Second Semester Test Blog

Driving Ideas for Semester Two:

1. What were the causes of the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression?

Causes of the Stock Market Crash:

Over-speculation during the 1920's
Overproduction of goods
"Buying on margin"
Uneven distribution of wealth
Too much borrowing from banks due to low interest rates
Stock prices overpriced, did not have real value
Lack of government regulation
Federal Reserve-higher interest

Causes of the Great Depression:

Stock market crashed in 1929
Overproduction of goods.
Over-consumption of goods.
Banks were failing-
- 10,000+/- banks failed under Hoover's presidency.
Reduction in purchasing -
- People lost their jobs, so they didn't have money to buy things.
- The money supply was decreasing.
- Suppliers and Businesses didn't have enough money, so they steeply rose their prices.
American economic policy with Europe-
- More of a consequence than a cause. Smoot- Hawley Tariff.
- Over 20,000 imported goods had record tariffs for European Countries.
- Europe retaliated with their own tariffs.
  - Protect American companies.
- Hurt more than help.
Drought conditions
- During the economic depression there was a drought.
- There was a larger drought on the southwest.
- Farmers couldn't produce anything.
  - So everybody left.

2. What impact did the stock market crash and Great Depression have on the lives of people in the United States?

Homelessness
- Many mortgages on peoples homes were foreclosed and that left millions of people homeless.
- This lead to people building small shacks or shanty homes (Hoovervilles)

Starvation and Illness
- People went to dumpsters to find meals
- Not a lot of people actually starved to death they just had enough to live. Used soup kitchens.

Unemployment
- At its highest 25% in the US, and 33% in other countries.
- Many unemployed workers committed suicide since they had nothing.
Stock Market
- World trade fell
- Economic growth fell
- One cause of the Great Depression
- Bank Failure
- Business Failure
Bank Failures
- People tried to withdraw money that wasn't there.
- 40% of banks collapsed.
- 1933, people lost 140 billion dollars.
Hoovervilles
- Hoovervilles were villages for the unemployed.
- Lived in what they had to build with.
- Floors were made out of dirt.
- Families only had one or two rooms to live in.
Other Countries
- The UK was the most affected.
- All of Europe was tremendously affected and some countries were put into a Great Depression as well
Dust Bowl
- Covered the affected areas with dirt.
- The reason for it was because of the drought in 1934 and farmers didn't conserve the land right.
- People had to wear masks whenever they were outside.
Vicious cycle of the GDBreadlines
- Companies lose $$ so they lay people off
- Unemployment rate goes up and less people buy goods as income has dropped.
- Companies don't sell as much, so they lay more people off, or close down.
- Cycle repeats.
Apple Venders

