Download THE USA AND THE WORLD SINCE 1919 Document 1: British

THE USA AND THE WORLD SINCE 1919
Document 1: British cartoon from 1921
This is a British cartoon which dates from 1921. It’s entitled: “The gap in the bridge” and it deals with
the US refusal to enter the League of Nations in 1920.
Let’s describe the document first: We can see a stone bridge which reads” France, England, and
Italy”. On the right hand side, we can see Uncle Sam (the traditional allegory of the US) taking a nap,
while smoking a cigar. The bridge is about to break in the middle and a new stone would be needed
to bridge the gap if it was to break.
Now, let’s explain the meaning of the cartoon. The stone needed to avoid the bridge from collapsing
is the US entry in the League of Nations. But under H.Cabot Lodge’s pressure (he presented 14
reservations), the US Congress refused to enter the League: the USA was back into isolationism.
The fact the bridge is about to collapse means this defection weakened the League and took some of
its legitimacy: so here the bridge may stand for the League. Wilson’s dream was over since the
League was the 14th article of his “fourteen points”.
Is the cartoon biased: It’s not biased because it deals with an event which really happened/occurred,
but the cartoonist conveys his opinion since he clearly depicts the USA as behaving with nonchalance
whereas Europeans expected the USA to keep backing them.
Roosevelt’s speech in Liberty Island in 1936
In 1936 Roosevelt delivered a speech in honor of the Statue of liberty 50th Anniversary.
This speech has stayed in people’s memories because he recalled the attraction of the USA but also
re-explained the fact the USA embodied freedom and offered opportunities to start from scratch. In
fact he simply recalled the “American dream”.
This short extract first alludes to a founding principle of the US politics and diplomacy: messianism
and the manifest destiny: the USA has a mission to spread its ideals and to look over the whole
American continent. This is what is alluded to: “Perhaps Providence did prepare…”
He refers also to massive immigration: “the immigrants brought to us…”: when he delivered the
speech the USA was into deep economic crisis trying to get out of it with the New Deal. Immigration
was under very strict control and quotas were set up.
The American dream is alluded to by the phrase: “but fired anew by…” and later he describes what
the dream is all about: opportunities, freedom: “freedom of opportunity…live”.
Roosevelt’s state of the union address January 1942
The State of the Union is an annual address presented by the President of the United States to the
United States Congress. The address not only reports on the condition of the nation but also allows
presidents to outline their legislative agenda (for which they need the cooperation of Congress) and
their national priorities. This address has stayed famous because it started US involvement in WWII
and it launched the “Victory Program”. The US stepped out their isolationism to go to war against
Nazi Germany and Japan. Pearl Harbour had just been bombed in Dec 7th 1941.
How does he justify his fight against Nazism?
He refers to a so-called lack of “living room”: he willingly took Hitler’s phrase “ lebensraum/vital
space/living room” to explain the American will not let him take it. He also refers to Mein Kampf and
the Swastika, traditional Nazi symbols.
He also justifies American intervention by saying the USA stands up for freedom:”militarism imposed
by war lords…world”.
Then he explains how he plans to implement this:
Roosevelt asked the Congress to put a lot of money into military and industrial production and
transformed the US economy into a war economy (everything I directed to war effort: see very last
sentence). This is why he speaks about productions of planes, tanks and guns. But he also plans to
boost the US economy with an increasing production of merchant ships in order to supply the allies.
Jimmy Carter’s state of the union address 1980
This is an extract from Carter’s state of the union address in 1980. He was the democratic president
of the USA and this speech was delivered before the Congress in the last year of his term.
He describes well the state of relations between the USA and the rest of the world in the late 80’s. At
this time, the USA was going through a rough time and appeared as a weak military and political
power on the world stage. Indeed, the USA was deep into the economic crisis and its image had been
stained by the Vietnam War. Carter no longer wanted to spend money into the arm race and instead
searched for peaceful relations especially with the USSR and China. But, the USSR took advantage of
this and invaded Afghanistan in 79 while Muslim fundamentalists seized power via a revolution in
Iran and overthrew the Shah.
