - smiley

Question 9

why was Eisenhower the ‘perfect’ candidate for the 1950s

Answer 9

• war general so perfect person to end the Korean war and Red Scares
• Republicans thrive in periods of economic success - golden 50s

Question 10

how did Eisenhower conduct his Presidential affairs

Answer 10

• invisible hand - quickly behind the scenes and away from the media
• organised - worked well with congress

Question 11

why was Eisenhower so popular

Answer 11

• war general
• understood the requirement to work with the media and have a media façade - hired a media manager
• overly nice
• he was clear with what he was doing
• ended the Korean war after three months
• worked well with congress
• people trusted him

Question 12

why did the economy thrive during the 1950s

Answer 12

• still thriving from the SWW
• no more red scares - no more workers protesting
• 1957 Federal Highways Agency Act - increase travel and tourism - in country spending - boost economy
• republican ideologies are effective post war

Question 13

when was the presidency of JFK and what party was he

Answer 13

• 1961-63

- Democrat

Question 14

why was JFK elected

Answer 14

• popular/confident/harnessed the media
• poised/charming performance during the four debates
• telegenic appearance
• no real reason why Republicans lost in terms of their ability as Ike was a good president, but is VP Nixon lacked style
• said he would get the USA moving again and it would have strength/will to resit communism world wide
• Area Redevelopment Act - help AA get better living conditions - wins minority vote - champions the CR Acts
• New Frontier - poor vote
• lower taxes so gets rich vote as well as poor

Question 15

what was JFK’s New Frontier

Answer 15

• helped with welfare changes for the poor like higher minimum wage - large wealth gap in the 50s
• he pushed through the Equal Pay Act 1963 - ground breaking but it was only in certain industries - not service industry like waitressing as get tips - but most women wok in the service industry and couldn’t get other jobs
• £435 mil for jobs and training
• lower taxes

Question 16

what was the domestic policy of JFK

Answer 16

• 1961 oversaw launch of peace corps which sent young volunteers to underdeveloped countries all over the world
• was slow to commit himself to the CR cause but was eventually forced into action sending federal troops to support the desegregation of Mississippi Uni after riots left 2 dead
• announced intention to propose comprehensive CR bill and endorsed the march on Washington 1963
• championed CR acts
• Equal Pay Act
• New Frontier
• $435 mil for jobs and training
• Area Redevelopment Act

Question 17

what was the foreign policy of JFK

Answer 17

• promised to reinvigorate it relying on a flexible response to change situations and exploring options ignored by the staid and conservative Ike
• April 1961 - approved the plan to send 1400 CIA trained Cuban exiles on an amphibious landing in Bay of Pigs, Cuba - failure - tried to make it look like the USA weren’t involved and did get the media on side - escalates tensions - could have ended in nuclear attack
• June 1961 met with Khrushchev
• Cuban Missile Crisis - USSR put nuclear missiles in Cuba and USA retaliated and put them in Turkey
• sends assistance to Vietnam

Question 18

what was the style/personality of JFK

Answer 18

• before the first debate Kenney met with producer to discuss set design/camera placement - wore a blue suit/shirt to cut down glare - appeared sharply focused on grey background
• Nixon wore a grey suit and blended in
• JFK spoke directly to cameras and national audience - Nixon addressed JFK
• charm offensive
• master of buzz phrases
• youngest pres
• Telegenic
• represented the American Dream
• good a talking his way out of things and getting the media on side

Question 19

discuss the media debate of 1960 between JFK and Nixon

Answer 19

• those watching (TV) preferred JFK, those who listened on radio preferred Nixon - without his image Kennedy wasn’t as powerful
• JFK dressed more appropriately - fitted suit
• he spoke at every possible time for as long as possible
• Nixon spoke for short amounts of time, just agreed with Kennedy
• Nixon visibly awkward - ill/sweaty
• 3 TV debates but only 1 mattered - after the first one everyone already made up their mind - their vote had gone to Kennedy
• Kennedy spoke to the people
• Nixon spoke as if to Congress but the public didn’t understand the stats and words

Question 20

what was the impact of the cold war upon the presidency (more korea)