3. What did the United States government do to help alleviate the problems the Great Depression brought to our country?

President Herbert Hoover
- Created the Ag. Market Act of 1929.
- Believed local communities should provide relief for unemployment.
- RFC- Agency gave 2 billion dollars to small governments and gave loans to banks, railroads, and other businesses (trickle-down theory). Hayden Planetarium.
- Settlements of shacks were named after him called "Hoovervilles".
- Believed that the government was an umpire, not a player, in the game.
- Laissez faire.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
- FDR was the 32nd president.
- Lead the country through The Great Depression and WWII,
- He served 4 terms in office.
- He helped greatly by shaping the government to help the society.
- He felt it was the government's job to help the American people.
- FDR was the start of the plan called the "New Deal"
- FDR started the New Deal to help the the economy so the depression would not repeat itself.
FDR and the New Deal
- The first New Deal was focused on helping businesses and banks.
- It started in 1933.
- This program was started to help the Great depression.
- It was focused on the 3 R's: relief, recovery, and reform.
- It was a high number of acts and administrations addressing the horrible effects of the Great Depression.
Significant Legislation: FDR
- Home Owner's Loan Corporation:
  - Prevented foreclosing
  - Refinanced home mortgages..
- The Federal Emergency Relief Administration
  - Provided assistance to the unemployed and the families. ($20 million)
  - Provided work.
- Emergency Banking Account
  - Reopened banks.
  - FDR's 100 days.
    - Banking holiday- closing down banks until they were safe to use again.
  - Money was put back into the banks.
  - Many people started using banks again.
  - Emergency Banking Relief Act (EBRA)
    - Passed 5 days after taking office.
    - Making sure the banks were safe.
    - Provided insurance to people's money in the bank.
    - Very successful.
- Tennessee Valley Authority
  - Government dams and hydroelectric plants for electric power.
  - Hired the unemployed.
  - 9Developed new fertilizers and taught farmers how to improve crop yields.
- Agriculture Adjustment Administration
  - Reduced the production of staple crops.
  - Paid farmers to reduce the amount of crops they made.
  - Reduced crop surplus to raise prices.
  - Over 6 million pigs were slaughtered to raise prices.
  - A lot of people didn't like the AAA; they thought what they were doing was cruel.
- Farm Security Administration (FSA)
  - Gave small farmers to buy farms.
  - Dust bowl and drought forced farmers off their land.
  - FSA provided relief for these people.
- (PWA) Public works Administration
  - Created as many jobs as possible.
  - Paid a lot of money to make a lot of money.
- Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
  - Improved production and marketing of farm products.
  - Started "all-risk" crop insurance.
  - Guaranteed a percentage of your crops if they are damaged.
- Work Progress Administration (WPA).
  - Established in 1935.
  - Largest and most comprehensive New Deal agency.
  - Make work program.
  - Projects primarily inexperienced workers.
  - Helped artists.
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
  - Makes sure the people in the stock market are following the rules.
  - Will imprison you if you are not (Martha Stuart).
- Federal Securities Act
  - Made the stock market safer for people's money.
  - Prohibited "stock pooling".
- National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA).
  - Created by the NRA.
  - Established "codes of fair competition" (employers be fair to your employee and vice verse.)
  - Guaranteed workers the right to unionize.
  - Seen as a failure.
- National Youth Administration (NYA).
  - Part of WPA
  - Heavily pushed by Elenore Roosevelt.
  - Provided jobs for young boys.
  - Boys actually stayed home instead and worked from there.
- Social Security Act (SSA).
  - Helped the old people.
- Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. (FDDCA)
- Fair Labor Standards Act. (FLSA)
  - Established 40 hour work week.
  - Prohibited child labor.
  - Still exists today.
- National Labor Relations Act/Board.
  - Helped Factory workers.
- United States Housing Authority (USHA)
  - Designed to lend money to the states or communities for low-cost home construction
  - Homes were designed for low-income for low-income and homeless people.
- Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
  - Insured loans made by banks and other private lenders for home building and home buying.
- Rural Electrification Administration (REA)
  - Provided farms with inexpensive electric lighting and power and eventually telephone services.
  - By 1939 rural households with electricity had risen to 25%. (up from 10% 7 years earlier.)
- Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act.
  - Planted trees.
  - Made sure the people treat their land better.
  - They didn't want another dust bowl.
- Agriculture Adjustment Act. (AAA)
  - Restricted production during the New Deal by paying farmers to reduce the amount of crops planted.
  - Its purpose was to reduce crop surplus so the prices would go up.
- Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
  - Members lived in camps.
  - Aimed at young guys.
  - Paid $30 a month $25 dollars went back to family.
- The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA).
The Second New Deal
- This is another part of the New Deal.
- This had a stronger focus on the social reform.
- In April, he created the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to provide jobs for unemployed people.
- WPA focused more on building post offices, schools, bridges, and highways.
- In July 1935 the Wagner Act was created to supervise union elections and businesses from treating the workers unfairly.

4. What long lasting impact did the Great Depression have on the US and world?

Market Crash
- SEC- Enforces security laws and to protect investors and keep markets secure.
- FDIC- Protects money and banks by insuring the money will be there.
Miscellaneous
- Crime rate rose.
- Mass migration.
- Congress passing the Social security act in 1935.
- Hard to get education.
- Sports were used to distract from the depression. Radio was used mostly.
- Providing health care.
Relief programs and tariffs
- Most countries had relief programs.
- People refused to bank.
- Smoot Hawley tariff.
FDR's creations (Still around today.)
- Was considered one of America's greatest Presidents.
- Security and Exchange Commission. (SEC)
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. (FDIC)
- National Labor Relations Board. (NLRB)
- Tennessee Valley Authority. (TVA)
Other
- Fascist, military and communist dictators come to power throughout the world.
- New Deal creates many organizations that are still around today.
- Deficit spending starts
- New Deal programs start-makes the US government much larger.
Radio
- Was big in the great depression.
- Made the US "closer".
- Gave people the ability to listen to sports and world news when they aren't able to make it to the live event.
Electronics
- Klevinator Washer Wringer- First washer and dryer set/
- Tappan Gas Range- first oven.
- New GE refrigerator. - First Fridge where you didn't need ice to keep it cold.
- Radio.
Sports
- Boxing-Joe Louis
- Football- New leather padding
- Baseball- African American players. Record crowds.
- Motorsports- Powerboat and Automobile racing.
Social Security Administration
- RSDI (Retirement, Survivors, Disability Insurance.)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  Medicare
  - Criteria
    - Citizenship
    - $2000 (financial resources)
    - $718 (income)
    - Social Security Number

5. What were the causes of WWII?

Nationalism
Imperialism
Militarism
Alliances

6. What impact did the United States have on WWII?

We had a stronger army.
The war ended just months after we entered.
The sleeping giant was awoken.

