Centralized State Power Outline

• Domestic Events during World War 2

• Draft was expanded to recruit more soldiers
• The government passed laws such as the Revenue Act of 1942 and created agencies like the Office of Price Administration (OPA) in order to regulate economy
• War Productions Board decided whether companies would convert to wartime production
• Rationing (people were to try to save food, gas, and shoes, among other things, to help support the war effort)

• The Cold War
• McCarthyism (domestic anticommunism) - House Un-American Activities Committee searched for the influence of communism in the U.S. Many people are unfairly accused of being or working for communists.
• Containment- U.S. wanted to stop the expansion of communism. The Marshall Plan gave billions of dollars of help to European countries, making communism less appealing

• Presidents- Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon
• Both Kennedy and Johnson wanted to use government power to right economic and social wrongs. Johnson passed laws that Kennedy was unable to get to congress. Their ideas ended up forming the basis of the Great Society.
• Many people supported the growth of centralized state power, thinking that the government could use its power to solve the nation's problems.
• State-required loyalty oaths made judged unconstitutional
• Nixon wanted to decrease government power, thought that the Great Society gave the government too much responsibility.
  

Essential Questions

• From whose viewpoint are we seeing or reading or hearing? From what angle or perspective?
• These current event summaries are based on news articles that come from various sources. Most of these are secondary sources, articles written by those who have witnessed or examined in detail events having to do with the interactions of separate nations. Some primary sources, such as the leaders of the countries involved in these events, may give biased opinions.
  

• How do we know when we know? What's the evidence, and how reliable is it?
• Some articles are purely factual, giving specific details and evidence, often in the form of quotes. However, some articles are just interpretations of current events. These will usually give little evidence and are usually just opinions and observations, and so they may be less reliable.
  
• How are things, events, or people connected to each other? What is the cause and what is the effect? How do they fit together?
• While foreign policy is the focus of these current event summaries, many nations' actions in foreign policy are based around the events within the nations themselves. These nations are sometimes in situations that require them to deal with other countries to help their own interests.
  
• What's new and what's old? Have we run across this idea before?
• Countries have always interacted with each other, often trying to come to an agreement so that they may reach a mutual goal. One focus of these goals is to improve situations such as the conflicts within and between South Asian countries. These conflicts are not, for the most part, new, having very old roots.
  
• So what? Why does it matter? What does it all mean?
• The interactions between nations in South Asia are very important to know about. Some major conflicts or significant deals and agreements could potentially affect the rest of the world. In some cases, they have already begun to do so.
  

Themes for Studying History

I have chosen to study the second theme, which is to "Assess the growth and impact of centralized state power." To do this, I will use standards 17 (Explain important domestic events that took place during World War II), 18 (Analyze the factors that contributed to the Cold War and describe the policy of containment as America's response to Soviet expansionist policies), 24(Analyze the roots of domestic anticommunism as well as he origins and consequences of McCarthyism), and 28 (Analyze the important domestic policies and events that took place during the presidencies of Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon).

Current Events Summary #5

Recently, events in southern Asia show that some countries, Pakistan in particular, are currently active in foreign policy. Pakistan's government seems to be unwavering in its political beliefs and decisions. Some of these decisions are controversial, but still, Pakistan firmly defends its choices. One such decision was the choice to support China in its attempts to force Taiwan into being a part of the mainland's government. Taiwan wishes for independence, and many countries support this goal of freedom. However, Pakistan claims that the majority of its people support the One-China Policy, disagreeing with the nations that support Taiwan.
Also, Pakistan recently performed a test launch of its missiles. These missiles, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, had a range of 700 kilometers, showing that the country would able to use them to hit targets in India within that range. This could be a threat to India, which has had conflicts with Pakistan. Still, Pakistan has not made any mention of such plans. It has, however, stated that it will respond strongly to any attempt to seize the country's nuclear weapons. An idea has been alluded that the United States might try to do so. In response to this idea, Pakistan has warned "those contemplating misadventure" that it is capable of defending itself.

Critical Thinking 23-5 #4

Franklin Roosevelt was a very successful president. He was able to help the country recover from a terrible situation; his New Deal plan, which gave people jobs, hope, and support eventually led to the end of the Great Depression. This was a difficult goal that the previous president, Hoover, was unable to achieve through his efforts. Roosevelt supported his country, and so it supported him in return, and he was reelected multiple times. He was not a perfect leader, though. The New Deal cost the United States a large amount of money, and some critics did not approve of his method of dealing with the Depression because it interfered with business. Also, he did not give much support to civil rights. Still, he successfully led the country through a difficult time, and he is often remembered as a great leader.

Critical Thinking 23-5 #3

The New Deal expanded the power of the federal government in a number of different ways in order to help the nation recover from the Great Depression. The government was given a more important role in the economy. Some critics did not believe that this was the right way to handle the situation. They thought that the government's power was expanded to the point where it was interfering with business and free enterprise. The government had the ability to regulate banking and investment, as well as supply and demand. It could also participate in issues of management and labor. While the New Deal did limit businesses, it was necessary and helpful. The Depression was not over yet, but people were given hope along with work, money, and food. This would help the people survive the difficult times they were struggling in.

Critical Thinking 23-1 #3

The New Deal introduced many programs and laws that would improve the country's situation during the Great Depression. Many of these gave people help in the form of work and insurance. Others, however, gave long term help, keeping the country safe from future troubles. The Federal Securities Act was one of these long term improvements. In 1933, this law was passed in order to prevent another crash in the stock market. It required companies to provide all information about their stock offerings, making these companies responsible for any false information. Soon after this, in 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission was created to regulate the stock market. With this in addition to the Federal Securities Act, the stock market was much safer than before, and it was unlikely that another depression would be caused by a crash in the market.