Showing posts with label Isolationism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isolationism. Show all posts

Saturday, February 27, 2010

"Isolationism" and FDR (1935-1941)

1. What were the goals of the isolationists? Why is "isolationism" a misleading term?

The goals of the isolationists were staying out of war, keeping the peace, and being neutral and have a good standing. They thought that America wouldn't be able to make enough in industry or survive the war with the Great Depression still going on. Also, they wanted to keep the peace as means to keep foreign trade and etc. with Europe peaceful. Lastly, they wanted to be neutral and have a good standing in the war (be strong but not be active in the war), they didnt want to be on any side and wanted America to be a good strong example almost. "Isolationism" is a misnomer because it implies that some Americans should isolate itself but in fact this group of people favored international trade and certain bilateral agreements set in the 1930s. Also, many isolationists agreed with some of the terms set during World War I.

2. What did some isolationists feel that there was no need for Americans to feel threatened by developments in Europe and Asia?

They felt that the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans cushoned them from the war, and the U.S. had made friendly alliances with the western hemisphere therefore America was safe all the way around (at least this is what some isolationists thought).

3. What were the purposes of the Nye Committee hearings?

The purposes of the Nye Committee hearings were to investigate why the U.S. went into World War I, let the people know and hopefully understand those reasons, and make people not want war inturn making the United States stay out of the problems in Europe and Asia.

4. List two impressions that the Nye Committee hearings created.

One impression the Nye Committee hearings created was that soldiers had died in WWI because of corporations looking to make profits and had convinced President Wilson to go to war. Secondly, it made Americans believe that big businesses again would drag them into this war too.

5. What were the purposes of the Neutrality Acts?

The purposes of the Neutrality Acts were to keep America from choosing sides in the war, prohibited the shipping of arms and weapons to nations at war, to bring the armament industry under the control of the government, and no Americans on warring country’s ships or American ships in the war.xd

6. List two reasons that some Americans considered Roosevelt's leadership radical and dangerous.

One reason, Americans considered Roosevelt’s leadership radical and dangerous because FDR attempted to “pack” the court with leaders he appointed himself to add to the court, for every man over the age of seventy. Secondly, FDR tried becoming president a third term in 1940, therefore people thought he was becoming overly powerful and in turn dangerous.

7. What was "Cash and Carry"?

“Cash and Carry” was part of the Neutrality Act of 1939 and allowed America to sell products to the warring nations but they would have to pay in cash and find a means as to bring the products to them (America wouldn’t send ships with the products to the warring nations the nations would have to get it themselves).

8. Why did President Roosevelt freeze Japanese assets in the United States?

FDR froze Japanese assets in the United States because FDR thought that Japan was moving too aggressively and after Japan took control of northern French Indochina FDR couldn’t take it anymore.

9. What was the purpose of the America First Committee?

The sole purpose of the America First Committee was to keep the country out of WWII. The AFC called FDR two-faced by saying he was against war but was forcing Congress to pass acts that aided the warring countries like Britain. Also, they urged America to not help any of the warring countries at all.

Monday, February 22, 2010

World Events Set Stage for Isolationism

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

The Japanese reaction to the Treaty of Versailles was "at a crossroads" (p. 4). Some people wanted to join the League of Nations as means to obtain some of the natural resources and markets to help boost their growing economy. Others didn't think that Japan should join nor sign the treaty because they thought that the other countries would still consider them as inferior people and that they would just be ignored. This idea came from the strong discrimination and racial dispositions from France, Great Britain, and the U.S. Another side thought that the higher powers, like France, Great Britain, and the U.S., would just use Japan for their natural resources and markets.

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?

It began a program with the slogan: "Enrich the nation and strengthen the army," which clearly shows that it wanted to spread its traditions and its overall ways of life to the world; like America's "manifest destiny." Also, there were some strong opionions saying "others argued that Japan would need to use military force to achieve its goals," which shows that some people thought that Japan needed to take evasive and aggressive action "to achieve its goals." Then "Japan defeated Russia in the Russo-Japanese War and gained access to parts of Man- churia. Japan annexed Korea in 1910. In 1914, Japan had declared war against Germany in order to "...establish its rights and interests in Asia," which furthermore shows that Japan was moving fast in expanding its territory and their ways of life. The aggression and expansion Japan started making was a great threat to Europe and America and their interests. Japan was threatened by U.S. actions because America was expanding farther west into the specific (the Philippines, Guam, and Hawaii), the U.S. made acts that stopped immigration of Japanese and Chinese immigrants from coming into America, and the U.S. had interests in the markets (and did have some control of some of the areas and markets).

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 U.S. interests were threatened by the immense growth of Japan's navy in the Pacific Ocean. The conference accomplished limited the size of naval ships, placed a mora- torium on building new battleships, outlawed the use of poison gases, and limited the role of submarines in future wars. Also, the nations agreed on an open policy trade with China and agreed to recognize and fix disputes about the issues in the Pacific by sending them to a committee for resolution.

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

Americans remembered the carnage of World War I and wanted strongly to avoid being dragged into another European war. Also, policy-makers continued to resist the obligations of permanent alliances and wished 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, reduced unemployment, and made Germans feel proud of their country again after being humiliated in the Treaty of Versailles by the strong European countries like France and Great Britain.

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

The two voiced reasons were said as a means of obtaining raw material and increasing their power.

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

The Reichstag fire was supposidly made by communists but it is suspected to be made by Hitler and the nazis, and the railway in Machuria was supposidly made by China but it is also suspected the Japan did it. They were both suspected to be done to start an uproar. Japan used it (and made it) to start or invade Manchuria and take control, to basically start this control and expansion of Japan. The fire was made and used by the Nazis and Hitler to suspend the rights of the people (including freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom to assemble). He blamed German communists that they were trying to incite a revolution and overthrow the government. The railway accomplished for Japan control, Japan got to control that part of China and it started the big aggression of Japan's expansion. The fire gave Hitler more power, he got to control the people.

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 because their military force was only in the low hundred thousand whil Japan's was in the millions. Also, the League was also afraid and didn't want to get involved. So America woul have no help, everyone was backing out of fighting and so did America.

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

Some of the major similarities with liberal democracy, fascisim, and socialism are that there is a group of leaders that more or less control the people of their country and the people aren't in complete control. In fascism the Nazis were controled by Hitler he told the nazis what to do to the people to control them and he made laws that controled the people. In socialism the people didn't have any control over pretty much everything, there was a group of people led by Josef Stalin who controled what the people did and what they had. In liberal democracy, there are different levels of groups of people that make laws and such that regulate many things and make rules for people. These rules somewhat control the people, but there are a lot more freedoms here than the others. Here there is freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom to assembly and much more. The people weren't controled in certain ways like how much work they had to do, whether they lived or died. However in fascism under Hitler he tried exterminating certain races such as Jewish people and African Americans. Also, in socialism the people had no rights, they had to go to this assigned job and make a certain amount or quota of whatever they made, and if they didn't they'd be sent to this horrible camps that were very much like the concentration camps run by Hitler.