7. What were the goals for the US during the Cold War?

End communism.
Stop the Domino Effect.

8. What were some of the major events that took place during the Cold War?

Nicknamed the Forgotten War.

-Berlin Blockade/airlift

Soviets put up a blockade so we couldn't get in because they wanted to be a communist country.
We took planes and gave west Berlin guns.
Lasted 8 months.
Started in June of 1948 ended in May of 1949.

-Cuban Missile Crisis

Soviets put missiles in Cuba.
Closer range.
The Bay of Pigs invasion.
First Strike Availability.
- Who ever strikes first will win.
- We put them in Turkey so they put them in Cuba.
We found out about theirs because of our spy planes.
Closest we ever came to nuclear war.
Compromise reached-
- Soviets pull their missiles out of Cuba, we promise not to invade Cuba.
- Under the table- with in 6 months we will pull our missiles out of Turkey.

-Red Scare/McCarthyism

People were afraid of communism.
After both WWs
Joe McCarthy. Republican Senator.
- Said he knew was communist.
- He would accuse people of being communist.
- You would lose your jobs. Black listed.
- Whether you admit it or not you were a communist.
- Died of alcohol abuse.
- The Senate censored him. (shut him up.)
HUAC
- Nixon led.
- Organization that went after Hollywood.
- Believed "Communist" directors were spewing out communist movies.

-Space Race

Race between U.S. and Soviet Union to get to outer space, the moon.
Soviets were in the lead because of Sputnik.
After that Science and Math were heavily pushed in the US.
1958- Explorer One was our first US satellite.
Yuri Gagarin- First Person in outer space. USSR.
1960- Moon Shot Space.
1969- US reached moon.
- Neil Armstrong.
- Buzz Aldrin.
Space Shuttle.
1985- Challenger Explosion.
NASA.
MIR- International Space Station.
Hubble Space Telescope.

-Bay of Pigs

Bay in Cuba.
Fidel Castro is the leader.
Just became power a couple years ago.
Communist.
Nixon had decided to plan to invade the Bay.
JFK started it.
The anti-Castro Cubans carried it out.
Kennedy would not allow us to help at all so it wouldn't look like the US was involved even though he promised to help.
It was said that the mafia was involved in the Bay of Pigs.

-Berlin Wall

Germans wanted to split up west and east Berlin.
Built it overnight August 12, 1961
Up for 30 some years
12 ft tall wall
Would shoot at people that would try and escape
Finally brought it down when hundreds of people climbed on top of it.

9. Why did the US go to war in Korea and Vietnam and what were outcome of those wars?

Back and Forth.
The country was split right after WWII.
We didn't think that North Korea was such a big threat so we removed our troops which opened the door for North Korea to invade South Korea.
Kim il Sung went Stalin and Mao for help and after a lot of compromise they finally agree.
North Korea was going to invade South Korea.
United Nations steps in.
Armistice was signed.
DMZ
- De-Militarize Zone.
- Actually most militarized zone in the world.
- If North Korea would try and start a war there with South Korea it would mean starting a war with us since we are down the as well

Vietnam Conflict 1950-1975.

The French Connection

France had gained control of Indochina in a series of colonial wars in the mid-late 1800's.
During WWII, Vichy France worked with Japanese forces in controlling Indochina.
After the Japanese surrender the French fought to gain more power over Vietnam
The eventually pull out and the Vietnamese think they gained their independence.

Geneva Conference-1954

Vietnam was partitioned temporarily into two parts north and south Vietnam, communist and non-communist.
The three powers came together Ho Chi Minh, Bao Dai, and Ngo Dihn Diem.
The Geneva Conference (1954) set up elections to unify the country by July, 1956.
Such election were never set up because they were afraid to lose.

Who Fought?

The US Armed Forces.
The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN- the South Vietnamese Army)
VS.
The NLF, a group of South Vietnamese guerrilla fighters(Vietcong)
The People's Army of Viet Nam (PAVN- the North Vietnamese Army, pronounced Pahvin)

Escalation-Truman through Johnson

President Truman began US involvement by sending money to help the French.
President Eisenhower continued US support bu sending military advisers to give temporary support to Diem's Government in the South
President Kennedy continued sending advisers as well as special operation forces (green berets)
President Johnson sent more and more combat forces.

Golf of Tonkin Resolution-

Several US ships were supposedly attacked by North Vietnamese boats.
Most experts today do not think the ships were attacked.
They think that Johnson set it up so he could wage war against North Vietnam.
On August 26, 1964, President Johnson was nominated as the Democratic candidate for presidency of the US.

