U.S. Foreign Policy – Flashcards

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Isolationism
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Neutrality in European affairs; no entangling military or political alliances; seperate spheres of influence for Europe and U.S.; maintained commercial relationships
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Washington's Farewell Address
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Washingtons meassage to the nation was to try to refrain from long alliances and rather rely on "temporary alliances.... for extraordinary purposes."
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Monroe Doctrine
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A statement of foreign policy which proclaimed that Europe should not interfere in affairs within the United States or in the development of other countries in the Western Hemisphere. Called for non-interference and non-colonization.
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Open Door Policy
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Foreign policy statement made by the U.S. in 1900 in which the U.S. stated that all countries should have equal trading rights with China. The U.S. announced this policy to further American trade.
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Roosevelt Corollary
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1904; stated that the U.S. had to right to intervene in the internal affairs of countries in its sphere of influence if there was a danger of unrest.
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Big Stick Diplomacy
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Diplomatic policy developed by T.R where the "big stick" symbolizes his power and readiness to use military force if necessary. It is a way of intimidating countries without actually harming them and was the basis of U.S. imperialistic foreign policy.
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Dollar Diplomacy
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Foriegn Policy idea by Taft to make countries dependant on the U.S. by heavily investing in their economies
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Moral Diplomacy
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foreign policy proposed by President Wilson to condemn imperialism, spread democracy, and promote peace
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Boxer Rebellion
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1899 rebellion in Beijing, China started by a secret society of Chinese who opposed the "foreign devils". The rebellion was ended by British troops
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Collective Security
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a system in which a group of nations acts as one to preserve the peace of all. Attempts at collective security after WW1 failed.
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League of Nations
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An organization of nations formed after World War I to promote cooperation and peace.
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Woodrow Wilson
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28th president of the United States, known for World War I leadership, created Federal Reserve, Federal Trade Commission, Clayton Antitrust Act, progressive income tax, lower tariffs, women's suffrage (reluctantly), Treaty of Versailles, sought 14 points post-war plan, League of Nations (but failed to win U.S. ratification), won Nobel Peace Prize
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John Hay
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Was the Secretary of State in 1899; dispatched the Open Door Notes to keep the countries that had spheres of influence in China from taking over China and closing the doors on trade between China and the U.S.
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Open Door Notes
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message send by secretary of state John Hay in 1899 to Germany, Russia, Great Britain, France, Italy & Japan asking the countries not to interfere with US trading rights in China.
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Annexation of Hawaii
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U.S. wanted Hawaii for business and so Hawaiian sugar could be sold in the U.S. duty free, Queen Liliuokalani opposed so Sanford B. Dole overthrew her in 1893, William McKinley convinced Congress to annex Hawaii in 1898
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Fourteen Points
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the war aims outlined by President Wilson in 1918, which he believed would promote lasting peace; called for self-determination, freedom of the seas, free trade, end to secret agreements, reduction of arms and a league of nations
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Spanish American War
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In 1898, a conflict between the United States and Spain, in which the U.S. supported the Cubans' fight for independence
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Philippine War
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Filipinos had been fighting a war against Spain, so then they just concentrated their efforts of rebellion on the US instead; war lasted 4 years and was far bloodier than the war with the Spanish, said aim was to "uplift and civilize and Christianize"
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Mexican War
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after disputes over Texas lands that were settled by Mexicans the United States declared war on Mexico in 1846 and by treaty in 1848 took Texas and California and Arizona and New Mexico and Nevada and Utah and part of Colorado and paid Mexico $15,000,000
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Containment
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a policy of creating strategic alliances in order to check the expansion of a hostile power or ideology or to force it to negotiate pecefully
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brinkmanship
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A 1956 term used by Secretary of State John Dulles to describe a policy of risking war in order to protect national interests
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Cold War
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A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted eachother on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.
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Berlin Airlift
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airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin
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Marshall Plan
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A plan that the US came up with to revive war-torn economies of Europe. This plan offered $13 billion in aid to western and Southern Europe.
