1920s Flashcards
What was Laissez Faire?
The system of govt used which emphasised a lack of regulations and providing more power to businesses.
What groups missed out on prosperity in the 1920s?
Farmers, women, racial minorities(Natives, black Americans, Mexicans)
When did women gain the right to vote
August 1920
Did women have proper political representation?
No, only 2 women out of 435 in house of representatives
How did black Americans live in this period?
Many tried to migrate north, they faced discrimination in housing and jobs, lived in poor overcrowded conditions.
Why did farmers suffer?
Higher living standards meant people bought less cereal. Prohibition hugely cut demand for grain. Tractors were used so farmers became unemployed. 66% of farmers operated at a loss.
What were the main causes of the wall street crash?
The bull market, overproduction, Land speculation, weakness of the banking system, Laissez Faire/Easy credit system.
What was the issue with the bull market?
People were inside trading and artificially inflating the value of stocks. When outsiders invested they all sold and the value of the stocks plummeted.
What was the issue with easy credit?
Credit was given out in the form of loans and people bought luxury items with money that they could not afford or pay back.
What was land speculation?
People bought land in Florida to build homes/hotels. These were destroyed by natural disaster and the land was ruined and went down in value, causing a lot of money to be lost.
What was the issue of overproduction?
American goods were not sold abroad. Americans could not buy the amount of technological luxuries that companies thought they would be able to afford so things like washing machines and fridges were overproduced. A lot of food wasn’t sold off so farmers were losing money.
What were the weaknesses of the banking system?
Banks could regulate without govt interference. Most banks were small so could not cope with financial problems. Interest rates were kept low.
Why were people afraid of immigration in the 1920s?
Many thought immigrants would take their jobs as they would work for lower wages. People were concerned about the survival of the Anglo-Saxon race and they thought immigrants were a threat to traditional values.
What was the 1921 emergency immigration law?
It was a law imposing an annul ceiling of immigration from any European country, limiting it to 3% of nationals from that country living in the USA in 1911.
Why did the 1921 immigration law favor white Protestants?
They were the group who had moved to the US in the biggest numbers before 1911 and so a larger number could move to the US.
What was the 1924 Johnson-Reed immigration act?
Banned immigration from Japan. Set a ceiling of immigration at 150,000 per year which didn’t apply to Mexicans.
What was the red scare?
The fear of the rise of communism in America. There was a fear it was going to disrupt and overthrow the American way of life. there were over 6,000 arrests in early 1920 during the Palmer raids.
What was the case of Sacco and Vanzetti?
They were two Italian immigrants accused of carrying out armed robbery. They claimed to be anarchists and despite little evidence of crime they were executed. This caused uproar in north but garnered support in the south.
Who were the main groups advocating for prohibition?
Women’s groups - Saw alcohol as a way for men to oppress them.
Big business - Saw drunkenness’ leading to danger and inefficiency in the workplace.
Religious groups - believed that alcohol was the work of the devil and overwhelmingly responsible for sin.
Why did prohibition fail?
Crime leaders started to see opportunities. They started illegally selling alcohol which led to large violence and gang control. People drank in speakeasies which were places to dance, drink and listen to jazz. America needed alcohol to boost their economy during the great depression as millions were being lost. The leaders of the movement pushed the poisoning of alcohol and lost popularity. Many advocates of the movement drank themselves.
What did the 18th amendment state?
The sale, transportation and manufacture of intoxicating liquor was banned. ( anything more than5%)
How did chemists contribute to the failure of the prohibition?
Could sell alcohol on doctors prescriptions. Many people known as bootleggers sold alcohol illegally.
What good did prohibition do?
Alcohol consumption fell from 2.6 gallons to one gallon per person per year. Arrests for drunkenness’ fell as did deaths from alcoholism. Roads were safer and fewer accidents in the workplace.
What were typical qualities of flappers?
Women more provocative, styled hair, smoking, drinking, revealing clothes.
What were flappers?
