Chapter 25—The Global Crisis, 1921-41

BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS FOR SECTION I: What were some major American diplomatic maneuvers during the 1920s? How did the U.S. respond to crises of the early 1930s?

I.The Diplomacy of the New Era (pp. 710-712) —How active was America in foreign affairs during the 1920s?

  1. Replacing the League—How did America officially end it involvement in WWI?
  2. Washington Conference of 1921—What agreements were made at the conference?
  3. Kellogg-Briand Pact—What was agreed to in the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928?
  4. Debts and Diplomacy—Why was America concerned with the financial health of Europe?
  5. Circular Loans—Who was borrowing money from whom, and how were these loans “circular”? Under what conditions was the flow of money able to continue? How were American companies becoming invested in Europe? What barriers existed for European trade in America?
  6. Economic Expansion in Latin America—How much did American investments increase in Latin America in the 1920s?
  7. Hoover and the World Crisis—Who came to power in Italy and Germany in part because of troubled economic times?
  8. Manchuria—What did Japan do in Manchuria? How did Hoover react?
  9. Failure of America’s Interwar Diplomacy—What was the failed vision for foreign affairs that America had tried to institute?

BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS FOR SECTION II: How did America change its foreign policy stance towards Latin America under FDR? What were the major components of America’s shift towards isolationism in the 1930s? What events pushed Europe towards WWII in the 1930s?

II.Isolationism and Internationalism (pp. 712-718)—What two major challenges did FDR face when he took office? Where did most Americans want to focus?

  1. Depression Diplomacy
  2. FDR’s “Bombshell”—What did FDR do to stop the unstable system of “circular loans”? What did FDR do to increase trade?
  3. America and the Soviet Union
  4. The Good Neighbor Policy—What was FDR’s new attitude towards intervention in Latin America?
  5. Inter-American Conference—What did FDR’s Secretary of State proclaim at the conference? How would America try to control its Latin American neighbors?
  6. The Rise of Isolationism
  7. Sources of Isolationism—What did Americans choose when it came to being more active on the world stage?
  8. Neutrality Acts—What were the Neutrality Acts intended to do? What did the 1935 Act do? What was the “cash-and-carry” notion in the 1937 Act?
  9. Ethiopia—How did America react to events in Ethiopia and Spain?
  10. “Quarantine Speech”
  11. The Failure of Munich—Where did Germany continue to expand under Hitler?
  12. Munich Conference—What happened at the Munich Conference, and what did Hitler promise?
  13. Failure of “Appeasement”—What was “appeasement”? What did Hitler do after the Munich Conference? What agreement did Hitler make with Stalin? What happened on September 1, 1939 (and what happened thereafter)?

BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS FOR SECTION III: How did the United States become more involved in WWII prior to Pearl Harbor? What events led to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor?

III.From Neutrality to Intervention (pp. 718-724) —Did FDR ask Americans to remain neutral?

  1. Neutrality Tested
  2. Cash-and-Carry—How was the “cash-and-carry” stipulation in the Neutrality Acts modified after the start of WWII?
  3. Fall of France—By June of 1940, where had Germany advanced? Who in Europe remained to face the Germans? How did FDR get around the cash-and-carry provisions of the Neutrality Act?
  4. Shifting Public Opinion—How was public opinion about the war shifting?
  5. America First Committee—What did the America First Committee stand for, and who were some of its famous members?
  6. The Third-Term Campaign—How did FDR make history in 1940? Who did he face in the election? What was the result of the election?
  7. Neutrality Abandoned
  8. Lend-Lease—What was the Lend-Lease system? How did American start helping Britain in the Atlantic?
  9. Germany Invades the USSR—How did the U.S. help the U.S.S.R.?
  10. Atlantic Charter—What was the “Atlantic Charter”?
  11. The Road to Pearl Harbor
  12. Tripartite Pact—With whom did Japan ally in 1940? To protest Japanese military aggression in Asia, what did the FDR do to Japanese assets? What did he do to trade with Japan? With what choices were the Japanese left?
  13. Tokyo’s Decision for War—What did the U.S. know about the impending Japanese attack?
  14. Pearl Harbor—What happened on December 7, 1941? What fortunate accident happened for the Americans? How did the American people react, and how did Congress react? By December 11, who was at war with whom?