Politics of the Dollar
Week 1: Politics of the Dollar
Learn about the growing industrial and financial power of the United States, from 1865 into the 20th century, including: the Spanish-American War, Cuba and the Platt Amendment, Panama Canal, Federal Reserve Act, World War I, and decline of the European colonial powers.
Week 2: Good Neighbor Policy
Our series continues with discussions of lend-Leases, commercialized war, England’s “Economic Munich,” Marshall Plan, and the IMF and World Bank.
Week 3: Ecstasy and the Agony
This week we discuss the growing corporate power including businessmen, bankers and the Pentagon. Discussions of Vietnam and the Gold Standard, the 1971 devaluation and Nixon, Kissinger and the Balance of Power round out our conversation.
Week 4: Petrodollar
The price of oil is based on the dollar, providing a decisive advantage for the United States. Yet in 2000, Saddam Hussein moved Iraq’s oil transactions off the Dollar and onto the Euro. Shortly after invading Iraq in March 2003, Washington moved Iraq’s oil transactions off the Euro and back onto the Dollar. Our series concludes with the fate of the Dollar and American debt.
About the Presenter
Mark Albertson is the historical research editor at Army Aviation magazine and is a long-time member of the United States Naval Institute. In addition, Mark teaches history at Norwalk Community College. His courses include: World War I and Iraq: Creation of Colonialism; A History, Vietnam; A History, World War I; The Turning Points of World War II; The Great Patriotic War: The Titanic Clash Between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union; and American Empire: Grand Republic to Corporate State. In May 2005, Mark was presented with a General Assembly Citation by both houses of the state legislature in Hartford for his effort in commemorating the centennial of battleship Connecticut.