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NATO
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North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries
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Warsaw Pact
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treaty signed in 1945 that formed an alliance of the Eastern European countries behind the Iron Curtain; USSR, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania
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Treaty of Ghent
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December 24, 1814 - Ended the War of 1812 and restored the status quo. For the most part, territory captured in the war was returned to the original owner. It also set up a commission to determine the disputed Canada/U.S. border.
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Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo
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1848 ends the Mexican American War. For $15 Million the US acquired Texas territory north of the Rio Grande, New Mexico, and California. US territory increased by 1/3 as a result of the treaty.
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Panama Canal
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1850 treaty between UK and US that a canal would be team effort. About 1900, UK decided they didn't want to be part of the treaty anymore. French tried but failed to complete Panama canal. Hay negotiated treated with Columbia, would pay $10 million up front and a yearly fee for rights to build the canal. Columbia refused, panama declared independence after several rebellions, and the US supported them. Panama got the same deal Columbia would have. Greatest achievement of TR's presidency, revolutionized world trade patterns
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World War II
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a war between the Allies (Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands. 1939-1945
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United Nations
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International organization founded in 1945 to promote world peace and cooperation. It replaced the League of Nations. (p. 833)
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Korean War
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Conflict that began with North Korea's invasion of South Korea and came to involve the United Nations (primarily the United States) allying with South Korea and the People's Republic of China allying with North Korea.
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Vietnam War
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Conflict pitting North Vietnam and South Vietnamese communist guerrillas against the South Vietnamese government, aided after 1961 by the United States.
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U-2 Incident
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The incident when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. The U.S. denied the true purpose of the plane at first, but was forced to when the U.S.S.R. produced the living pilot and the largely intact plane to validate their claim of being spied on aerially. The incident worsened East-West relations during the Cold War and was a great embarrassment for the United States.
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Gary Powers
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was the U-2 Spy Plane pilot that was captured by the Soviet Union
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John Foster Dulles
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Eisenhower's Sec. of State; harsh anti-Communist; called for more radical measures to roll back communism where it had already spread (containment too cautious)
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The "New Look"
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1952- intended to makes Truman look soft on communism. The 3 pillars were massive retaliation, brinkmanship (will not back down), and rollback (actively go after communism). *In actuality this was just a ploy to get elected, because this was never enforced by Eisenhower.
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Mutually assured destruction
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a doctrine of military strategy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two opposing sides would effectively result in the destruction of both the attacker and the defender.[1] It is based on the theory of deterrence according to which the deployment of strong weapons is essential to threaten the enemy in order to prevent the use of the very same weapons. The strategy is effectively a form of Nash equilibrium, in which both sides are attempting to avoid their worst possible outcome—nuclear annihilation.
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Cuban Missile Crisis
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Brink-of-war confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over the latter's placement of nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba.
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Vietnamization
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President Richard Nixons strategy for ending U.S involvement in the vietnam war, involving a gradual withdrawl of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces
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real politik
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Henry Kissinger's "Bismarckian" philosophy on how the U.S. should look at the world; we are not going to win all the battles; sometimes you have to be practical with your adversaries.
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proxy wars
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During the Cold War, local or regional wars in which the superpowers armed, trained, and financed the combatants.
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summits
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talks and meetings among the highest level gov't officials from different countries; designed to promote good relations and provide a forum to discuss issues and conclude formal negotiations
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Invasion of Afghanistan
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Soviet Union invades Afghanistan in 1979. U.S. aides Afghan rebels
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Iranian Hostage Crisis
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In 1979, Iranian fundamentalists seized the American embassy in Tehran and held fifty-three American diplomats hostage for over a year. The Iranian hostage crisis weaked the Carter presidency; the hostages were finally released on January 20, 1981, the day Ronald Reagan became president.
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Olympics Boycott
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Boycott of the 1980 Olympic games by the U.S. in protest over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; USSR retaliated in 1984 by boycotting L.A. Olympic games.
