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The Marshall Plan was officially called the European Recovery Program but was named after US Secretary of State George Marshall. The logic was that by helping to restore the economic strength of countries ravaged by the war the spread of Communism would be halted. The fear of Communism spread to both sides of the aisle and the plan received bipartisan support in Washington.

The Soviet Union, unwilling to allow the United States any control over their economy, rejected the aid and attempted to create their own economic recovery plan even though they were required to pay large amounts of money in reparations.

The Marshall Plan focused on reducing artificial trade barriers and modernizing industry. The effects of reduced discontent and increased political stability all but eliminated the communist parties in Western Europe. There is some debate as to whether or not the Marshall Plan played such a large part in the recovery of the Western European economy but if success is measured by the effects on the spread of Communism the plan was an overwhelming success.

Edward VIII abdicated his throne in 1936 after less than a year as king in order to marry Wallis Simpson. The new king, George VI and Edward’s younger brother, created the title “Duke of Windsor” for the former king. Edward was the first and only Duke of Windsor; after his death the dukedom ramained vacant.

During World War II there were rumors that Edward was a Nazi sympathizer. Hitler was quoted as saying that he believed if Edward had stayed on the throne everything would be different, reffering to the relationship between Germany and Britain. In order to keep Edward far from the conflict he was appointed Governor of the Bahamas, a position which he held from August 1940-March 1945.

The most destructive river flood in United States History began in the summer of 1926 when heavy rains swelled the Mississippi River’s tributaries. Peak flooding occurred in Mound Landing, Mississippi and Arkansas City, Arkansas. Levees that had been put in place to control flooding hadn’t been designed with this volume of water in mind and broke, leaving more than 700,000 people homeless.

The US government, with Calvin Coolidge as President, was hesitant to offer relief. Coolidge believed in a limited national government and thought the states were in the best position to offer its citizens aid. His fear was that Washington would be called upon to help with regional crises, setting a precedent for future disasters and potentially straining the nations finances.

When the situation was deemed to be severe enough to warrant federal aid he called a meeting of his cabinet and placed Hoover in charge of the relief efforts based on his past experience dealing with humanitarian crisises during the Great War. Hoover coordinated the national response, giving speeches, raising money, and establishing tent cities. His successful management of the crisis propelled him to the top of the Republican Party and he received the party’s presidential nomination when Coolidge declined to run for another term.

Lou Hoover was the wife of the 31stPresident of the United States Herbert Hoover. They met at Stanford when both were studying geology. As soon as they were married she accompanied her husband on his trips around the world as he became a world leader in the mining industry. When her husband was appointed Secretary of Commerce by President Harding and moved to Washington DC Lou was right there with him.

From an early age Lou was often found outdoors camping, fishing, and horseback riding. These qualities led the founder of the Girl Scouts of America to recruit Hoover to the organization’s leadership when the two met in the nation’s capital. Lou served two terms as President of the Girl Scouts, from 1925-1928 and again from 1935-1937. It was in her second stint as President that commercial bakers were used to make a product labeled “Girl Scout Cookies,” a move which launched the sale of cookies as a fundraiser nation-wide. Beginning with Lou Hoover, the incumbent First Lady is the honorary President of the Girl Scouts of America.

The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution prohibited the production, sale, and transport of “intoxicating liquors” but never specified what those intoxicating liquors were, leaving this up to future legislation. The National Prohibition Act (also known as the Volstead Act because it was managed by Andrew Volstead) was the piece of legislation which determined the impact of the new amendment. It defined any beverage containing over .5% alcohol by volume as “intoxicating.”

There were exceptions to the Volstead Act. For example, physicians were able to prescribe whiskey for a patient but there were limits as to how much was allowed, similar to how opioids are treated today.

Organized crime followed the enactment of prohibition as people were still willing to pay money for alcohol. As people got used to paying for their illegal alcohol and therefore becoming more comfortable with living on the wrong side of the law, the public opposition to prohibition gained ground. The 18thAmendment was repealed by the 21stAmendment in 1933, voiding the Volstead Act and transferring control of alcohol to states.

The Teapot Dome scandal occurred during Warren G. Harding’s presidency and left a lasting stain on his legacy. His Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall leased petroleum reserves in Teapot Dome, Wyoming to private oil companies at bargain rates in exchange for over $400,000.

The investigation dragged on for two years, with no major evidence found. What proved to be Fall’s undoing was evidence of a no-interest loan of $100,000 from one of the oil tycoons who benefitted from the transaction.

This scandal wasn’t uncovered until after Harding’s death but the fact the president surrounded himself with a man like Fall was enough to cast a shadow on his time in office

At the outbreak of the Great War (WWI), Germany demanded Belgium allow them passage so they could invade France. Belgium, a neutral country, had the support of Great Britain. When Germany invaded and the Battle of Liege began, Belgian citizens found themselves in the midst of war. The German Army took their food and Great Britain imposed a blockade on the country, not allowing any aid to reach the neutral citizens.

Herbert Hoover had already been busy helping stranded Americans flee the war in Europe. Based on his success transporting 120,000 Americans back home, the American ambassador to Great Britain contacted Hoover to help transport food to the starving Belgians. Hoover created the Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB).

In order to succeed he had to navigate British sentiments that the food would help the Germans and prolong the war. Hoover was able to work out a deal in which neutral CRB agents aboard neutral ships laden with relief could bypass the blockade. Based on his position at the head of the CRB, Hoover was one of a few men who were able to pass into territories occupied by both sides of the conflict.

Between 1914 and 1919 he was able to feed 11 million Belgians.

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