In the first paragraph Carter refers to some Americans being held captive: he refers to the hostage
taking of the US embassy in Tehran in 79: it took the American army over one year to free the
hostages and here Carters says some were still captive in 1980. In this paragraph he also refers to the
invasion of Afghanistan by the USSR:” deeply religious…”. He refers to the hostages again in the
second paragraph too:”to preserve the lives…”
In the second paragraph Carter explains he does not want to keep using force but instead wants to
seek more peaceful relations:”I’m determined…being”. This behavior was seen as a weak diplomacy
and was deeply criticized by the opposite Republican Party. Then in this paragraph he clearly says the
USA was going to boycott the 1980 Moscow’s Olympics: indeed the USA did not send any athletes
(the USSR was to later boycott the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics).
In the third paragraph, Carter focuses on the situation in the Middle-East: indeed this region has had
to bear with the Arab-Israeli conflict since 1948. In 1979, Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty that
ended 30 years of conflict. The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El
Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, following thirteen days of
secret negotiations at Camp David. The agreements were signed at the White House, and were
witnessed by Jimmy Carter who acted as a mediator.
The last paragraph focuses on Carter’s desire to improve relation with Asia and keep having good
relations with China (rapprochement with China was initiated by his predecessor Nixon in 72). It must
be kept in mind that in those days Asia was beginning to assert as a source of outlets and an
economic power. So staying close to Asia was good for the American economy while helping to avoid
a further spread of communism (in 79 the Red Khmers were just out from Cambodia).
So when studying the US involvement in world diplomacy, this address witnesses the USA was in the
early 80’s kind of withdrawn from its previous leading role. It instead tried to search more peaceful
relations. Carter was very criticized for this and is still remembered as a “weak president”.
Text Bush new world order
This is an extract from a speech by the US president G Bush in 1991 before the Congress, that’s to say the US
legislative body. He deals with results of the Gulf that’s to say blue helmets intervention in Iraq to stop Saddam
Hussein from invading Kuwait.
How does he justify the war? Here, Bush is clear: the war was waged to protect Kuwait which was “ a victim».
Bush mentions the existence of a coalition: indeed, UN forces were composed of 35 nationalities all under the
UN flag and totalled near 1 million troops.
Then, Bush explains that despite the defeat of Iraq, it’s still needed to maintain protection in the Gulf. He
speaks about 4 challenges to be met by the USA: keep ground forces there, keep naval force, stop proliferation
of mass destruction weapons, all to stabilize the Gulf.
Bush wants to grab the opportunity of the near end of the Cold war: indeed at this time, Gorbachev in the USSR
allowed improved relationships with the USA. The USSR even distrusted its former allied Iraq in this conflict.
These better international relations are alluded to line 16: “Until now… war”.
Bush finally describes in the very last paragraph his vision of the “new world order”, that’s to say the post Cold
war world. It’s for him an order which “protects the weak against the strong”.
What did the future hold? Bush met his challenges and really intensify American presence in the Gulf to make
sure oil would stay easily available. Moreover, he focused on researching weapons of mass destruction and this
policy was to be continued by his son in 2003.
Text Reagan’ speech to the white house 1982
This is a speech by Ronald Reagan before the British House of Commons (British legislative body) in 1982.
Reagan the Republican president had been elected in 1980.
Reagan is remembered for his very anti-communist diplomacy and his desire to fight the communist spread.He
nicknamed the USSR the “evil empire”.
Here he tries to justify US interventions at this time by a need to “preserve freedom as well as peace”.
First he denounces totalitarianism which indirectly alludes to the USSR. He makes also a link between
totalitarianism and the arm race: “must civilization perish..atoms”. At this time the arm race reached a climax
and there was balance of terror.
Then he alludes to “the decay of the Soviet...”. He is clearly biased here because in 1982 the USSR was still
maintaining military and political pressure on the USA (invasion in Afghanistan). But it was true the USSR faced
economic problems since it had used too much money on armaments.
To him only democracy can ensure prosperity to peoples: see last sentence.
This speech clearly shows that the US involvement on the world stage was directed by aggression and revenge
on communism.