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Iranian Revolution
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leader was khomeini. people were upset because their leader (the shah) was not chosen by them and back up by europe and the US. they believed their resources were being abused and wanted change. revolution was intended to turn iran into aw purely islamic state. new government followed the sharia and all western culture was banned.
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Shah of Iran
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Pahlavi beacme Shah in 1941, when the allies of WWII forced the abdication of his father. Communist and Nationalist movements created unrest and tension during the early years of his reign. The Shah distributed royal lands to poverty-stricken farmers. He is known for both social and economic reform in Iran. With the abundance of oil-drinking machines, Pahlavi became a powerful world leader, and the main military power in the Middle East. Muslims and the Ayatollah forced the Shah and his family into exile in 1979, where he died in Cairo on July 27, 1980
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Greek Civil War
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Greek govt fighting against communist guerrillas; initially aided by ENG; US eventually stepped in; first step towards containment
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Iron Curtain
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a political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eatern Europe after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region. Term coined by Winston Churchill at a speech in Missouri.
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Chinese Revolution
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the struggle between Nationalists and Communists forces in CHina that began in the 1920's and ended in 1949 with a Communist victory
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Mao Tse-Tung
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Chinese communist leader (1893-1976)
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Chiang Kai-shek
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Leader of the Nationalist Party after 1925. Fled to Taiwan after defeat by Communists on the mainland.
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Taiwan
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a government on the island of Taiwan established in 1949 by Chiang Kai-shek after the conquest of mainland China by the communists led by Mao Zedong
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Sandinistas
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Members of a leftist coalition that overthrew the Nicaraguan dictatorship of Anastasia Somoza in 1979 and attempted to install a socialist economy. The United States financed armed opposition by the Contras. The Sandinistas lost national elections in 1990
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Contras
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A Nicaraguan rebel group that got financial support from the CIA. This group was formed as a response to the overthrowing of Anastazio Somoza Debayle
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Ronald Reagan
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first elected president in 1980 and elected again in 1984. Iran released hostages on his Inauguration Day in 1980. While president, he developed Reagannomics, the trickle down effect of government incentives. He cut out many welfare and public works programs. He used the Strategic Defense Initiative to avoid conflict. His meetings with Gorbachev were the first steps to ending the Cold War. He was also responsible for the Iran-contra Affair which bought hostages with guns.
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Mikhail Gorbachev
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Soviet statesman whose foreign policy brought an end to the Cold War and whose domestic policy introduced major reforms (born in 1931)
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Boris Yeltsin
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President of the Russian Republic in 1991. Helped end the USSR and force Gorbachev to resign.
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Atomic bomb
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Bomb that changed the world, ended WWII in Japan, created a nuclear arms race between U.S. and Soviet Union
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Yalta Conference
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FDR, Churchill and Stalin met at Yalta. Russia agreed to declare war on Japan after the surrender of Germany and in return FDR and Churchill promised the USSR concession in Manchuria and the territories that it had lost in the Russo-Japanese War
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Potsdam Conference
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The final wartime meeting of the leaders of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union was held at Potsdamn, outside Berlin, in July, 1945. Truman, Churchill, and Stalin discussed the future of Europe but their failure to reach meaningful agreements soon led to the onset of the Cold War.
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Atlantic Charter
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Anglo-American declaration that stated the countries aims for the outcome of the war. Stated people of every nation should be free to choose their own form of government and live free of fear and want, disarmament, and a permanent system of general security.
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Lend-Lease
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allows America to sell, lend, or lease arms or other war supplies to any nation considered "vital to the defense of the U.S."
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Cash and Carry
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policy adopted by the United States in 1939 to preserve neutrality while aiding the Allies. Britain and France could buy goods from the United States if they paid in full and transported them.
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Freedom of the Seas
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When Germany was using unrestricted sub warfare against the U.S. which was neutral at that time during W.W. I, Germany was violating what right.
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Neutrality Acts
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Originally designed to avoid American involvement in World War II by preventing loans to those countries taking part in the conflict; they were later modified in 1939 to allow aid to Great Britain and other Allied nations.
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