Answer 20

• American Dream demanded cooperative, fair, self-regulating Gov, behaviour in the Korean war contributed to start of disillusionment with presidency
• deepened under later presidents
• 1960s seen as decades when Americans came to lose faith in their pres, gov and themselves
• 1960 some 70% trusted gov most of time
• 1974 dropped to 40%
• hostile media, and scandals added to this mistrust

Question 21

when was the Vietnam War

Answer 21

• 1955-75

Question 22

sum up the Vietnam War

Answer 22

• the US entered Vietnam as the great capitalist super power but left with a humiliating defeat and high casualty rate
• US public divided over it
• proved to be the longest most debilitating war for the USA
• only war USA ever lost
• had far reaching consequences some of which even persist today
• Americans lost confidence and faith in their government - no one wanted another war
• shattered SWW success

Question 23

what is confidence :)

Answer 23

confidence is KEY :)

Question 24

impact of the cold war on the presidency (Vietnam)

Answer 24

• cast shadow over 4 respective presidencies
• forced each of the pres to make unpopular domestic policies
• due to power of pres in foreign affairs they were seen to be wholly responsible for unsavoury acts of war
• e.g. LBJ faced chants of Hey Hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today? as he sent more troops to Vietnam without Congress approval
• American citizens humiliated by such a ‘dirty war’
• following Vietnam, wars enacted by presidents were scrutinized more thoroughly

Question 25

define liberalism

Answer 25

an attitude of mind and heart, pursuit of freedom and justice that all men desire
to protect and enhance the freedom and rights of the individual

Question 26

why was JFK elected in relation to liberalism (counter-culture)

Answer 26

• in the 1906 election people voted for change by voting for the young, fresh thinking, vibrant, progressive Kennedy
• championed CR/welfare/new foreign policy
• inaugural speech was defined as world changing
• he took a risk with championing welfare as it wasn’t a priority and in 60s America not even close to racial equality

Question 27

why did liberalism (counter-culture) take place - social aims

Answer 27

• following a decade of nervous uncertainty due to red scares/violence/nuclear attack fears many people became disillusioned with the political scene
• 50s good economically but not socially
• liberals believed government intervention could improve society
• suburbia living - poor wanted it, too much pressure to conform, rebellious youth against their parents
• music
• carry on JFK legacy
• end materialism
• female rights
• believed if they behaved different so would society

Question 28

what were the political aims of liberalism

Answer 28

• equality - end to V war and draft
• positive discrimination - giving minorities jobs whether they deserved them or not - address inequality but creates resentment as people who worked hard to reach the top screwed over

Question 29

what impact did Liberalism have on domestic policy

Answer 29

• positive discrimination
• 1964 CR act
• 1965 VR act
• LBJ’s Great Society Welfare Scheme

Question 30

when was the presidency of Lyndon B Johnson and what party

Answer 30

1963-69

democrat

Question 31

why was LBJ elected and re-elected

Answer 31

• succeeded JFK’s last year
• them re-elected for his own term
• Great Society - an extension of the New Frontier - war on poverty
• sympathy to democrat party as JFK killed
• good record from last year of Kennedy so elected for his own term e.g. 1964 CR act
• he could have stood for another term and been pres for 10 years but chose not to

Question 32

what was the domestic policy of LBJ

Answer 32

• VR act 1965 - not just for AA but openly gays can’t vote
• CR act 1964 - can’t discriminate against gender/religion etc… didn’t apply to gay rights though
• Great society

Question 33

what was the foreign policy of LBJ

Answer 33

• 1965 sends army to Vietnam
• Vietnam went from bad to worse under Johnson - agent orange/massacre
• he chose guns over butter - GS had to be scrapped to pay for war which made him very unpopular

Question 34

what was the style/personality of LBJ

Answer 34

• poor media appearance
• lacked it
• overshadowed by Kennedy who was so good and set a precedent LBJ couldn’t follow
• avoided the media towards the end of his presidency - cowardly image
• confidence was key at this time and he didn’t have it

Question 35

discuss confidence as key :)

