The history of America in 20th century

The history of America in 20th century

The history of America in 20th Century

• World War I
  • ■Outbreak Inevitable result of contradictions between two groups of imperialist powers : Allies-- Britain, France and Russia；The Central European Powers-- Germany, Austria Hungary and Italy. The political, economic and colonial rivalries of the great powers.
  • ■Why did America enter World War I Germans' submarines sank ships going to England to injure American trade. Germany promised the Mexicans a chance "to regain its lost territory by the war against the US". After two years' fighting, both sides grew weary which is a good chance for America to enter the war.
  • ■US entered the war in 1917 More than 4 million Americans went to the battlefield and played an important role in turning the tide of the war ■The German Government appealed to President Wilson for peace settlement. ■An armistice (停火协议) was concluded in November 1918. ■Versailles Treaty
  • ■The booming 1920s The 1920's election- -the first time for women to vote prevailing prosperity, conservative governmental policy private business received encouragement ■The Great Depression In 1929 the stock market crashed, wiping out 40 percent of the paper values of common stock. Core of the problem- immense disparity between the productive capacity and the ability of people to consume
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt' s New Deal ■In 1933 Roosevelt rallied the people to the banner of his program, known as the”New Deal”.
  • ■"New Deal” the domestic program of the administration of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1939. reacted to the ineffectiveness of the administration of President Herbert Hoover in meeting the ravages of the Great Depression. focused on what historians call the "3Rs": Relief, Recovery and Reform. That is Relief for the unemployed and poor; Recovery of the economy to normal levels; and Reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat depression. measures: putting many unemployed persons to work on a wide range of government financed public works projects; banking and monetary reform; securities regulation.
• World War II ■broke out in September, 1939 ■End of WWll The US air force dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima on August 6 and on Nagasaki on August On August 14, 1945, Japan surrendered.
  • America's foreign policy in the early stage of World War II : A sit-on-the-fence policy
  • On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese air force attacked the US Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was the direct cause for America's entrance into the war.
  • Conference at Potsdam ■Heads of the US, British and Soviet Union met at Potsdam to discuss operations against Japan, the peace settlement in Europe, and a policy for the future of Germany. ■Agreement at the conference: Need to assist in the reeducation of a German generation reared under Nazism, and to define principles governing the restoration of democratic political life to Germany Agreed to the trial of Nazi leaders accused of crimes against humanity
  • ■The Cold War United Nations in 1945- -a new and better world would emerge from World War II. The conflict between the two superpowers Russia and the US increased and later led to the Cold War. ■Truman Doctrine In the Spring of 1947, President Truman declared the "Truman Doctrine" so as to expand American sphere of influence and establish the US hegemony. This marked the beginning of the Cold War. ■NATO In 1949, the United States --- in company with 11 other powers --- entered the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). ■The Korean War The US invaded Korea in June 1950. A ceasefire agreement was signed in the summer of 1953- marked the US' failure and the end of the war. ■The Vietnam War A long-time suffering for the US Started under Eisenhower and continued by Kennedy and Johnson
  • Contributions that Richard Nixon make in promoting the Sino-US relationship ■Table Tennis Foreign Policy ■Nixon-the first US president visited Beijing ■The“Shanghai Communique"- -a new US policy
  • ■Two diplomatic breakthroughs: Re-establishing US relations with the People's Republic of China Negotiating the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty with the Soviet Union
  • ■NAFTA --- the North American Free Trade Agreement among the US, Canada and Mexico Called for ending restrictions on the flow of goods, services and investment Called for the elimination of most import taxes