5.1: USA 1920s: the roaring twenties Flashcards
Boom and bust, pride and prejudice
-causes and consequences
Resources and transport, republican policies WW1, cars, new industries and methods, mass consumption, wall street and stock market, state of mind
the boom causes: Resources
Rich in resources
Rockefeller: standard oil (replaced coal), raise in cars=raise in oil, separate companies into 1
Carnegie: steel, more cars & skyscrapers…
Mellon: banker, good eye for successful businesses like electricity and aluminium
the boom causes: Republican Policies
Laissez Faire: government should leave strong independent businessmen alone
Protective Tariffs: discouraged citizens to buy from foreign businesses
Low Taxation: helped poor and encourage wealthy to invest in industries
Powerful Trusts: Wilson and democrats fought against it-people like Andrew Carnegie (steel) had too much control
the boom causes: WW1
Supplied weapon, loaned money
Joined in 1917
162000 commercial flights operating a year by 1930
Took over production of chemicals from Germany
the boom causes: Cars
Production was revolutionised by Henry Ford who set up 1st production line in Detroit
Over 7 million vehicles registered in 1922
For convenience and leisure
Other industries: oil, plutonium, steel, glass, rubber, leather, jobs, roads, traffic lights…
the boom causes: New industries and methods
Efficiency Movement introduced by F. Taylor: cut wastes of time & money
More people used electricity: bought more telephones, radios, vacuums, washing machines
Things were cheaper. E.g: 1900: 12000 silk stockings sold, 1930: 300 million were sold!
the boom causes: Mass consumption
Mass producing required mass consumption
Mass national advertising: propaganda from war turned into posters and radio adverts
Mail order: people in remote areas bought from catalogues (convenient)
Credit: ‘buy now, pay later’, 8/10 radios
Chain stores: same shops selling same products all over USA
the boom causes: State of Mind
People trusted businessmen over politicians, Ford was very popular
Believed in their right to prosperity, followed trends, wanted to spend money
Confidence in everyone from businessman to consumer
the boom causes: Wall street and stock market
People invested in shares which helped people to set up businesses
Share owners rose to 20 million by 1929
Stock market supported business and business supported stock market
-Industries and social groups that experienced the boom
entertainment and leisure, old attitudes changed, cars, city life
the boom: Entertainment and leisure
Radio: NBC network made $150 million a year by 1929
Cinema: affordable (10-20 cents), Charlie Chaplin and ‘talkies’
Music: jazz, dancing, drinking, partying…
the boom: Old attitudes changed
Liberation for women: flappers, drinking, smoking, short dresses
Sex more widely talked about: newspapers, magazines, movies, radios…
the boom: City life
Skyscrapers
Epic feats like Charles Lindberg crossing the Atlantic by aeroplane
More people lived in towns and cities than ever before (over 50%)
-Industries and social groups that didn’t experience the boom
farming traditional industries, unemployed and the poor
the boom: farming
In 9 years, total income dropped from $22 billion to $13 billion
Declining exports, new competitors, overproduction, falling prices
Congress considered being tariffs but Republicans were unsympathetic so plan was dropped
the boom: traditional industries
Cotton, coal, leather replaced by electricity and oil
Skilled workers couldn’t compete with machines
Strikes happened for better pay and working conditions
Republicans protected these to an extent, but businessmen were hostile
the boom: unemployed and the poor
Same number were unemployed throughout the boom
Republicans stuck to Laissez Faire and did nothing
Included more African American and Hispanic people rather than white people
Chicago: only 3% semi-skilled workers had a car, in richer areas, 29% did
Workers in Chicago didn’t like to use credit
-Women in the 1920s
women in 1900s, more money, more freedom, employment opportunities, suffrage, Sheppard-Towner Act, women in rural areas
women in 1900s
no passport, going out unaccompanied, career, makeup, sport
more money more freedom
More daring clothes, smoking, drinking, kissing in public
Began to earn money, became target for advertisers: they bought things for the household
employment opportunities for women
WW1: women took over men’s jobs, served in Women’s Land Army and Red Cross
Urban area middle class women got jobs due to electrical machines making home life easier
10 million women in paid employment 1929
suffrage of women
National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA): political opportunities in WW1
National Women’s Party (NWP): events outside White House to show injustices in WW1
1918: Wilson accepted women should vote
August 1920: Congress approved 19th Ammendment to the Constitution
NAWSA became League of Women voters, overing advice, increasing pressure
NWP: over 600 pieces of legislation promoting equality, 300 accepted approx
Sheppard-Towner Act
1921
Morris Sheppard and Horace Towner were appalled at poor health care and infant deaths
Act provided up to $2.6 million to help states improve maternity and child health care
3000 child and maternal health centres created
Getting through Congress was difficult but brought real benefits and was a step forward
Women in rural areas
Less pay than men so more employment since they were cheaper
Allowed to vote but ‘unelectable’
Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the few women elected to congress by 1929
Religious, traditional and old values held them back: raise a family and keep a good home
Conservative sections of society strongly disapproved of these changes
Films showed exciting lives of women but wasn’t the case in reality and some reacted badly
-Prohibition
causes, action and response, supply and demand, corruption, gangsters, Al Capone, failure
prohibition: causes
Christian Beliefs (esp in the South)
Patriotism: most breweries were run by German immigrants, ‘the enemy’
Industrial Efficiency: turning up to work drunk or hung over
Threat of Communism: dries claimed communists thrived on drink and led to lawlessness
Family Welfare: beer doubled child death rates from to 45%
prohibition: action and response
Isadore Einstein (Issy) and Moe Smith made almost 4400 arrests with low-key raids
Issy kept special flask hidden inside waistcoat with funnel attached to preserve evidence
Not enough money to fund raids, not enough agents: poorly paid, responsible for large area
Rural areas approved, urban states did not
Rich and powerful didn’t approve, it wasn’t difficult for them to go against it
George Cassidy: official bootlegger for congress, given light sentence of 18 months
prohibition: supply and demand
Al Capone made around $60 million a year for speakeasies
New Orleans, you could find alcohol in 35 seconds!
