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 ’ 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