Ch 29: Wilsonian Progressivism at Home and Abroad
A) Election of 1912: The Clash of Political & Economic Philosophies
1. TR’s Bull Moose Progressive Party
B) Wilson Assails the Triple Wall of Privilege: Tariff, Banks, Trusts
1. Tackling Tariffs
-final authority of FRB insured substantial measure of public control
C) New Directions in Foreign Policy
1. In contrast to Taft & TR, Wilson detested dollar diplomacy & imperialism/big stickism
D) Neutrality at the Outset of World War I
1. WWI in Europe—Central Powers (Ger, Aust-Hung) v. Allies (Fr, Brit, Russ)
E) America Earns Blood Money
1. Trade w. Brit & Fr pulled Am industry out of recession
F) Wilson Wins Reelection in 1916
1. TR’s Bull Moose Progressive Party
- Platform--New Nationalism: further consolidation & stronger gov control of trusts/labor unions, woman suffrage, social welfare
- Heat of campaign cooled off when TR shot in Milwaukee
- Divided Rep vote (Taft=real Rep candidate) throwing election to Dems
- Soon died out due to lack of officials elected to local/state offices
- As NJ governor, he waged war against trusts & promised to return state gov to ppl
- Platform--New Freedom: small enterprise, entrepreneurship, free functioning of unregulated/unmonopolized markets, banking reform, tariff reductions; anti-social welfare, believed in competition & fragmentation (aot regulation) of trusts
- Minority pres: won less pop votes than Bryan, despite increase in population
- Idealist politician, inflexibly stubborn when it came to issues of principle (no compromising)
- Related to public thru sincerity & moral appeal, but lacked ppl skills
B) Wilson Assails the Triple Wall of Privilege: Tariff, Banks, Trusts
1. Tackling Tariffs
- Summoned Cong into special session 1913 & contrary to precedent, presented the appeal himself
- House passed Underwood Tariff Bill & used public opinion to force it thru Senate
- Reduced tariffs & enacted graduated income tax (under authority granted by XVI Amd)
- By 1917, revenue from income tax much > revenue from tariff
- Civil War Nat’l Banking Act-->inelastic currency (banking reserves heavily concentrated in major cities, couldn’t be mobilized in hard times into areas that needed $$)--> TR’s 1907 panic
- Wilson personally appealed to Cong 1913; endorsed Dem proposals for decentralized bank in govt hands aot Rep demands for huge private bank w. 15 branches--> Federal Reserve Act
- New Federal Reserve Board, pres-appted, oversaw system of 12 districts (w own central bank)
-final authority of FRB insured substantial measure of public control
- FR Act carried nation thru financial crises of WWI & smoothed progress toward modern econ age
- Fed Trade Commission Act 1914 empowered pres-appted commission to oversee industries engaged in interstate commerce & crush monopoly by rooting out unfair trade practices
- Clayton Anti-Trust Act 1914 added to Sherman Act’s list of bad business practices & exempted labor/agricultural orgs from antitrust prosecution while legalizing strikes/peaceful picketing
- Federal Farm Loan Act 1916 made credit available to farmers at low interest rates
- Warehouse Act 1916 authorized loans on security of staple crops
- La Follette Seamen’s act 1915 required decent treatmt & living wage for sailors
- Workingmen’s Compensation Act 1916 granted assistance to fed civil-servants in hard times
- Adamson Act 1916 est 8hr day for all workers on trains in interstate comm. + extra for overtime
- Nominated reformer Louis Brandeis, 1st Jew, to SupCt
C) New Directions in Foreign Policy
1. In contrast to Taft & TR, Wilson detested dollar diplomacy & imperialism/big stickism
- Proclaimed that gov wouldn’t offer special support to Am investors in Latin Am & China
- Repealed Panama Canal Tolls Act 1912-exempted Am coastwise shipping from tolls
- Jones Act 1916- granted to Philippines territorial status & indep as soon as stable govt est
- Sent SecState to get CA gov (wanted to get rid of Jpnese) to soften stand-->eased relations w. Jp
- Political turmoil in Haiti forced him to dispatch marines & conclude treaty w. Haiti in 1916 providing for US supervision of finances & police to protect Am lives & property for 19 yrs.
- Also sent marines to quell riots in Dominican Republic in 1916 & make it protectorate for 8 yrs.
- Purchased Virgin Islandsfrom Denmark in 1917.
- Pres murdered & Gen. Victoriano Huerta installed as pres. Chaosà massive migration to US
- Rev menaced Am lives/propertyàsome called for war, but Wilson refused to intervene until…
- Some Am sailors were arrested by Mex in 1914, and tho they were promptly released, Wilson, intent on eliminating Huerta, ordered navy to seize Mex port of Vera Cruz
- War was prevented when ABC Powers (Argentina, Brazil, Chile) got Huerta to step down.
- Venustiano Carranza became Pres àrival Francisco Villa hoped to provoke war w. US by killing Amsà Gen. John Pershing ordered to break up the gang.
- Hwvr, as war w. Germany became imminent, invading army was withdrawn Jan 1917.
D) Neutrality at the Outset of World War I
1. WWI in Europe—Central Powers (Ger, Aust-Hung) v. Allies (Fr, Brit, Russ)
- Serb patriot killed heir to Austria-Hungary throne in summer 1914
- Vienna gov, backed by Germany, presented ultimatum to Serbia, but it refused to budge.
- Russia (Serb’s ally) started mobilizing army, alarming Ger--> struck at France, UK entered conflict
- Ams felt safe & wanted to stay out of conflict.
- Brit, w. close cultural, linguistic, econ ties, drenched US w. tales of Ger bestiality.
- Ger counted on natural sympathies of compatriots in US, but most Ams anti-Ger bc Kaiser Wilhem II seemed like embodiment of arrogant autocracy.
- Ger’s invasion of neutral Belgium & plans to sabotage Am industry inflamed public opinion, yet most Ams still wanted to remain neutral.
E) America Earns Blood Money
1. Trade w. Brit & Fr pulled Am industry out of recession
- Am bankers, e.g. JP Morgan, advanced Allies $2.3bn during Am neutrality. As a result…
- CP protested agst immense Am-Allies trade, even tho it didn’t violate international law
- Ger could have traded w. Am, but Brit controlled seas & blockaded Atlantic
- Berlin declared that they wouldn’t try to sink neutral shipping, but warned mistakes probable
- WW, still intent on neutrality, warned Ger that it would be held accountable for attacks on Ams
- Lusitania, Br passenger liner was torpedoed w. 128 Am deaths--> only E US wanted to fight
- Arabia, Br liner sunk 2 Am deaths--> Ger agreed not to sink unarmed pass ships w/o warning but
- Sussex, Fr pass steamer sunk--> WW would break diplomatic relations if Ger didn’t stop
- Sus Pledge: Ger agreed under condition that US must persuade Allies to modify “illegal blockade”
- US obviously couldn’t do that, but WW accepted pledge eager to win precarious neutrality
F) Wilson Wins Reelection in 1916
- Progressives renominated TR, but he refused to run so as not to split Rep votes, letting WW win again.
- Rep-SupCt justice Charles E Hughes. Platform: agst Dem tariff, assaults on trusts, dealings w. Mex/Ger
- Dem- WW. Platform: “He Kept Us Out of War”; won thanks to MidW/W & working class, attracted by progressive reforms & antiwar policies
xxix._wilsonian_progressivism_at_home_and_abroad.doc | |
File Size: | 53 kb |
File Type: | doc |