Edexcel A-level history
Route F: Searching for Rights and Freedoms in the 20th Century
Paper 1: In search of the American Dream: the USA, c1917-96
Theme 1: The Presidency
How far do you agree that the news and media was the most significant influence on the decline of
the confidence in the American presidency in the years 1968-80?
Media was the most significant factor
- Media exposed the lies of the government during Vietnam war
- 1968, Cranville spoke of ‘horror’- made people angry at Johnson for ‘killing kids’
- reported Mai Lai massacre 1968, in which soldiers were rewarded with beer and ice-cream
- Carter was made to look weak by media in 1975 killer rabbit headline
-reported 1979 Iran hostage situation as caused by weakness of president
- Rebut: media started painting carter in positive light – 60-70% support rating at start of term
Economy was most significant factor
- Stagflation in the 70s due to fall of exports 1963- 73 17-13%
-increased tax and unemployment – businesses had less to invest in tech
- 1978-9 unemployment increased from 6-7%
- people slaves to spend, increasing cost of products, ex by 1974 fuel prices x4
- 1960, 70% agreed with government, by 1974 less than 40%
- However, this entire narrative was reported and perpetuated by the media
Scandal
- Watergate 1972-4 – people couldn’t trust the govt
- Ford also immediately pardoned Nixon
- Scandal all reported by media
How accurate is it to say that, in the years 1941-80, the impact of war and the Cold War
brought about a decline in the confidence the nation had in the presidency?
Cold war and WW2
Climate of fear in 2nd red scare exacerbated after WW2
o Fear of espionage, 'China Lobby' blamed Truman for China's fall to
communism
o Alger Hiss found guilty 1949
o Rosenburg trials 1951
These people worked closely with government, with Hiss
being a presidential advisor
Embarrassment of Vietnam
o 1975 shambolic helicopter evacuation --> weakened presidential
prestige
Strength War brought to the presidency --> increasing prestige and confiedence
, o Could make treaties w/o congress
o 1947 CIA and NSC
o Power to instantly react
Economic change
Stagflation of the 1970s, affecting day to day life was blamed on presidency
o Fall in exports from 29%-13% 1953-73, meaning the government had
tax and cost of materials increased
o Fuel crisis - 1973 Arab-Israeli war - OPEC increased price of oil by 70%
and banned exports to the USA
1974 prices x4
Lacking confidence --> scared to spend
o Voted Reagan 1980
Against --> voted republican post war boom (demand 213b - 284b 1945-50) 1953
- suggesting economic effect on politics is limited somewhat
Also media perpetuated it being Carter's fault in the 1970s
Negative media portrayal - most signif, as painted the Cold War for public's eyes
Made it appear as though the president was lying
o In Vietnam LBJ lied about number of soldiers he sent and conspired
with defence sec McNamara to manipulate info about wars cost
o Nixon illegally bombed and invaded Cambodia
Media exposed this - 1968, Cronkite returned and told
horror of Mai Lai massacre
1960 - 70% said they trusted govt, 1974 - 40% --> media saw their role as
exposing the government
Often portrayed presidents as weak
o Jimmy Carter destroyed by media --> falling over and tales of killer
rabbit
Most important because it is what painted the narrative of cold war and war and
made it decline confidence in presidency
How accurate is it to say that the most significant influence on US politics, in the years
1917–60, was a commitment to isolationism?
Isolationism
Foreign Policy - refused to join League of Nations 1924 or join World Court 1935
--> and Neutrality act
Immigration - Emergency Quota Act 1921, Reduced Immigration from 375k/year
to 150k --> became permanent
Trade - import tariffs; Fordney-McCumber Tariff Act 1922
o Harding promised to return to 'normalcy' with 'less govt in business' --
> made laissez faire, small govt
Limited; this was not absolute i.e. Dawes Plan 1924 and Young Plan 1929 (for
German reparations) , Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928 --> drawn up by US secretary of
state
, Also only isolationist 1917-41 --> and still that is somewhat limited, so not
significant or withheld for whole time frame
The Great Depression's changes to the presidency
Increased role of exec and role of federal govt in peoples' lives --> also change
public political opinion of what a president should do
o AAA - paid farmers to produce less food, and 1935 killed 6m piglets
o CWA - provided 4m jobs in 1933
o Allowed to not consult congress
Long term change --> this growing presidential involvement was sustained
o 1947 national security act
o 1961 Bay of Bigs - covert missions not subject to congressional
oversight
While it significantly placed the foundation for high presidential power --> the
great depression is arguably not responsible for the longevity of increased
executive power
o Can argue anti-communism instead justified this continued growth
Recurring Anti-communism
1st Red Scare 1917-1920
o Legislation - 1917 Espionage Act and Sedition Act 1918
o Palmer Raids (Attorney General) 1919-1920 --> deported 6,000
suspected communists - created political atmosphere of fear
2nd Red Scare 1950s
o Fuelled foreign policy against communism --> intervening in South
Korea and Vietnam
o McCarthyism --> 1950, said he had 205 names of communists in state
dept
o Took up much of govt time and dominated political agenda --> so
much so that the NAACP had to perform a purge --> weakened
movement and federal aid
Signif: recurring, also changing isolationism/interventionist policies were often in
response to it
o Vast change from isolationism --> had many effects that branched
wider than foreign policy and trade
How far do you agree that the impact the Second World War had on American politics and
society was very different from that of the First World War?
Political; Changed political landscape
Similar - exacerbated threat of Red Scares
o WW1 - anarchy and communism, 1919-20 Palmer Raids, Sacco and
Vanzetti 1920
Communist Party of America - strikes such as 1919 4m on
strike
o WW2 - exacerbated an acute anti communism