Answer 35

• if confidence falls the economy will struggle - huge economic crisis in 70s e.g.
• got to be confident in all areas - war, economy, welfare
• presidents need to instil confidence

Question 36

what four key issues did LBJ face

Answer 36

• vietnam war
• civil rights
• inflation
• counter culture (liberalism)

Question 37

discuss Vietnam and its impact of GS cuts under LBJ

Answer 37

• introduced GS at a time when US involvement in Vietnam escalating
• Eventually LBJ had to cut $6b from GS spending
• as national debt increased an international economic crisis followed
• clearly the USA could no longer afford the war
• GS eventually cancelled due to sheer volume of government expenditure

Question 38

which six presidents were affected by the Vietnam war and how

Answer 38

Truman - sent $150mil and military advisers to the French in their fight against the native Indo-Chinese

Eisenhower - deployed the military assistance advisory group to train the South Vietnamese

JFK - sent some 16,000 US personnel to fight against communism

LBJ - signif escalated US involvement to some 500,000 men by end of 1960s

Nixon struggled to end the war and Ford did but then lost the peace

Question 39

what was the SDS

Answer 39

Students for a Democratic Society

• founded by students Hayden and Haber
• initially stated corporation had taken over America
• SDS represented the ‘New Left’
• it argued conventional politics had forgotten the very ideals of democracy, all men created equal so equality should prevail
• rejected bigotry, racism and anti-communism
• at forefront of anti-Vietnam protests using violent and non-violent means
• socialist borderline communist
• manifestation of the liberalist movement

Question 40

what did the SDS achieve

Answer 40

• organised the first mass rally against the Vietnam war in 1965

Question 41

what was Hippie culture

Answer 41

• wanted to loosen tight family structure and live in communal societies
• believed in peace/simple life rather than working hard within the system to earn money to buy more and more goods
• wanted to change society but were prepared to live according to their beliefs separate from others
• most famous gathering was Woodstock in 1969
• rejected establishment like the New Left did

Question 42

what was Woodstock Festival in 1969

Answer 42

• 200,000 tickets sold
• between 400-500,000 people came
• roads leading to the site were closed due to traffic going there been so heavy
• loud music, freely available drugs and sexual freedom
• summed up everything opponents of the movement feared

Question 43

how did Hippie Culture impact US society

Answer 43

• many young white students dropped out of school to become involved
• rejected the establishment
• advocated sexual freedom and drug use
• San Francisco became known as a liberal state with a large LGBTQ+ community but as more people moved there crime increased

Question 44

explain how counter culture impacted the politics of the USA

Answer 44

• helped encourage government intervention - led to 1964 CR act and 1965 VR acts and LBJ’s GS
• as protests grew more violent, New Left was challenged as New Right politicians campaigned for the restoration of traditional values
• Nixon was at the forefront of the New Right movement and promised to unite society again
• without a shift to liberalism the USA may have remained stagnant and deeply prejudice

Question 45

what was ironic about liberalism

Answer 45

• some of the people who had such ideals may well have been involved in Red scares and race discrimination etc…
• 10 years ago liberals would have been red hunted
• liberals wanted to help fund the betterment of all which was not American
• it was not universally popular and the advancement of civil liberties faces violent opposition from large sections of the USA

Question 46

what experiences galvanised the younger generation into counter culture and why was there so many of them

Answer 46

• post war baby boom dramatically increased number of teens and ya in 60s
• they grew up living in turbulent times - threat of nuclear war - racial discrimination - segregation V war and environmental pollution
• these experiences unified the younger generation
• rebellion against dominant culture not new tho
• the Beat generation of 50s questioned traditional values, challenged authority and experimented with non-conformist lifestyles

Question 47

what was the student activism movement

Answer 47

• students on college campuses rebelled against school policies they considered restrictive, unjust or irrelevant
• at Cali uni Berkeley students protested when school officials banned political speeches and rallies at campus entrances - speech freedom in constitution
• events at Berkeley marked start of Free Speech movement which swept campuses across the nation
• used civil disobedience to protest
• mainstream Americans shocked - not used to young people questioning authority - worked hard for their kids who just rebelled