Bush’s state of the union address 2005
1) The State of the Union is an annual address presented before a joint session of Congress and held in the
House of Representatives chamber at the U.S. Capitol. Not only does the address report on the condition of the
nation but it also allows the president to outline his legislative agenda and national priorities to the United
States Congress.
2) )In this speech G. Bush presents the USA as a land where all the dreams can come true. Of course, this refers
to the American dream.” We live in a country…”. He then gives example. First he quotes the abolition of slavery
in 1865 ( but does not mention the fact the Black remained discriminated against until 1965), then he alludes to
the liberation of Europe when the American into Roosevelt’s victory’s program, helped the British and the
French resistance in the landing in Normandy June 6 th 1944. The way he presents the American role in WWII,
let us think the Americans defeated Fascism on their own… Finally he refers to the fall of communism but the
real role of the USA into this can easily be discussed considering the communist block collapsed ( s’est
effondré) after Gorbachev’s resignation ( demission) ( no American intervention).Dec 25 th 1991. At the end of
the Cold War, the USA became the watchdog of the world ( gendarmes du monde) and asserted as a leading
military power.
Bush still believes in 2005 that the situation is unchanged. He forgets to mention opposition from France and
Germany for instance as well as the fact the UN did not back him into his intervention in Iraq in 2003.
3)What do you think? This document highlights Bush’s view of diplomacy and can be almost qualified as a
typical American view mixing hopes, dreams, religion and faith with politics. In the beginning of his address,
Bush insists on the necessity to track terrorists down as a means to legitimate his policy. Only one year after his
re-election, this has a great impact on the Congress as well as on the public opinion. But he also justifies his
view, speaking about Iraqi people ( first paragraph) and alluding to the 2005 elections. Indeed, on January 30,
2005, Legislative elections, the Iraqi people chose representatives for the newly-formed and transitional 275member Iraqi National Assembly, which was renamed after the approval of the Iraqi Constitution by
referendum in October 2005 to Council of Representatives of Iraq. The voting represented the first general
election since the United States-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, and marked an important step in the transition of
turning control of the country over from United States occupation forces to the Iraqis themselves.
Obama state of the union address 2012
This is an extract from Barack Obama’s state of the union address delivered before the Congress in
2012. Obama was elected in 2008 as a democratic president. This extract focuses on American
diplomacy.
After 9/11, the USA was confronted to a multipolar world were threats were more numerous and
where the US power was being criticized: “no one rival power…”
But then he explain he is proud of America’s response to terrorist threats: to him the USA has
managed to stand up for “freedom, justice and dignity” and has recovered from the strikes
«American leadership..restored”
He gives the example of Iraq in the third paragraph: indeed Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship had been
removed in 2003 and Hussein has been killed. All US Forces were mandated to withdraw from Iraqi
territory by 31 December 2011 under the terms of a bilateral agreement signed in 2008 by President
Bush. The U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq was completed on 18 December 2011.
The 4th paragraph is about terrorism and Al Qaeda: he explains the threat remains vivid but insists
on the need not to stigmatize all Muslims:”with the conviction…family”. Indeed, after 9/11 Muslims
were sometimes discriminated against. He recalls the USA is a multinational state sheltering so many
different religious communities. (This is linked with history and waves of immigrations).
Although he insists on the need to avoid a return to dictatorship in Afghanistan in the 5th paragraph,
Obama also started to withdraw US forces over there: he announced in June 20th that all the 33,000
additional U.S. forces he ordered to Afghanistan in December 2009 will be home within 15 months.
Then he focuses on mass destruction weapons and the need to reduce them. He mentions a new
START treaty because there was a Strategic Armament reduction Treaty signed in 1991 but it was not
implemented since the Cold War ended. He also refers to Iran which is suspected of having a nuclear
military program besides its official civil nuclear program.
He finishes explaining the multicultural feature of the American society and especially the fact he’ll
allow a wider spectrum of people to serve in the army. He calls for more tolerance because the USA
is remembered sometimes as not very open minded on some subjects” It’s time…nation”. Here we
can think of segregation which lasted until 65 or discrimination against Muslims after 9/11.