"Isolationism" and FDR (1935 - 1941)

1. What were the goals of the isolationists? Why is "isolationism" a misleading term?
The goals of isolationists were to preserve peace and spread democracy and American values through example and not military means.
The term is misleading because it implies that the United States wanted to isolate itself completely from other nations. This was not the case because most isolationists supported foreign trade and certain bilateral agreements. Most of them also respected international laws that had been put into effect after WWI. Isolationists mainly wanted to stay out of war.


2. What did some isolationists feel that there was no need for Americans to feel threatened by developments in Europe and Asia?
Some isolationists felt that there was no need for Americans to feel threatened by developments in Europe and Asia because the United States was protected by the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean from the troubled countries. Also the U.S. had already formed friendly alliances with all other nations of the Western Hemisphere.


3. What were the purposes of the Nye Committee hearings?
The purpose of the Nye Committee was to investigate the reasons as why the U.S. entered WWI, in hopes of the public becoming aware of the reasons and keeping the U.S. out of trouble abroad. The Nye committee hearings uncovered that during WWI bankers were greedy and munitions-makers were highly unethical. They were accused of profiteering but there was no evidence to back this up. The hearings and newspaper reports still had their effect on the public because this caused Americans to be filled with anger and suspicion about big businesses and the banking industry. Inevitably the Nye Committee hearings increased the isolationist mood in the United States




4. List two impressions that the Nye Committee hearings created.
A) that American soldiers had died in WWI because corporations, who were looking to turn a profit, had convinced President Wilson to go to war in 1917
B) anger and suspicion about big business and the banking industry were already high due to the Depression and some Americans worried that powerful business interests would again drag the country into war

5. What were the purposes of the Neutrality Acts?
The purposes of the Neutrality Acts were to prohibit shipping and carrying of arms to warring nations (in order to maintain neutrality), establish a National Munitions Board (in order to bring the armament industry under control of the government), next it prohibited the sale of all war materials (including steel and oil), then it prohibited American ships from sailing in war zones and forbade Americans from traveling on the ships of belligerents.

6. List two reasons that some Americans considered Roosevelt's leadership radical and dangerous.
They worried about an intrusive government and an overly powerful presidency because of Roosevelt's New Deal program in response to the crumbling economy.

7. What was "Cash and Carry"?
"Cash and Carry" was the main part of the Neutrality Act of November 1939. This allowed the U.S. to continue trading with belligerents but required that the warring nations pay cash for what they wanted and that they carry the goods themselves.

8. Why did President Roosevelt freeze Japanese assets in the United States?
President Roosevelt froze Japanese assets in the United States because Japan took French Indochina into their occupation. President Roosevelt thought he could stop further aggression from Japan by prohibiting the sale of fuel and scrap metal to them, but this had the opposite effect and caused Japan to take over Indochina for military occupation and general maintenance of its empire.




9. What was the purpose of the America First Committee?
The purpose of the America First Committee was to keep the United States out of war.

World Events Set Stage for Isolationism

1. What was the Japanese reaction to the Treaty of Versailles? (pgs. 4 - 5)


During the Paris Peace Conference, Japan was debating over whether or not Japan should support the international system. Those who supported engaging with the national powers agreed as a means to obtaining natural resources and markets its growing economy needed but those who didn't support it mostly feared Japan wouldn't be treated fairly or with respect by the other countries, who were also competing for resources and economic markets in Asia. Japanese people had a reason to be worried. All over the world the Japanese experienced racist treatment and discrimination. For example, in the U.S. they were prevented from becoming naturalized citizens. The Japanese thought they could use the Paris Peace Conference as an opportunity to to address these issues of international racial discrimination. The Japanese public strongly agreed that an amendment demanding racial equality was needed. Meanwhile the U.S. had strong feelings against this idea, with some even viewing it as a threat to the 'white race'. Surprisingly, at the conference, majority voted for the amendment but it was later rejected by President Wilson. This caused the Japanese to become outraged and warned, that in the future, Japan might be less likely to put its faith in the principles of international cooperation. In the end, because the amendment did not pass, many Japanese turned away from the West and toward a more nationalist position for the coming years.