Question 48

why had the old left been cast away

Answer 48

• under the anti-communism attitudes of the 1940s and 50s as it had championed unions and Marxist organisations

Question 49

discuss a white student been arrested at Berkeley

Answer 49

• arrest of students only increased membership and solidarity
• a white student at Berkley was arrested supporting a CORE CR rally
• sparked a two month stand off locking down the uni
• students peacefully occupied the campus main square resulting in over 700 arrests and much publicity for the cause

Question 50

how did the students New Left liberalist movement turn violent

Answer 50

• peaceful nature tended to have a muted impact leading many to shift to violence
• at Colombia Uni in 1968 students took over most campus buildings and held three uni officials hostage
• 900 arrests +
• police became violent to deal with it

Question 51

what must you put in a Vietnam Answer

Answer 51

the Kent State shootings and the Madison bombing

Question 52

what was the Kent State Shooting

Answer 52

• anti-Vietnam protest
• May 4th 1970
• draft in place now and had Cronkite’s documentary
• Ohio Governor sent in the National Guard which fired 67 rounds into the protestors killing 4 and wounding 9
• huge reaction
• 4mil + students went on strike
• public outraged
• further hysteria surrounding the V war
• 2 killed just passers by
• huge resentment to V war
• galvanised the movement
• also part of reason for the War Powers Act 1973 which curbed Presidential control over the military

Question 53

what was the Maddison bombing

Answer 53

• following the Kent State shooting
• some went further - radical student group detonated a bomb at an army base in Wisconsin killing 1 and causing $60m damage

Question 54

what was the impact of the New Left

Answer 54

• impact of societal and political affairs
• incessant anti-war protesting led to abolition of the military draft and contributed to War Powers Act 1973
• despite occasional radicalism/failure of New Left’s pres candidate Humphrey, it left its mark
• public awareness for New Left causes changed mindset of public and aroused suspicion towards Gov
• dissipated in 75 - shift to environmental affairs

Question 55

what was the summer of love

Answer 55

• pinnacle of Hippie movement
• 1967
• up to 100,000 moved to San Francisco but meant crime increased - decline in Hippie image - (-) persona
• to escape (-) many movement members staged fake funerals to symbolically kill off their Hippie past

Question 56

what areas did women campaign for during counter culture

Answer 56

advancement in

• patriarchy
• marriage and oppression
• challenged domestic violence
• equal pay
• education
• college admissions
• the glass ceiling
• reproductive rights and control over the female body

Question 57

what were the scandals of JFK

Answer 57

• despite his seemingly glowing reputation the subsequent loss of sparkle regarding his reputation and the catalogue of errors made by himself and hs successors during the Vietnam war cast a shadow over the presidency which culminated in widespread disillusionment
• bay of pigs
• cuban missile crisis
• after his death rumours of him been a womaniser

Question 58

what was Lyndon B Johnson’s Great Society and why was it cancelled

Answer 58

• welfare policies
• 1965
• war on poverty to eradicate it
• but he promised it as he sent troops to V war and he would come to choose guns over butter
• $10b for GS - $50b on V war
• he starts to use GS budget - 1969 over half ($36m) taken away
• people became reliant on GS and wanted money - you can’t build a school and then not continue the funding
• CAPS

Question 59

what was CAPs in LBJ’s Great Society

Answer 59

• Community Action Programme
• essentially dragons den
• get tailored money for stuff that areas need
• fund sports teams to reduce gangs and crime etc…
• but eventually got cut due to war

Question 60

how did counter culture affect LBJ’s presidency

Answer 60

• 1963-69
• Berkley 2 month stand off
• so many arrests
• Columbia Uni in 1968 turned violent holding 3 uni officials hostage
• increased crime in San Francisco
• contributed to disillusionment with the presidency

Question 61

why did the USA become involved

Answer 61

• North attacking South - proxy war against Soviet Union

- domino theory of communism

Question 62

how did Kennedy, Ike and LBJ all escalate involvement in the Vietnam war

Answer 62

JFK - didn’t want domino effect, first person to put some military personnel in Vietnam - you can’t then not put more