Women that experienced more freedom and independence, they abandoned traditional values and were known for shorter skirts, wearing makeup and jewelery.
What positive developments took place for women in the 1920s?
Gained the right to vote, control over clinics and further healthcare for pregnant women. Founded American birth control league, more indipendent/liberated.
What negative developments took place for women in the 1920s?
Opportunities remained limited. Little career options. Banning of night shift led to many getting laid off. Many didn’t feel ready for jobs and little realistic aspirations for women.
How much worth of goods was sold on credit by 1929?
$7 billion
What % of cars and household appliances were bought with credit?
75% and 50%
What happened to bushel prices in the 1920s?
Fell from $2.5 to $1
What were the reasons for lack of prosperity for farmers during the 20s?
The prohibition meant less grain was required, people were eating less cereal, growth of synthetic fibres and less use of cotton, more crops could be produced on less land with 13 million acres taken out of production, overproduction, lack of help from government.
How many were arrested in the Palmer raids?
6,000 but were quickly released due to a lack of evidence.
What did the USS Buford do in December 1919?
Deported 249 suspected left wing aliens to Russia.
Why was there an over exaggeration of communism in the country and by how much?
People were confusing people advocating for industrial rights with communism. People believed there were 600,000 communists but there were realistically 100,000 or about 0.2% of the population.
How many followers did the KKK have by 1921?
100,000
Who did the KKK oppose?
Black Americans, Jews, Catholics, anyone foreign who had supposed ‘immoral influences’
Who were most members of the KKK?
Poor people who lived in rural America
In what ways did the KKK have political influence?
They elected governors in Maine, Ohio, Colorado, Louisiana
How many KKK members marched through DC in 1926?
50,000
How much did it cost to join the KKK and how much was a robe?
$10 and $6.50
By 1929 how many members did the KKK have?
20,000
What did unemployment rate never rise above from 1922-29?
3.7%
What was unique about the amount of people living in urban vs rural areas during the 20s?
1920 census showed more people living in towns than country side for the first time (54 million out of 106 million)
What did eugenics suggest?
Proof from evolution meant suggested there was a hierarchy of race with Whites standing at the top, this led to wide spread racism
What caused the end of the red scare?
Palmer announced there was a huge communist demonstration on the 20th may 1920 but this failed to happened causing him and the red scare to fade away
What was intoxicating liquor defined as during prohibition?
Any drink containing more than 0.5% alcohol
Who generally supported prohibition?
The demographic of the prohibition supporters was southern, from a small town and supported it through voting republican
How much alcohol annually entered the country illegally?
$800 million
What did George Remus do?
Bought up various breweries on the eve of the prohibition for the manufacturing of medical alcohol. He arranged an army of gangsters to hijack his products and sell them in the big cities leading to Remus making $5 million in 5 years.
Why did many treasury agents become corrupt?
There were only 3,000 treasury agents working at an average salary and focused on stopping the billion-dollar illegal booze industry. It was too hard and they caved into pardons to make millions.
What was the St valentines day massacre?
Five of Capones men dressed as police and ‘arrested’ seven rival gang members.
Where did prohibition find success?
Successful in rural areas, alcohol consumption had fell by over 50%, drunkenness arrest fell, drunk drivers fell, accidents at the workplace fell.
What happened to production of industrial goods between 1922 and 1929?
Rose by 50%
What were unemployment rates like between 1922 and 29?
Never rose above 3.7%
How many cars was ford producing per year in 1920?
1,250,000 or one every 60 seconds.
What did mass production do to prices?
It caused things to be much cheaper, the ford model T went from $950 to $250 by 1925.
What were time and motion techniques?
Timing of productive processes and the setting of productivity targets for employees.
What happened to business schools in the 20s?
They massively grew, 89 with 67,000 students
How much were companies spending on advertising by 1929?
$3 billion
What advantageous foreign markets did US businesses invest in?
Businesses bought oil concessions in many countries including Canada, Venezuela, Iraq, Dutch East indies