2. Read the pull-out box on page 4 entitled, "Japan Becomes a Great Power." Cite specific evidence Japan was becoming a strong power that rivaled European & American interests. And, why specifically was Japan threatened by U.S. actions?

Japan's economy was rapidly growing, while its political and military power were increasing steadily. This made Japan the fifth largest financial contributor to the proposed League of Nations. Japan becoming an economic and military power was recent yet rapid. Japan modelled its navy, army, banking system, and constitution on those of the countries located in the western hemisphere. Gross domestic product, manufacturing, and mining were all increasing at a rather rapid pace. Some people of Japan wanted the country to head towards a democratic future and warned against relying to much on the military, but others argued that the country would need to use military force to achieve its goals. Japan had also defeated Russia in the Russo-Japanese War, which caused it to gain access to parts of Manchuria.

The U.S. had an increasing presence in the Pacific. They had acquired Hawaii, the Philippines, and Guam. Japan was becoming threatened by the U.S. actions because of their growing presence, which had begun to pose a threat to Japan's own plans of expansion.

3. Why was the Washington Naval Conference convened and what was accomplished? (pg. 6) (Note: Japan signs the agreement.)


The Washington Naval Conference was convened because Japan's growth as a naval power threatened U.S. interests. It sought to limit a naval arms race and to discuss issues related to the Pacific Ocean and the Far East. This was accomplished when both parties agreed to limit the size of their naval ships, placed a hold on building new battleships, made it illegal to use poison gases, and restricted the role of submarines in future wars. Also all the nations agreed to sign an agreement affirming China's sovereignty and establishing a a policy of open trade with the country. The nations also agreed to solve disputes by submitting them to a committee for resolution.

4. The Senate's willingness to ratify the Kellogg-Briand Pact reelected two strong and widely held sentiments. What were they? (pgs. 6 - 7)


The two strong and widely held sentiments were the Americans' strong distaste for being dragged into another European war and policy-makers' resistance to the obligations of permanent alliances and wish to preserve the ability to act when and where they wanted.

5. Why did Hitler enjoy popular support in Germany for most of the 1930s? Give three reasons. (pgs. 9 - 10)

Hitler enjoyed popular support in Germany for most of the 1930s because he improved the economic situation and reduced unemployment. He also restored national pride for Germans, who were still humiliated by the defeat of WWI and by how poor they had become.

6. Japan voiced its intentions to invade China for what two reasons? (pg. 10)


Japan voiced its intentions to invade China as a means of obtaining raw materials and increasing its power. Japan is an island nation so it depends a lot on foreign trade for raw materials and other supplies, especially for its rapidly growing population and industrial economy. Japan's growing economy was greatly crippled, when the Great Depression reduced foreign trade around the world. Because of this and continuous feelings of discrimination all over the world, Japan was increasingly interested in becoming an economically self-sufficient nation.

7. Compare the Reichstag fire and the explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria. What did they accomplish?

The fire in Reichstag occurred soon after the election. Hitler blamed the fire on German communists, saying they were attempting to overthrow the government and start a civil war. This allowed Hitler to use the fire as an excuse to suspend the freedoms guaranteed by the German constitution, including freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of assembly.
The explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria was in September of 1931. Japan blamed on the Chinese dissidents and called for their military to invade. The Reichstag fire and the explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria both were successful being excuses to gain power. Hitler who put the blame on others and used the attacks as an excuse gained the power to rule, while the Japanese invaded Manchuria and gained its coal and iron ore reserves.

8. Why was the United States unable to oppose Japan in the early 1930s with a significant military force? (pgs. 11 - 12)

The United States was unable to oppose Japan in the early 1930s with a significant military force because the U.S. had drastically reduced the size of of its military since WWI. In 1932 the U.S. had only 244,900 troops compared to the 2,897,000 military personnel they had in 1918.