Ike - initiates financial involvement

LBJ - 1965 sends all of the US army - protect investment lose lives or not

Question 63

what caused the public to lose faith in the Vietnam war

Answer 63

• wave of liberalism/Hippie culture
• more brutal than Korea
• Vietnam has no connection with America/far away so people questioned why American lives where being lost
• media turn on the war - Cronkite 1969 documentary
• it was so long - 20 years
• America would never fall to communism - no direct interference - senseless and no red scars
• it was expensive so recession - high tax - cut funding and welfare

Question 64

what was the Selective Service System

Answer 64

• after 1969 Cronkite documentary
• like the draft (pick solider by birthday) - if you had a certain job, money, status, went to uni, or were black you could escape it
• unpopular - wasn’t even fair

Question 65

what were the economic impacts of the Vietnam war

Answer 65

• spent $168b
• destroyed US economy
• 30 years after SWW ended no more money
• becomes a borrowing nation
• inflation on the rise

Question 66

what were the political impacts of the Vietnam war

Answer 66

• news of the atrocities such as the My Lai massacre lost the US it’s claim to moral superiority and its status as defender of rights and freedom
• confidence in presidency down

Question 67

what were the social impacts of the Vietnam war

Answer 67

• young men sent by draft under 18 could fight but not vote put pressures on voting legislators to lower voting age
• 26th amendment in March 1971 under Nixon changed the law - ratified it July
• Jan 1973 draft abolished - peace treaty also done
• (-) news of atrocities like the My Lai massacre lost the US its claim to moral superiority and its status as defender of rights and freedoms
• 58,000 Americans died
• 700,000 suffered psychological damage

Question 68

when was Richard Nixon president and under what party

Answer 68

1969-74

Republican

Question 69

why was Nixon elected

Answer 69

• lack of a strong opposition
• democrats cancelled due to GS stopped/escalated the war and favoured it over domestic affairs - not very democratic
• low tax
• laissez faire
• promised to de-escalate the war by Vietnamisation - taking the USA out and putting Vietnamese troops in
• promised significant social change

Question 70

what was the Domestic Policy of Nixon

Answer 70

• welfare to work-fare
• tries to maintain the economy but its out of control
• another VR act to give Hispanics more vote/rights
• watergate
• the New Right - return to traditional values

Question 71

what was Nixon’s workfare

Answer 71

• working tax credit - reward for working
• benefits for those in employment to encourage more people to work
• not everyone able to work though

Question 72

what was the foreign policy of Nixon

Answer 72

• secures a peace treaty and a cease fire with Vietnam made with Henry Kissinger his foreign advisor in 1973
• messed it up by dropping more bombs than any other president on Vietnam
• air raids expensive although strategic
• there isn’t enough funds
• spends more than Johnson

Question 73

what was the style/personality of Nixon

Answer 73

• awkward and shy
• not passionate or authoritarian
• not good on camera/TV
• his disliked the media because it cost him the election against JFK and made him look stupid
• DISTRUSTS the media
• he is PARANOID by the media believing everyone was out to get him so he broke the law to keep tabs on everything
• internal mindset that ruins him because he was an experienced politician

Question 74

what is Nixon the only president to do

Answer 74

• resign

Question 75

what was the economic cost of the Vietnam war

Answer 75

• spending $168 b on it damaged the US economy

- ending GS left many in trouble

Question 76

discuss the impact of Nixons watergate scandal

Answer 76

• cast a long shadow over the political scene
• many people felt they could no longer trust politicians especially since Nixon made it worse by trying to deny it
• Nixons VP Ford took over

Question 77

what was Vietnam Syndrome

Answer 77

• US had failed to contain communism
• 1973 Nixon announced USA abandoning Truman Doctrine
• V failure caused US leaders to become wary of intruding in global conflicts
• became paranoid of another vietnam which would cost American lives and destroy US prestige
• America and public terrified to go to war again
• America were the global policemen and now that was gone

