Presidency Revision – Changing political environment 1917-80
Changing presidency
Rise and decline of Republicanism to 1933
- Decline of Woodrow Wilson – dominating role in gov and decision
making, WW1 commitment, interventionist approach to foreign policy
- Unpopular desire to commit US to league of nations, limited
commitment to domestic problems in US such as race riots, first red
scare, Spanish flu
- Rise of Republican support – due to undesirable democrat decisions
and failure to support US problems
- Republican isolationism – US play minimal role in intl disputes and
focus on improving itself – Laissez Faire economics, minimal gov
interference – not regulating business and not providing welfare for
poor
- Decline of Republicanism under Hoover – Bonus Army march in 1932
on Washington demanding that the veterans pensions be paid to them
due to impact of the great depression – Hoover sent in troops to put
down the march – declining popularity and his poor handling of the
Great Depression
Influence of Roosevelt
- First New Deal 1933
- First 100 days – great amount of legislation passed by FDR through
Congress – e.g. direct relief to unemployed
- Creation of this expectation for the President to carry out much of their
agenda in the first 100 days
- Creating a larger gov – via the creation of Alphabet Agencies – created
to provide work and help diff sections of society – accountable and
funded by the fed gov
- Increasing size of the fed gov
- Second New Deal 1935 – Social Security Act – fed gov responsible for
provision of direct relief for unemployed and elderly
- Increasing communication of the President to the ppl and media –
fireside chats – use of radio by the president to convey their policy to
the ppl
- Increasing expectation of responsibility from the president to the ppl,
public face of president and increasing powers of the federal
government
, - Roosevelt’s New Deals created the foundation for the modern welfare
state of America
Changing styles of presidential leadership 1945-72
- Truman containment policy – US being the World’s police – increasing
involvement across the globe in containing communism – Korean War
- Korean War also saw congress’ abdication of power of war to the
President – President didnt go thru congress nor declare war but USA
was involved in conflict
- Truman had to shift his policy more towards combatting foreign threats
of communism – forced to take an aggressive opinion known as the
Truman doctrine
- Eisenhower – dynamic conservatism – economic conservative, socially
liberal
- Public image of the presidency was important as they had to be
popular and competent
- President seen as leader of foreign policy – increasing media impact on
the presidency
- JFK – idealistic leadership – New Frontier – offered America new set of
challenges – public interest over private comfort – depicted
Eisenhower/Nixon as selfish
- JFK limited success in domestic policy due to Republican control of
congress and was preoccupied with foreign policy – his involvement in
Vietnam meant US couldnt withdrawal without winning
- LBJ – legislative leadership – much better success in domestic politics
than JFK – had good relations with congress and hence was able to
pass more legislation – Great Society
- LBJ impossible to withdraw from Vietnam – increasing involvement in
vietnam and introduced the draft which was highly unpopular –
American security and honour at stake to win in Vietnam
- JFK and LBJ oversaw civil rights movement – actively supported it and
advocated for racial equality – CR act 1964 and Voting rights act 65
Decline in confidence 1968-80
- Poor media image lost Johnson and Nixon the white house
- Failure of planned withdrawal and national humiliation as Vietnam was
called the “dirty war”
- Loss of trust in the presidency
- Nixon – paranoid style of leadership – anti communist – detente foreign
policy – negotative rather than open hostility – poor political relations
Changing presidency
Rise and decline of Republicanism to 1933
- Decline of Woodrow Wilson – dominating role in gov and decision
making, WW1 commitment, interventionist approach to foreign policy
- Unpopular desire to commit US to league of nations, limited
commitment to domestic problems in US such as race riots, first red
scare, Spanish flu
- Rise of Republican support – due to undesirable democrat decisions
and failure to support US problems
- Republican isolationism – US play minimal role in intl disputes and
focus on improving itself – Laissez Faire economics, minimal gov
interference – not regulating business and not providing welfare for
poor
- Decline of Republicanism under Hoover – Bonus Army march in 1932
on Washington demanding that the veterans pensions be paid to them
due to impact of the great depression – Hoover sent in troops to put
down the march – declining popularity and his poor handling of the
Great Depression
Influence of Roosevelt
- First New Deal 1933
- First 100 days – great amount of legislation passed by FDR through
Congress – e.g. direct relief to unemployed
- Creation of this expectation for the President to carry out much of their
agenda in the first 100 days
- Creating a larger gov – via the creation of Alphabet Agencies – created
to provide work and help diff sections of society – accountable and
funded by the fed gov
- Increasing size of the fed gov
- Second New Deal 1935 – Social Security Act – fed gov responsible for
provision of direct relief for unemployed and elderly
- Increasing communication of the President to the ppl and media –
fireside chats – use of radio by the president to convey their policy to
the ppl
- Increasing expectation of responsibility from the president to the ppl,
public face of president and increasing powers of the federal
government
, - Roosevelt’s New Deals created the foundation for the modern welfare
state of America
Changing styles of presidential leadership 1945-72
- Truman containment policy – US being the World’s police – increasing
involvement across the globe in containing communism – Korean War
- Korean War also saw congress’ abdication of power of war to the
President – President didnt go thru congress nor declare war but USA
was involved in conflict
- Truman had to shift his policy more towards combatting foreign threats
of communism – forced to take an aggressive opinion known as the
Truman doctrine
- Eisenhower – dynamic conservatism – economic conservative, socially
liberal
- Public image of the presidency was important as they had to be
popular and competent
- President seen as leader of foreign policy – increasing media impact on
the presidency
- JFK – idealistic leadership – New Frontier – offered America new set of
challenges – public interest over private comfort – depicted
Eisenhower/Nixon as selfish
- JFK limited success in domestic policy due to Republican control of
congress and was preoccupied with foreign policy – his involvement in
Vietnam meant US couldnt withdrawal without winning
- LBJ – legislative leadership – much better success in domestic politics
than JFK – had good relations with congress and hence was able to
pass more legislation – Great Society
- LBJ impossible to withdraw from Vietnam – increasing involvement in
vietnam and introduced the draft which was highly unpopular –
American security and honour at stake to win in Vietnam
- JFK and LBJ oversaw civil rights movement – actively supported it and
advocated for racial equality – CR act 1964 and Voting rights act 65
Decline in confidence 1968-80
- Poor media image lost Johnson and Nixon the white house
- Failure of planned withdrawal and national humiliation as Vietnam was
called the “dirty war”
- Loss of trust in the presidency
- Nixon – paranoid style of leadership – anti communist – detente foreign
policy – negotative rather than open hostility – poor political relations
