5.1: USA 1920s: the roaring twenties

Question 1

-causes and consequences

Answer 1

Resources and transport, republican policies WW1, cars, new industries and methods, mass consumption, wall street and stock market, state of mind

Question 2

the boom causes: Resources

Answer 2

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

Question 3

the boom causes: Republican Policies

Answer 3

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

Question 4

the boom causes: WW1

Answer 4

Supplied weapon, loaned money

Joined in 1917

162000 commercial flights operating a year by 1930

Took over production of chemicals from Germany

Question 5

the boom causes: Cars

Answer 5

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…

Question 6

the boom causes: New industries and methods

Answer 6

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!

Question 7

the boom causes: Mass consumption

Answer 7

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

Question 8

the boom causes: State of Mind

Answer 8

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

Question 9

the boom causes: Wall street and stock market

Answer 9

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

Question 10

-Industries and social groups that experienced the boom

Answer 10

entertainment and leisure, old attitudes changed, cars, city life

Question 11

the boom: Entertainment and leisure

Answer 11

Radio: NBC network made $150 million a year by 1929

Cinema: affordable (10-20 cents), Charlie Chaplin and ‘talkies’

Music: jazz, dancing, drinking, partying…

Question 12

the boom: Old attitudes changed

Answer 12

Liberation for women: flappers, drinking, smoking, short dresses

Sex more widely talked about: newspapers, magazines, movies, radios…

Question 13

the boom: City life

Answer 13

Skyscrapers

Epic feats like Charles Lindberg crossing the Atlantic by aeroplane

More people lived in towns and cities than ever before (over 50%)

Question 14

-Industries and social groups that didn’t experience the boom

Answer 14

farming traditional industries, unemployed and the poor

Question 15

the boom: farming

Answer 15

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

Question 16

the boom: traditional industries

Answer 16

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

Question 17

the boom: unemployed and the poor

Answer 17

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

Question 18

-Women in the 1920s

Answer 18

women in 1900s, more money, more freedom, employment opportunities, suffrage, Sheppard-Towner Act, women in rural areas

Question 19

women in 1900s

Answer 19

no passport, going out unaccompanied, career, makeup, sport

Question 20

more money more freedom

Answer 20

More daring clothes, smoking, drinking, kissing in public

Began to earn money, became target for advertisers: they bought things for the household

Question 21

employment opportunities for women

Answer 21

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

Question 22

suffrage of women

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Sheppard-Towner Act

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Women in rural areas

Answer 24

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

Question 25

-Prohibition

Answer 25

causes, action and response, supply and demand, corruption, gangsters, Al Capone, failure

Question 26

prohibition: causes

Answer 26

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%

Question 27

prohibition: action and response

Answer 27

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

Question 28

prohibition: supply and demand

Answer 28

Al Capone made around $60 million a year for speakeasies New Orleans, you could find alcohol in 35 seconds!

Question 29

prohibition: corruption

Answer 29

George Remus also built network of corrupt officials, gave cars & diamond cufflinks to them 1 in 12 agents dismissed for corruption

Question 30

prohibition: gangsters

Answer 30

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

Question 31

Al Capone

Answer 31

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

Question 32

prohibition: failure + afterwards

Answer 32

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

Question 33

-experience of immigrants

Answer 33

red scare, palmer raids, Sacco and Vanzetti

Question 34

red scare

Answer 34

Racist attitudes amplified due to fear of communism esp against immigrants from Russia

Question 35

Palmer raids

Answer 35

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

Question 36

Sacco and Vanzetti

Answer 36

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

Question 37

-Experience of African Americans

Answer 37

difficulties suffered, reasons for these problems, motives by those attacking, AA response, limitations

Question 38

difficulties suffered

Answer 38

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

Question 39

more problems of AAs

Answer 39

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

Question 40

motives by those attacking

Answer 40

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

Question 41

AA response

Answer 41

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

Question 42

limitations

Answer 42

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