Question 78

discuss how Jimmy Carter was affected by Vietnam Syndrome

Answer 78

• Carter took office in 1977 and was first pres affected by it
• America’s reluctance to commit troops overseas unless absolutely necessary to protect national security or when there is strong public support with a high probability of a quick and inexpensive victory
• Carter’s failure to stop the Russians from invading Afghanistan in 1979 and his clumsy attempt at handling the Iranian hostage crisis which resulted in the death of 8 American servicemen exemplified how reluctant the USA was after Vietnam

Question 79

what is ford the only president to do

Answer 79

• be president without winning an election

Question 80

what was the personality of Ford

Answer 80

• uninspiring, slow speaking, inarticulate
• but he was ‘safe’ (not corrupt)
• his 895 day presidency shortest of all who did not die in office
• watergate meant no one trusted him
• Spiro Agnew was Nixon’s first VP but he was sacked in 1971 for tax evasion and other dodgy money things

Question 81

what did Ford do for Nixon that was so controversial

Answer 81

• Sep 1974 he issued a presidential pardon to Nixon ending all investigations into his conduct whilst president
• this sent a message to the American public that republicans stuck together and ‘looked after their own’
• doesn’t matter if you break the law
• the public hated Nixon so thought Ford was just as corrupt
• but it was good to get rid of watergate so he could move onto other things

Question 82

discuss Ford and the problems he faced and caused

Answer 82

• his association with previous Republican leaders and the scandals that surrounded them would not go away
• pardoned Nixon
• economy in crisis - inflation at a 20 year high due to oil and unemployment at its highest levels since the GD of 1930s
• his inadequacies highlighted in a TV debate when he said there was no soviet domination of Eastern Europe showing he didn’t understand the Cold War
• when former pres LBJ described him in a speech as being so dumb he can’t fart and chew gum at the same time
• lack of confidence in the executive

Question 83

discuss Ford and Congress

Answer 83

• half way through his presidency there were Senatorial elections
• US voters showed what they thought of scandals following the Republicans, elected Democrat senate
• senate vetoed 50+ of Ford’s proposed legislations
• became impossible for him to continue
• he wanted to lower tax and pass emergency legislation
• democrats worsened economy and gave themselves more to do when in power after election
• even so in 1976 Repub presidential primary campaign he defeated Reagan for the Repub nomination
• tho he then lost general election to Carter in 1976

Question 84

what was the term and party of ford

Answer 84

• 1974-77

- Republican

Question 85

what was the term and party of carter

Answer 85

• 1977-81

- democrat

Question 86

discuss the election of Jimmy Carter

Answer 86

• won 1976 election by over 2 mil votes
• in his pres campaign he made unemployment a central issue, announced plans to create jobs by increased federal spending and promised to pardon Vietnam draft evaders

Question 87

was Carter a good president

Answer 87

• right pres just at the wrong time - environment
• does right thing in focusing on economy
• might have pledged good things but he messed up and made things worse
• affected by V syndrome
• 1st term was an unmitigated disaster

Question 88

discuss the successes of the Carter Presidency

Answer 88

• as governor of Georgia, Carter announced that ‘the time for racial discrimination was over’
• first pres from the Deep South since 1844
• his record of CR resulted in him being supported by 4/5 of every AA who voted
• also did well with white voters in South and those on low incomes
• during his four years in office he increased number of AA employed by state from less than 3% to 40%
• tried his best to restore faith in government but these efforts did not have much effect
• had good ideas just not backing of congress or money

Question 89

failures of the carter presidency

Answer 89

• unable to end economic issues of 70s which had become global since the 1974 Arab-Israeli war had raised oil prices
• did introduce economic policies to ease crisis but too little too late for many Americans
• by end of first term inflation at 15%
• yo-yo with taxes
• iranian hostage scandal
• his approval rating in 1980 summer was 21% - lowest ever recorded for a US pres

Question 90

discuss the Iranian hostage scandal

Answer 90

• 1979 US embassy in Tehran (capital of Iran) was seized and 52 Americans taken hostage
• Iranians demanded release of their former leader the Shah of Iran
• instead Carter authorised a secret armed rescue which went wrong killing 8 US soldiers
• operation eagle claws
• navy seals rescue - helicopter crashes and 8 of America’s best die