1. “Learning to Lead our Lives”
WJEC Module 3:
20th Century America and the Wider World: In or Out ?
Skill: Knowledge and Understanding/ Communication
NGfL: USA
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2. You are an adviser to the president of the United States of America
You are an adviser to the president of the United States of America. You must choose one of two foreign policies. Either, to be fully involved in World Affairs, or, have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the World at all.
What reasons might America have for wanting to be involved in World Affairs? How might you argue that America is better off staying out of World Affairs?

3. Your understanding of American Politics
What impact do you think the following have on America’s decision on whether or not to be involved in the wider world?:-
Your understanding of American Politics
Your understanding of American Culture
Your understanding of American Economics
Your understanding of American Society
Your understanding of American Religion
Your understanding of American Nationalism
Your understanding of the way America views the outside world

4. Benefits of staying out of World Affairs
Consider with your partner the benefits of each policy and record your ideas in a table like the one below.
Benefits of staying out of World Affairs
Drawbacks of staying out of World Affairs
Benefits of being involved in world affairs
Drawbacks of being involved in world affairs

5. Those in Favour of U.S. involvement Those Against U.S. involvement
What decision has your pair come to ?
Now write a brief speech outlining your policy decision to the rest of the class.
Can you convince people to vote your way?
Those in Favour of U.S. involvement
Those Against U.S. involvement
What does the whole class think?

6. Let us see if you are right!
Now consider the position of America after World War 1. How might these experiences have influenced your decision?
Let us see if you are right!

7. + ism

8. Political and Economic Isolation
Can you define the term:
“Political and Economic Isolationism”?

9. The Economic Isolation
1922
Fordney
McCumber
Tariff Act
All foreign (Non-American) goods had to pay a huge import or export? tariff to allow their goods into America.
This meant that the American government generated much more income than they spent
This made foreign goods extremely expensive. Most Americans could only therefore buy American goods

10. How would Economic Isolation help make America rich?
How can stopping foreign imports help America?
Ford Production line in This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less
How would this help a company like Ford?

11. Political Isolation after WW1
Why did America want to stay out of European politics?
What did Woodrow Wilson propose to ensure lasting peace and stability that the US people rejected?
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12. The first meeting of the League Nations in 1920
The League of Nations
This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. This applies worldwide.
The first meeting of the League Nations in 1920

13. What would the League of Nations need to be effective?
Improve working and living
conditions for everyone
Prevent Wars and use
sanctions effectively
Resolve disputes peacefully
What would the League of Nations need to be effective?
Have the respect of and
authority over all nations
Police the World freeing slaves
and stopping drug trafficking
BUT . . .
Fewer than half of the World’s nations joined Including America.
It had no army and therefore no way of backing up any sanctions it made.
It therefore failed to deliver the International stability and security that were its primary objectives.

14. Isolationism
Definition
1. The United States would avoid, at all costs, involvement in European wars.
2. No President would be allowed to take the American people into any conflict
This was called the Neutrality Act and kept the USA out of WW2 until December What event took place on that date to irrevocably change the foundation of American foreign policy of the last 20 years?

15. The End of Isolationism?
photo# k USS Arizona's forward Magazines explode
December 7, 1941
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16. The Attack on Pearl Harbour
America was left no option but to become involved
in World Affairs after Japan declared war on America
through a surprise attack on the Naval Base.
Germany, at this time allied to Japan,
also declared war on America. This forced America into a war
not only against the Japanese in the Pacific
but also against the Germans in Europe and perhaps changed the
course of the Second World War.
Credit: Office of War Information.
"President Roosevelt Signing the Declaration of War Against Japan." December 1941.
This image is in the public domain because it comprises materials that originally came from the United States Government.

17. After Pearl Harbour American attitudes changed. Why might this be?
As we look at different aspects of American foreign policy after World War 2 you will create a summary of each episode in an Iluminatus page and link it to the correct area of the World Map.

18. Can you work out some of the names of the countries that the USA was involved with after 1945?
Korea
Cuba
r k a e o
b c a u
Berlin
Vietnam
r l n b i e
e m n v t a i