tionism

These were mostly of a declarative manner at first, including attempts to repeal the Neutrality acts and speeches condemning the atrocities committed by Japan, like the Rape of Nanking. Soon declarations turned into facts as a line of continued communication was established between Roosevelt and the British Prime Minister Churchill, ending with the Atlantic Charter.

The practice of Interventionism was based on the ideas and principles of Realism in Foreign Policy. This meant that once the League of Nations failed to stop aggression in Europe and the compromises made by politicians like Neville Chamberlain in dealing with Hitler’s territorial ambitions, proved to just increase the hegemonic power of Germany in Europe, there was very little to support idealist views.

The adepts of the Realistic approach to politics argued that states are driven by competitive self-interest in the context of the absence of a central authority in the international system.

Since the League of Nations proved to be unable to prevent nation-states from attacking each other, the only solution was that the US assume part of the roles of central authority by aiding certain countries, setting a moral theory on witch democracies should function, and thus influencing the outcome of the war.

Although the US did not join the War directly it did visibly aid Great Britain to such a degree that Germany had enough evidence to sustain a Cassius Belli and declare war. From this point, there was no possibility or interest on the part of the US leadership to return to the Non-interventionist stance that enabled the war to happen, even after its conclusion and the capitulation of all Axis countries.

EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN CULTURE

WORDS BY TÜRKÜ NAZ ALTINAY

The beginning and late of 1980’s witnessed the growth of New Right tendencies addressing a vast majority from evangelical Christians, anti-tax crusaders to conservatives, advocate of liberal market to disaffected white liberals. Historians link the rise of this New Right in part to the growth of the so-called Sunbelt, a mostly suburban and rural region of the Southeast, Southwest and California, where the population began to expand after World War II and exploded during the 1970s.

During and after the 1980 presidential election, the disaffected liberals came to be known as “Reagan Democrats.” They provided millions of crucial votes for the Republican candidate, the personable and engaging former governor of California, Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), in his victory over the incumbent Democratic president, Jimmy Carter (1924-). Reagan won 51 percent of the vote and carried all but five states and the District of Columbia. Once a Hollywood actor, his outwardly reassuring disposition and optimistic style appealed to many Americans. Reagan was affectionately nicknamed “the Gipper” for his 1940 film role as a Notre Dame football player named George Gipp. Like his predecessors, Ronald Reagan played a crucial role of the promotion of Red Scare, supporting financially the anti-communist governments and regimes all around the world and nations including Grenada, El Salvador and Nicaragua which was later known as the Reagan Doctrine. The immense expenses invested in military caused the worst economic recession since Great Depression. In November 1982, nine million people were unemployed. Despite these economic setbacks of “Reaganomics”, many middle-class Americans still believed in the conservative politics of Reagan. When Ronald Reagan left office in 1989, he had the highest approval rating of any president since Franklin Roosevelt.