prohibition: corruption
George Remus also built network of corrupt officials, gave cars & diamond cufflinks to them
1 in 12 agents dismissed for corruption
prohibition: gangsters
Generally came from poor immigrant backgrounds, poorly educated but clever and ruthless
Fought viciously with each other to control liquor trade
By 1929 Al Capone committed at least 300 murders
Al Capone
Arrived in 1919, boss died in 1925, took over drink club, set up network of corrupt officials
By 1929 St Valentine’s Day Massacre: murdered 7 of rival gang using fake police and car
Gave generous tips, donated $30,000 to soup kitchen, very popular
prohibition: failure + afterwards
St Valentine’s Day Massacre: revealed extent of violence associated with Prohibition
Huge rise in corruption: officials could turn a blind eye or pay off charges
Rise in willingness to break the law
Less taxes: government couldn’t collect tax on alcohol sales
April 1933: Cullen-Harrison Act legalised sale of beer and Prohibition ended
Volstead Act was over 13 years later
-experience of immigrants
red scare, palmer raids, Sacco and Vanzetti
red scare
Racist attitudes amplified due to fear of communism esp against immigrants from Russia
Palmer raids
400,000 workers went on strike
April 1919, bomb planted in a church in Milwaukee, 10 killed
a bombing almost killed Mitchell Palmer, US attorney general
J. Hoover, appointed by Palmer to build up files of 60,000 suspects
10,000 individuals 1919-20 informed they had to leave the USA
Sacco and Vanzetti
Arrested 1920 on suspicion of armed robbery and murder
They confirmed they were anarchists and trial became more about this than the charges
Judge said that even though he probably didn’t do it, he is to blame as he is the ‘enemy’
6 years of legal appeals, they were executed in 1927 and there was a storm of protests
To deflect criticism, governor of Massachusetts set up an enquiry: Lowell Commition
Lowell claimed it was justified but he was racist and an antisemite
They were eventually pardoned 50 years but they were already dead
-Experience of African Americans
difficulties suffered, reasons for these problems, motives by those attacking, AA response, limitations
difficulties suffered
Violent attacks by KKK including lynchings, 2.4 million members
Life expectancy of AA was 45-48 years and whites was 54-59
Many companies were all white
James Cameron, 16, suspected murder & rape, mob broke in jail to lynch him
more problems of AAs
In Harlem, AAs lived in worst housing but paid more than whites with better housing
AAs tried to move out but other areas weren’t welcoming
In Harlem, presence of 50,000 West Indians was source of inter-racial tension
motives by those attacking
The birth of a Nation in 1915 glorified Klan as defenders of traitorous AAs
KKK wanted to keep white people in control of America
President Wilson saw the movie and said it was all true and supported the KKK
AA response
Many left South and moved to Chicago and New York: over200% population increase
Howard University was set up exclusively for AAs
The ‘Black Capitalist’ movement encouraged AAs to set up businesses
Harlem in New York became the hub for AA musicians, artists and singers
W.DuBois founded the NAACP which had 90,000 members
M. Garvey’s UNIA told AAs to set up businesses- had 1 million members by 1921
limitations
Movements were a step forward but didn’t change attitudes
Life expectancy increase but still not as much as whites
Many AAs lived in great poverty, got paid less, poor education and health services…
AA communities in northern areas often became isolated ghettos
Middle-class AAs blamed newly arrived migrants from south for increasing racism
