American Foreign Policy (1920-1945)

Larry is putting these notes on his webstie this afternoon, so this is just a basic outline

• American Interventionism vs Disarmament
• American Isolationists
• Clark Memorandum was a predecessor to the Good Neighbor Policy
• Hyper Inflation in Germany 1923
• The International Financial System 1924 to 1930
  • Dawes Plan
  • Young Plan in 1920: Hoover basically forgave all debts with a debt moratorium
• Washington Disarmament Conference
  • Five-Power Treaty agreed to this ratio of battleships
    • Countries
      • US: 5
      • Britain: 5
      • Japan: 3
      • France: 1.75
      • Italy: 1.75
    • Japan felt very ripped off, since both Japan and Britain were islands, and Britain got a larger ratio
    • Japan got a guarantee that the US and Britain would back off of their Far East Territories
    • There was no restrictions on small warships, and there was no verification
  • Kellogg Briand Pact in 1928
    • 15 nations dedicated to outlawing aggression and war as tools of foreign policy
    • 62 nations signed
    • this led to a false sense of security
• Japanese attack Manchuria
  • The league of nations condemned the action
  • Japan leaves the League
  • Hoover wanted no part in this since the US was dealing with the Great Depression
  • The Japanese moved south and took Beijing and the Rape of Nanking
• Stimson Doctrine 1932
  • The US would not recognize any territorial acquisitions that were achieved by force
  • Japan was infuriated because the US had conquered new territories a few decades ealier
  • Japan bombed Shanghai in 1932 led to massive casualties
• FDR recognizes the Soviet Union
  • FDR felt that recognizing Moscow might bolster the US against Japan
  • Maybe trade with the USSR would boost the economy during the Depression
• Totalitarianism
  • Benito Mussolini
  • Adolf Hitler
  • Hidicki Tojo