1920s Elections & Foreign Policy

Election of 1920

• Democrats– James M. Cox

• Governor of Ohio• Newspaper Editor

– Franklin D. Roosevelt• New York• VP Candidate

Election of 1920

• Republicans– Warren Gemaliel Harding

• Ohio Senator• Newspaper editor• Chosen in back room deal• “Front Porch Campaign”

– Calvin Coolidge• Governor of Massachusetts• VP Candidate

Election of 1920

• Socialists– Eugene Debs

Issues

• League of Nations– Wilson makes election of 1920 referendum on

Treaty of Versailles• Role of Irish-Americans

– Harding a “mild reservationist”

• Postwar Recovery– Return to “normalcy”

Results

Harding’s Foreign Policy

• Knox-Porter Resolution, 1921– Formally ended war with Central Powers

• Washington Naval Conference, 1921-22– Disarmament– Tensions in East Asia– Some positive steps, but no long-term solutions

Harding’s Death

Election of 1924

• Republicans– Coolidge handily wins nomination

– Charles Dawes, VP• Businessman

Election of 1924

• Democrats– Drys v. Wets– John W. Davis

• West Virginia

– Charles Bryan, VP• Nebraska

Election of 1924

• Progressive Party– Robert LaFollette

• Wisconsin

Results

Coolidge’s Foreign Policy

• Immigration Act of 1924• Dawes Plan, 1924• Geneva Naval Conference of 1927• Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928• Red Line Agreement, 1928

Election of 1928

• Republicans– Herbert Hoover

• California• “Great Engineer”

– Charles Curtis, VP• Kansas

Election of 1928

• Democrats– Al Smith

• New York• Governor• Catholic

– Joseph T. Robinson, VP• Arkansas

“A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.”

Results

Hoover’s Foreign Policy

• Young Plan, 1929-30• London Naval

Conference, 1930• Stimson Doctrine,

1931-32• Smoot-Hawley Tariff,

1933

FDR and theElection of 1932

FDR’s Early Life

• Distant cousin of Teddy Roosevelt

• Married Teddy’s niece, Eleanor

• State Senator in NY• Assistant Secretary of

the Navy under Wilson

FDR’s Early Life• In 1921, FDR is

stricken with Polio• He was paralyzed

from the waist down• Hid the extent of his

disability the rest of his life

• Was never again able to walk unaided

FDR as Governor• In 1928, FDR was elected Governor of

New York• Known for developing innovative social

programs• A reformer• Tense relationship with Tammany Hall• Elected to second term in 1930

Democratic Nomination, 1932• Three-way race

– FDR– Al Smith (1928 candidate)– John Nance Garner (House speaker)

• Roosevelt appealed to many different groups; seen as a populist

• Smith and former Treasury Secretary McAdoo fight dirty campaign

Democratic Nomination, 1932• At convention, Roosevelt is front runner

but does not have enough delegates• Makes Garner his VP choice

– Secures Southern vote as Garner is from Texas

• Wins nomination on 4th Ballot

1932 Election Results

President Roosevelt• High expectations• Refuses to meet with Hoover prior to

Inauguration– Lets Hoover twist in the wind

• Assassination attempt in February 1933– Miami Florida– Giuseppe Zangara, Italian anarchist from

NJ– Mayor of Chicago is killed