The Changing Presidency

• The return to normalcy

  After WW1, Republican Warren G. Harding replaced Woodrow Wilson in 1921 due to his new unpopularity. Harding promised a 'return to normalcy'. However, unemployment shot up to around 5m so to return to a pre-war life these problems had to go.
• Isolationism


  Harding believed that the USA should be supportive of other nations but not become 'entangled' with them. Isolationism meant introducing trade tariffs that favoured US businesses; not joining the League of Nations; not setting up colonies. It also meant cutting back on the numbers of immigrants coming into the country.
• The appeal of Republicanism

  When President Harding came into power many democrat voters had looked for an alternative vote because of the disliked war involvement. His slogan was "Less Government in business and more business in government". Encapsulating the notion of 'laissez faire' it was not the government's job to control the economy or manage social problems.
• The First Red Scare, 1919-20


  From 1905-17, Russia went through a series of revolutions. In 1917 the Russian monarchy was toppled and became the Soviet Union or the USSR. The revolutions sent shockwaves around the world scaring capitalists in America, leading to uncertainty surrounding worker strikes. KKK targeted all groups they felt were un-American.
• Rugged Individualism - Herbert Hoover

  Herbert Hoover, elected in 1929, gave the Republican 'laissez faire' policy a spin that dwelt less on inaction and more on allowing people to take responsibility for themselves, in an attempt to reignite the idea of the 'American Dream'. Supporters of rugged individualism believed that the US should isolate itself from other countries, restrict immigration etc
• The Great Depression

  In 1929, underlying problems with the 'boom' combined with the out-of-control share trading produced the Wall Street Crash. This triggered the Great Depression that hit the USA, then the rest of the world. Unemployment soared, people lost their homes, banks and businesses failed. The depression lasted a lot longer than expected due to the Republicans laid back approach to the economy and the country's wellbeing.
• The Decline of Republicanism

  Hoover came to realise that the Republican 'laissez faire' approach wasn't working after the US severely suffered from the Depression's consequences. Hoovervilles formed as the money in the country was at all time low so people were put into 'shanty towns'. Hoover became the person many people blamed for the economic crisis in the country
• New Deal Thinking

  Roosevelt came to power promising a 'New Deal' for the American people, one where federal government, and the president, would do anything to save the country from disaster; very different from Rugged Individualism. FDR promised he would balance the budget. However, the tests that people had to take to gain the relief were so demeaning that the people who needed the help the most, decided against taking them. New Deal thinking stressed the importance of rapid, national growth.
• How did the presidency change?

  FDR was confident, charming, persuasive and knew his own mind. He was a great communicator and was determined to restore confidence to the American people. FDR made the Whitehouse into one of the main places where politics would take place unlike Hoover who only had 3 staff working. He instituted a series of radio broadcasts, 'fireside chats' in which he talked directly to the public explaining his policies.
• Increasing importance of presidency


  FDR was elected for an unprecedented 4 terms so he was clearly very popular. However, he wasn't popular with everyone, wealthy business men disliked his policies; Republicans disliked his enlarging of the powers of the president, as did some Democrats. FDR understood the importance of the media and the need for their support. He not only used radio broadcasts and speeches, but he also held 'off the record' press meetings twice a week with selected reporters at the White House. These were done so the press could never directly quote him on his policies.
• What impact did WW2 have?

  WW2 as much as the 'New Deal' policies halted the USA out of depression. FDR was a wholehearted supporter of the Allies. However, he knew that the reaction to WW1 meant that there were many people, politicians and ordinary citizens alike, who did not want to go to war. Despite saying in a 'fireside chat' that the US would stay neutral, the US joined the war on the 8th of December 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Unemployment dropped steeply as men joined the army and women took the men's places in industries such as farming.
• The Second Red Scare 1947-54

  The Second Red Scare took place in one of the Cold Wars proxy wars, the Korean War. The US supported the Capitalist South and the USSR supported the Communist North becoming each others common enemy in this ideological battle. In 1949, China 'fell' to Communism sending another shockwave of fear around the west, as they feared that this would spark a 'domino effect' of Communism across Asia. The media began to question the government's effort in fighting Communism.
• McCarthyism and Anti-Communism 1954-80

  The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the search for communists during the early 1950s (like a witch-hunt). The FBI were given powers to investigate people and bring them in to be questioned by loyalty boards on very little evidence. They were allowed to open letters, tap phones and bug offices and homes, limiting people's freedom of speech. Anti-communism united the Republicans and the Democrats.
• Liberalism

  The Second Red Scare and increasing violence against black civil rights campaigners, especially in the Deep South, made many people uneasy about the political climate in the USA. A liberalism approach took place under President JFK, while campaigning he discussed the meaning of 'liberalism'. He said that, if it meant forward-thinking, flexible, concerned about the welfare of the people and willing to try to be less suspicious abroad, then he was happy to be classed as one.
• Counter Culture

  While liberal politicians were trying to change the face of politics from within, many young people were trying to remake society altogether: rejecting the values of their parents' generation and distrusting the political machine. They wanted to change society by changing the culture - if people began to live differently, then they would behave differently, without the government telling them what to do. One of these groups were known as the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)