America in the roaring 20s Flashcards
How did America react to the end of WW1?
They helped setup the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations as Wilson wanted America to take a leading role in achieving world peace and as a result setup his 14 points which were the basis for the new League. In 1919 and 1920 however the USA did not want to have its solider fight around the world when there were problems at home and congress refused to sign the treaty as well as the public electing Harding instead of Wilson for his new concept of ‘Normalcy’ as they wanted to return to their 19th century isolation.
What effects did the First World War have?
The USA’s economy was very strong, they had exported wheat, raw materials and munitions to Europe and the industry had prospered. The USA took over the European market during the war as they surpassed their competitors, for example the German dye and fertiliser industry. The war brought new technology and mechanisation in industry, for example new plastics. There was however large unemployment and strikes as 4M soldiers were demobbed in 1919 and the lowered export rates meant that bosses were laying off their workforce. Between 1914 and 1919 prices had doubled but wages hardly changed. There were violent strikes throughout 1919. There were also fears of communism spreading to the USA after Russia had had a revolution, two new communist parties had setup in the USA and anarchists started a wave of bomb attacks. In 23 cities in 1919 there were race riots due to discrimination from white communities.
Why were the people of the USA isolationist?
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Isolationism - America considered itself part of the ‘new world’ and didn’t want to be part of the ‘old world’ when Wilson went to Versailles Conference he was the first American President to visit Europe.
Money - American Businessmen were worried about the cost of the League which could raise taxes.
American Soldiers - 100,000 had died in WW1 and people didn’t want more dying in wars across the globe.
German Immigrants - German and Irish immigrants hated being associated with the UK.
Empires - the Treaty had not abolished empires and the US did not want to be associated with the UK and its empire.
What were the effects of isolationism?
It left the USA without allies or security as well as ruining foreign relationships for trade. This left the USA helpless when the great depression and stock market crash came.
Why did Harding impose tariffs on foreign goods?
Harding wanted the foreign goods to be more expensive than the domestic goods so that people bought from inside America and only the US markets would flourish. He called this ‘Protectionism’. An example of this was the 1922 Fordney-McCumber tariff act. The problem with this is that is isolated the US from foreign markets if they needed to trade when their markets became saturated and it undermined foreign economies.
How did Mass production affect America?
For the first time new consumer items were available to all members of the public due to their low cost. The pioneer of mass production was Henry Ford with his idea of the ‘assembly line’ that kept costs low enough for all to enjoy. This sparked consumerism in the US as the public desired to have new products and they were able to find them with the first emerging advertisements; the catalogue was also invented. The introduction of electricity in the home triggered a huge expansion in the household electrical goods industry. In 1919, 60,000 radio sets had been sold, but in 1929 10 million were sold. There was a similar growth in sales of telephone equipment, from 10 million in 1915 to 20 million in 1930. Mass production was also promoted by Coolidge’s Laissez-faire and republican policies which saw industries boom.
Explain the importance of the ‘Model T Ford’
The Model T Ford was produced on an assembly line so that no skilled workers were needed and the production was fast which kept costs very low. Standardisation was also introduced so that only the colour black and a single type of engine was allowed which sped up production times. By the mid 1920s, 7,500 cars were being produced daily - one car every 10 seconds! The car changed America in every way. It led to the construction of new roads and suburbs. The development of the car industry sparked a growth in other industries, eg cars used 90 per cent of America’s petrol, as well as 80 per cent of the country’s rubber and 75 per cent of its glass. It created jobs in the oil industry and made Texas rich. In 1929 a Ford factory had 81,000 employees and in 1925 the wages were upped by $5 due to the boredom. The car was great as it was cheap, created huge numbers of jobs for unskilled workers which paid well and had lasting knock-on effects as well as contributing to a cycle of prosperity. It however provided no skills for future careers, was boring, provided no jobs for skilled workers, the car was built badly and was nicknamed the ‘tin lizzie’ and also only came in a single colour.
What is hire purchase?
The introduction of paying for an item in instalments.
What were the presidents from 1921-1932?
Harding, 1921-1923, introduced Return to normality, Fordney-McCumber Act and Protectionism
Coolidge 1923-1929, introduced Laizzez-Faire
Hoover 1929-1932, introduced Rugged individualism
What were the reasons for the Stock Market boom in the 1920s?
LACK PANTS
Laissez-Faire - means ‘no interference’
Assembly Line - Kept costs low
Credit - Instalment paying
Knowledge - New inventions and continued development
Position - Rich after WW1 and rich with natural resources
Advertisement - New consumer products were reaching the public through Cinema, radio and catalogues
New consumer goods - radios, cars (1919=9M 1929=26M)
Tariffs - Fordney-McCumber Tariff act
Share confidence - American’s had great confidence and invested in local and all businesses - it worked.
What were the reasons for the economic boom?
ACCCESS and Republican policies Automobiles Cycle of prosperity Consumer goods Credit and hire purchase Entertainment Stock Market Sky Scrapers and Laissez-faire, Tariffs, Low taxation and Trusts (Rockefeller and Carnegie)
What were the developments in entertainment?
Cinema boom - Charlie Chaplin - famous movies such as “the kid” and “the great dictator” people could now afford to spend their free time watching these movies and saw that Charlie Chaplin was part of the “American Dream” as he was born poor in the UK.
Jazz boom - Louis Armstrong - Played the trumpet and became an influential musician who spread his blues music, he inspired the black communities however normally only the black musicians were allowed into speakeasies where this music was common.
In the 1920s radios were available to 50M which brought new advertisement and social and political awareness. Clubs and Dancing such as the Charleston made people think Jazz was causing a morale decline.
Fads and crazes also swept the US such as crosswords and pole-sitting.
Who was unaffected by the boom of the 1920s?
Farmers - Mechanisation and overproduction led to rapidly falling prices (Wheat went from $183 in 1920 to 38 cents in 1929 a bushel) In 1929 an average farmers wages was 40% of the national average and many farmers could not afford their mortgage; in 1924 600,000 farmers went bankrupt leading to them having to sell their land to pay their debts and rural areas had no access to electricity so they could not have new consumables.
Old Industries - Overproduction of coal which was being replaced anyway led to mine closure. In 1929 a coal miners wage was barely a third of the national average and textile industries were being undermined by the new flapper fashion which were reducing the need for cloth.
African Americans - 1M black farm workers lost their jobs in 1920. In the North they were only allowed to work the low paid menial jobs and the Harlem district was a small, overcrowded, segregated community where 250,000 blacks lived in 50 blocks. “Rent parties” soon emerged.
Immigrants - The discrimination and racism stopped them finding work.
How did the USA try to stop immigration to the US?
The people in the US were blaming emerging problems on the immigrants and wanted to keep prosperity for themselves.
1921 Immigration Quota - Only 3% of immigrants of the same nationality allowed in from 1910 were allowed.
1924 National Origins Act - the quota of the 1890 census was reduced to 2%, allowing more English and Irish
1929 - only 150,000 immigrants per year, no asians, Northern and Western Europeans were given 85% of the places.
Case study: Klu Klux Klan and their activities:
The Klan re-emerged after WW1 and had roots in small rural areas. They saw themselves as protectors of the WASP lifestyle and hated anyone else, mostly African Americans, Catholics and immigrants. Their values were Morality, americanism, Protestantism and White supremacy. By 1921 they had 100,000 members and lynched 61 Blacks in 1920 and 21 in 1930. They often had protest marches and had people in all positions of power.
