C121 Task 4 (2018) PDF

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Survey of United States History (C121) Task 4...

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A. Explain the major causes of the Great Depression (e.g., economic policies, trade concerns, banking practices, international commerce). The development of the electric motor created a boom in sales for the automotive industry. As electricity became more popular in homes, so did the sales of electric appliances. Automobiles and appliances are items that only need replaced when they break. This means that once the vast majority of the population had purchased these items, the demand for a new one slowed down immensely. This lack of demand for goods created a lack of demand for workers, so factories started to make less inventory and began letting people go. This caused as severe decrease in family incomes, which made it so that families could not buy nearly as many consumer goods. This caused a lack in funds for businesses, which made them turn to lending agencies. I feel that this sequence of events was a major contributor to the great depression. (Norton, 2015)

B. Describe three ways (e.g., major legislation, organizations, relief and recovery efforts) that the New Deal sought to address the problems of the Great Depression The New Deal created public works programs. Programs such as the Public Works Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps paid men for doing public improvement jobs. These jobs included tasks such as creating national park trails, building dams, and building schools. These programs helped to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure by putting money back into the pockets of consumers, that could in turn be put into the economy by purchasing goods. (Norton, 2015) The Works Progress Administration also helped to give people jobs. The WPA had a larger span of jobs, giving more people the opportunity for jobs. Some of these jobs included building roads, making parks, creating murals, writing state guide books, and creating orchestras. These jobs covered a larger population of the country, therefore making it a more effective way to help boost the economy. (Norton, 2015) The Tennessee Valley Authority was a federal intervention for the south. It was designed to develop water and hydroelectric power. Eventually the TVA also helped with the promotion of field restoration, electricity in rural areas, and the fight against malaria. The TVA helped promote the economic development in the south. (Norton, 2015) C. Explain how the end of World War II contributed to the rise of Cold War tensions by doing the following: 1. Discuss the effect of the arms race on the rise of Cold War tensions. While the United States and the Soviet Union never actually physically fought during the Cold War, they played more of a mind war with each other. The atomic bombings in Japan made it clear that a more powerful and effective type of warfare was on the rise. Nuclear warfare was a newer type of warfare that still had the potential for growth. The two sides were both working hard at developing the most destructive and effective ways to take each other out as a scare tactic. Each side knew that the other also had these very powerful and effective weapons, so they were not going to risk attacking the other for fear of retaliation. Instead of attacking each

other, they focused on developing devices with more power and faster ways to get them to their desired targets. (Norton, 2015) 2. Describe how differing ideologies led to increased Cold War tensions. Differing ideologies between the United States and the Soviet Union led to increased Cold War tensions. The Soviet Union was a Communist Dictatorship, meaning that there were no social classes, all land was publicly owned, and that most of the power fell into the hands of one individual. The United States was a Capitalist Democracy, meaning that the power should rest with the people and that individual liberty is more important than government control. These two very different viewpoints led to a race against each other to see who could convert the most places to their way so that they would have more allies. (Norton, 2015) 3. Explain the effect of Cold War tensions on American culture and domestic policies (e.g., security concerns, organizations, discrimination). Cold War tensions had quite a large impact on American life and policies. Due to the possible threat of a nuclear attack, fall out shelters and bomb drills became a normal part of American life. To make the administration of U.S. defense go faster, the National Security Act of July 1947 was passed. This act created the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Office of Secretary of Defense. The Office of Secretary of Defense was put in place to oversee the armed services. The Central Intelligence Agency was created to gather information overseas, perform spy operations, and conduct secret operations leading to the overpowering of unfavorable foreign leaders. The National Security Council appointed officials of a high level to advise the president. (Norton, 2015) D. Explain two changes (e.g., legislation, cultural shifts, economic shifts) that came about as a result of one of the following historical events (suggested length of 1–2 pages): • civil rights movement One of the more major changes that came about from the civil rights movement was desegregation. Sit-ins, marches, and boycotts were the major ways of protest that helped lead to desegregation. A 5-month long sit-in at Walworth’s (an eating establishment that refused to serve some African American students) led to Walworth’s deciding to serve African American customers. The Montgomery bus boycott (a protest against segregation on public transportation) lasted 13 months but ended with the Supreme Court ruling that segregation on busses was unconstitutional. The March on Washington (a march in Washington D.C. to promote civil rights for African Americans) led to the initiation of a federal civil rights bill. All of these acts and several others helped to end segregation. (Norton, 2015) Another major change due to the civil rights movement was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This helped to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This act was a major driving force behind several other movements including the feminist movement, the gay rights movement, and the rise of the religious right. (Norton, 2015)

E. Provide acknowledgement of source information, using in-text citations and references, for quoted, paraphrased, or summarized content. Norton, M.B. (2015). A people & a nation. Retrieved from https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/53540310...