The Modern Presidency: FDR and Key Policies

The Modern Presidency: Franklin D. Roosevelt

• FDR served only two terms as president
• FDR's Four Freedoms: Freedom from fear, want, worship, and speech.
• "Uncle Joe" was a nickname for Stalin.
• End of WWII: Russian army refused to leave Poland.

Key Events and Policies

• NATO (1949) and Warsaw Pact (1955): Key Cold War alliances.
• Pearl Harbor (1941): Attack on the US that led to entry into WWII. There is disagreement about the restorative actions needed on global empires.
• Civil Rights: Brown v. Board of Education court cases (1952-55) aimed to desegregate and ended Jim Crow. Brown I was the landmark case against segregation in schools. Brown II was about how to desegregate, how it would happen and was it deliberate segregation.
• Civil Rights Act (1964): Landmark legislation ending Jim Crow.
• Voting Rights Act (1965): Act motivated by civil rights act of 1964.
• HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee): Investigated suspected communists.
• Korean War (1950-53): The US and USSR were close within their respective geopolitical conflicts, and Stalin even armed North Korea.
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): 13-day confrontation, nearly led to nuclear war.
• LBJ's Presidency: Inherited and followed JFK's policies in the short term but embraced the long term domino theory to further contain soviet involvement.
• 1968 "Violence Year": Urban riots following Martin Luther King's assassination. A Chicago Democratic convention of tumult.
• Nixon's Presidency: Promoted a "law and order" agenda, targeting specific ideologies and appealing to the "silent majority" and attracting southern votes. His “peace with honor” policy and cultural diplomacy made him effective in peace-time. He was consistently anti-communist in his approach.
• Watergate: Scandal causing Nixon's resignation, reporting occurred among his own party and led to major investigations.
• Ford's Presidency: Short term, a lack of legitimacy
• CIA "Family Jewels": Uncovered controversial activities. A controversial report detailing actions of the CIA, especially in Latin America, including coups under Eisenhower and assassination attempts.
• Cold War's Human Toll: CIA involvement in Latin American coups and foreign leader assassinations happened under Eisenhower.

Post-Watergate Reforms

• Congressional oversight and investigations of the white house, related to domestic operations, occurred post-Watergate scandal.

US-Soviet Relations

• Reagan's Presidency: Reagan's strong personality and optimistic rhetoric, along with Gorbachev's willingness to meet, improved US-Soviet relations. "Trust, but verify" and the concept of an "evil empire".
• Bush Sr.'s Presidency: Concerned with the quick reunification of Germany.
• Carter's Presidency: Boycotted the 1980 Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; worsening relations.

Economic Policy

• Reaganomics: Focus on economic policies.
• 1992: Economic issues.

Foreign Policy

• Bush Sr.'s Foreign Policy: Focused on multilateralism.
• Clinton’s Foreign Policy: Clinton's approach was to work with others. Examples are involvement in Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, and the good friday agreement.
• Foreign Policy and Hyper-partisanship: Hyper partisanship occurred in relation to Republican and Democrat party's differences, and was a result of the issue in foreign aid when deciding on what was best and better for countries.
• 1994 Republican Revolution: Republicans gaining control of Congress in 1994.
• Iraq Invasion (2003): Bush's foreign policy. France, Germany, and Mexico were not in favour.
• Unilateralism: US acted on its own without allies or international law. Militaristic, ideological, expensive, and unpopular in the 2003 Iraq war.
• "Axis of Evil": Bush’s term for nations threatening US security.
• Foreign Aid: Bush Sr and Clinton. Concerns in how best to provide aid were made in Clinton's presidency.
• Black Lives Matter: Founded in 2013 after the killing of Trayvon Martin.
• Cuba: US policy of "wet foot, dry foot" eased, and diplomatic ties reopened in the Obama Administration.
• Saudi Arabia: Trump's visit; Jamal Khashoggi's death.
• Israel: Trump supporting Netanyahu, US embassy in Jerusalem.

Global Health Emergencies

• Ebola outbreak: West Africa (2014-2016) and COVID-19

Impeachments

• Nixon wasn't impeached
• Johnson was (1868)
• Nixon (1973-74)
• Clinton (1998)
• Trump (2019, 2021)

Explore the significant contributions of Franklin D. Roosevelt during his presidency, including the introduction of the Four Freedoms and key events leading to the end of WWII. This quiz also covers essential policies such as the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, along with pivotal Cold War alliances like NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Test your knowledge on these transformative moments in American history.