How did the Political Environment Change (1917-1933) Flashcards
(31 cards)
Who was President in 1917 and were they Democrat or Republican?
Woodrow Wilson (D)
How did WW1 affect the opinion of Wilson and the Democrats?
Americans felt that joining WW1 was a mistake and strongly disliked that Wilson was trying to involve the US even more in international affairs once the war ended
What was the result of the 1920 elections?
Warren Harding (R) beat James Cox (D) by 404-127
What years were Warren Harding in office?
1921-1923 (died in office)
What was Warren Harding’s slogan during the 1920 campaign?
‘Return to normalcy’
Describe what ‘Return to normalcy’ meant, and why was this popular?
Since the end of the war, a lot of social and economic discontent had risen and people wanted a return back to pre-war stable times. ‘Return to normalcy’ just mean more socioeconomic stability
Why was WW1 so lucrative for the USA
They manufactured and sold supplies and weaponry for massive profits to European countries who needed it in the war
Why was the period after WW1 so difficult economically
As demand fell after WW1 ended, a lot of factories closed, leading to mass unemployment
Unemployment rose from ___ to ___ from 1919-21
Unemployment rose from 950,000 in 1919 to 5.01 million in 1921
Name 3 ways Warren Harding encouraged enforced isolationism after taking Presidency
- He did not join the League of Nations
- He introduced tariffs to encourage people to ‘buy American’
- He reduced immigrant numbers
Describe the act limiting immigrants
1921 Emergency Quota Act limited immigrants to 357,000 a year. This was amended to 150,000 a year in 1924
What term describes the Republican ideology of not being involved into controlling the social or economic aspects of America
Laissez-faire
What caused the initial fear of Communism in the USA
Russian Revolution giving birth to the USSR
What was ‘Red hunting’
Trying to identify communists in America, which often resulted in violence against suspected communists, sacking of ‘communists’ or deportation
Which President followed Warren Harding, what party were they in and what years were they in office?
Calvin Coolidge (R) - 1923-1929
Which President followed Calvin Coolidge, what party were they in and what years were they in office?
Herbert Hoover (R) - 1929-1933
What was ‘Rugged individualism’
An ideology developed off laissez-faire by Herbert Hoover, emphasizing that people show take responsibility for themselves, and those who worked hard would realise the American Dream
Why did Hoover not react fast to the 1929 Great Depression?
A laissez-faire attitude worked in a previous depression after WW1, and he believed the Depression would be of a similar intensity, although in reality it was far worse
After realizing the seriousness of the Great Depression, what did Hoover do initially to fight the Great Depression, and was it successful?
He only encouraged the creation of private charities at first, and set up the President’s Emergency Committee for Employment, to find work for the unemployed. It was overwhelmed instantly.
What changes to his economic strategy did Hoover make from 1930-32
Tried to become more economically involved in providing federal help to people in need
How did Congress react to Hoover’s economic strategy from 1917-1932
As a majority Republican Congress, they were very unhappy as Hoover took a more Democrat approach to the economy. This meant they blocked a lot of his suggested reforms
How did the public react to Hoover’s economic strategy from 1917-1932
The sudden changes in policy were unwelcome and came as a shock to many. Some were upset by the switch, while others blamed Hoover for not helping enough when really it was Congress’ fault
What was ‘The Bonus Army’ and when was it set up?
People who fought in WW1 gained a bonus payment based off years of service. Some people were paid at once, other people who were owed more money had their payments go into a fund to be paid in 1945.
Why were the Bonus Army angry at Hoover
As a result of Depression, many members of the Bonus Army went broke and demanded their bonus payment early. The government refused despite these WW1 vets often being unemployed or homeless