War-

President Johnson and General Westmoreland kept saying with more troops we will win the war.
So they kept sending more and more troops.
Most Americans believed this at first.
The American public's faith was shattered, on January 30, 1968, when the enemy, supposedly on the verge of collapse, mounted the Tet Offensive in which every major city in South Vietnam was attacked.
Named after the lunar new year festival which is the most important Vietnamese holiday in South Vietnam.
Although we crushed the enemy military, the surprising huge offensive attack from an enemy that was supposedly almost defeated convinced many Americans that victory was impossible.
Americans realized that the government was lying to them.

Operation Rolling Thunder

We bombed them big time.
We did not want to invade them since we were afraid of what China and the SU would do.

Anti-War

Why people were so against the war?
- Tet Offensive.
- Pentagon Papers
  - Leaked out to the people by the NY Times.
  - Gave the actualities of the war.
  - Showed the government was lying.
- Injuring/killing innocent people (My Lai Massacre)
- Supporting a bad government in South.
- The power of the press.
- Make peace not war.
- Napalm attacks.
Kent St. Massacre
- Ohio.
- Students were protesting the war.
- The national government came to keep it quiet.
- The students had trapped the officers and someone started shooting.
- One of the biggest school shootings.
My Lai Massacre March 1968
- We didn't do this.
- Hundreds of people were raped.

How to get out?

Went to Canada or Sweden.
Went to College.
Got Married.
Medically unfit for services.
Joined the National Guard or Peace Corps.
Claimed to be Homosexual
Being rich.

10. How did the Cold War come to an end?

- Gorbachev and Reagan.
- We had close ties with our Allies and the USSR didn't.
- China started siding with us after 1972.
- The Soviet economy was in shambles whereas the US's was flourishing.
  - Huge deficit
  - High inflation
  - Corruption
  - Social problems
  - Shortage of basic needs (food,housing)
- The strong anti-communist Presidency of Reagan.
- Gorbachev's willingness for change and reform.
  - glasnost and perestroika
  - admitted Soviet mistakes
  - took blame for the Cold War
  - communist system had failed
  - allowed Eastern Europe to do what they wanted
- Arms Reduction Talks
  - SALT, INF, Reagan-Gorbachev meetings
- Soviets Mistakes
  - invasion of Afghanistan
  - ignoring social concerns
  - spent everything of military
- War on Drugs
  - Reagan announced a War on Drugs in 1982.
  - Crack was the biggest drug back then.
- Iran Contra Scandal-1986
  - US used the $$ from secret weapons sales to Iran to fund the Contras in Nicaragua which Congress had outlawed.
  - The goal was to free seven US Hostages in Iran at the time.
  - Reagan said he knew nothing of this action.

11. Know these major major post-Cold War Events:

-JFK Assassination

Shot during parade.

-Watergate

President Nixon
Spies went in to bug the democrat conference
Spies get caught, and it leads back to Nixon.

-Iran Hostage Crisis

Political crisis were 52 hostages were taken for 444 days in 1979
Ayatollah Khomeini-was the main man of Iran at the time
1977 the Islamic government took over the part of Iran we liked. The part that would do whatever we would say.
Ever since 1977 Iran has been a problem for the US
After two failed negotiation attempts the tried to rescue the hostages which was a failure and ended up killing 8 US citizens and 1 Iranian civilian.
Iraq invaded Iran and Iran let the hostages go on January 20, 1981.
All the blame went to Carter.

-Persian Gulf War(1991)

August 2 1990- February 1991
Iraq invaded Kuwait
Saddam Hussein started gassing is own people.
Operation Desert Shield
Operation Desert Storm
Results:
- Coalition Force victory, Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait, destruction of Iraqi/Kuwait infrastructure.
Coalition-483 dead, Iraq-20,000-35,000
1991-2003
- No-fly zone.
- Weapons inspectors
- WMD's
How did the Persian Golf War lead to 9/11?
- Operation Desert Shield.
- We never left Saudi Arabia.

-9-11

Al Qaeda hijacked 4 planes crashed one into a field after the passengers gained control, one into the pentagon and 2 into the twin towers.
Made us have more security in our airports.
Caused the war in Afghanistan.
- We went to war there.
- The Taliban was the leader there.
- That's where Al Qaeda was training.

-War in Afghanistan

After going to Iraq we went to Afghanistan to follow Al-Qaeda.
Afghanistan was allowing Al-Qaeda to practice and train.

-War in Iraq

We wanted Saddam Hussein.
We believed they had WMD's.
We found Hussein literally in a hole.
The new Iraqi government was the one who did the trial and execution of him.

-Civil Rights Issues(African Americans, Women)

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