9. Describe the major similarities and differences among liberal democracy, fascism, and socialism. (pg. 8)

Liberal democracies have a constitution, with elected representatives whose decision making is regulated by a rule of law the emphasizes the rights and freedoms of individuals. Fascism is an authoritarian form of government which puts the economy under government control, and emphasizes the control of the state over the individual. Many found Fascism to be brutally repressive and morally repugnant. Socialism tried to create a classless society that would end the exploitation of workers. To do this they had to dismantle the capitalistic economic system by taking the means of production from the owners and placing them in the hands of the state.

New Deal Essay Outline

The United States tried to solve the problems caused by the Great Depression through relief, reform, and recovery; the United States was successful in easing the Great Depression but not solving all the problems it caused.


I. Introduction
a. State thesis
i. Hoover tried but was too late
1. Economy was too bad
2. Incident with Bonus Army
ii. FDR used the New Deal
1. Successful
2. Limited
II. Hoover
a. Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)
i. Government gives credit to banks, industries, railroads, and insurance companies (ex. trickle down money)
b. Boulder Dam
i. Financed millions of jobs
ii. Provide electricity and flood control
iii. Provide regular water supply enabling growth of California’s massive agricultural economy
c. Rugged Individualism
i. Americans are tough
ii. Government shouldn’t interfere with American economy at peacetime because it took away from the American foundation of freedom and individualism
d. Incident with the Bonus Army
i. WWI vets want money early so they camp out and rally- Hoover disperses them by sending in police- done brutally
III. FDR and the New Deal
a. Problems that needed to be solved
i. Lack of confidence in banks
ii. Law of prices
iii. Massive unemployment
b. Pump priming
i. Lower taxes
ii. Spend money
iii. Run up deficit
c. New agencies created to…
i. Provide relief to needy
ii. Reform finance
iii. Recovery economy
IV. Relief
a. Emergency Banking Act
i. Allowed the Treasury Department to inspect all banks
1. Reopen the sound ones
2. Keep the ones who were unable to repay their debts closed
3. The ones in ok condition will receive loans
ii. People began trusting the banks again
iii. People returning their savings to the banks
b. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
i. Required banks to act carefully with their customers' money
ii. Provided federal insurance for personal bank accounts of up to $5000
iii. Assure bank customers that their money was safe- regained people’s trust
c. Federal Emergency Relief Administration
i. Created jobs for millions of unemployed people
ii. Created bridges, roads, schools, and even outhouses
iii. Put people to work
V. Reform
a. Agricultural Adjustment Administration
i. Raise farm product prices
ii. Slow crop production
iii. Provide stability
iv. Farm prices did rise
b. National Labor Relations Act/ Wagner Act
i. Prevent further unfair labor practices
ii. Prohibited unfair labor practices such as…
1. Threatening workers
2. Firing union members
3. Interfering with union organizing
VI. Recovery
a. National Recovery Administration
i. Promote recovery by interrupting the trends of wage cuts, falling prices, and layoffs
ii. Establish standards for working hours and placed a ban on child labor
iii. Established codes of fair practice: limited production and established prices
iv. Set the prices of many products to ensure fair competition
b. Civilian Conservation Corps
i. Provided relief through work projects and cash payments
ii. Put young men (aged 18 to 25) to work building roads, developing parks, planting trees, and helping in soil erosion and flood-control projects
iii. 3 million young men had passed through and at least made a small living ($30 a month)
iv. The tremendous reforestation program would help to prevent another Dust Bowl
c. Social Security Act
i. Old-age Insurance
1. Supplemented retirement
2. Half from worker and half from employer
3. Helped to make retirement comfortable for millions of people
ii. Unemployment compensation system
1. Federal tax on employers
iii. Aid to families with dependent children and the disabled
1. Paid for by federal funds through states
VII. New Deal Success vs. Limitations
a. Success
i. Created millions of jobs
ii. Restored confidence and stopped investors pulling money out of the banks
iii. Expanded the federal governments role in the new economy
b. Limitations
i. Attempt to pack Supreme Court
ii. 1937 Recession
iii. Sit-down strikes
iv. Too complicated- too many rules and regulations
VIII. Conclusion
a. Reinstate thesis
b. Summarize ideas