America 1920-1973 (Opportunity and Inequality) Flashcards
Why was the USA isolationist after WW1?
Americans didn’t want to lose more soldiers and Republican president Warren Harding wanted everything to return to normality.
Why did the USA start to demand high tariffs after WW1?
Farm and industrial profits started to decline.
What and when was the Emergency Tariff?
1921- increased taxes on agricultural products to help farmer increase their farm profits.
What and when was the Fordney-McCumber Tariff?
1922- increased taxes on industrial and agricultural imported good to protect factories and farms
Did the tariffs help or hinder the US economy?
Help, it encourages Americans to buy American products and therefore increased the number of goods being made and sold in America.
What were the causes of the economic boom? (7)
- Raw materials
- WW1
- Mass production
- Hire purchase
- Laissez-faire
- Tariffs
- Advertising
How did the growth in the car industry help the economy?
The assembly line sped up production and made more jobs because unskilled workers could be employed.
In the mid-1920s, how many cars were being produced daily?
75,000
What was the cycle of prosperity?
More sales -> increases production -> more workers with higher wages -> more spending ->
How did the entertainment industry help the boom?
People bought radios and went to cinemas to ‘escape the real world’.
Why was the entertainment industry so popular in the 1920s?
People had more time to listen to music or go to the cinemas.
How did the position of women change in society in the 1920s?
Women were allowed to vote, WW1 meant that they were more confident going out unchaperoned and wearing shorter dresses.
Why was the USA a divided society in the 1920s?
Not everyone benefitted from the boom, e.g. farmer and black Americans
Why did farmers not benefit from the boom? (4)
- New machinery meant too much food was being produced
- Food prices dropped by 50%
- Couldn’t pay mortgages
- Couldn’t find any other work
Why did black Americans not benefit from the boom?
- most were involved in farming
- 1 million black farm workers lost their job
- faced mostly same problems as farmer
- segregation
What was the American attitude towards immigration after WW1?
They were scared of immigrant affecting their society.
What immigration laws did the US government introduce after WW1? (2)
1921-Emergency Quota Act
1924-Johnson-Reed Act
What was the 1921 Emergency Quota Act?
- No more than 3% of Eastern European immigrants
- 357,000 maximum number of immigrants
What was the 1924 Johnson-Reed Act?
- Maximum number of immigrants 154,000
- Didn’t want unskilled or illiterate people
What was the Red scare?
A fear of communism entering the US
What was the Sacco and Vanzetti case?
- 1920
- Two Italian born immigrants were accused of armer robbery and murder
- Little evidence except background
- Accused of anarchists
- Despite protests, they were executed
Who were the KKK?
A group who scared and intimidated black people with violence e.g. burning homes and public lynchings.
-Wore white robes with masks to cover their face
How did the KKK add to the growth of racism in the 1920s?
Made people fear black people.
What was prohibition?
The sale, production and transport (not drinking) of alcohol made illegal.
Why was prohibition introduced?
People were spending too much money on alcohol and not enough on necessities like food.
Why did prohibition fail?
Crime began to rise and it was too difficult to regulate illegal alcohol.
What was the Wall St Crash?
The collapse of the American economy, cause of the Great Depression
How did the collapse of the banks weaken the economy?
Peple couldn’t trust the banks so they stopped using them which meant they didn’t spend as much money.
How did the Wall St Crash lead to a depression? (3)
- Increase in unemployment
- Banks collapsed
- Wages fell
How did Hoover deal with the depression? (2)
-Believed it was only temporary
“Prosperity is just around the corner”
-Raised import taxes so American would buy American products
Why dod Roosevelt (FDR) win the 1932 election?
Promised new deal, government action an end of prohibition. HELP, ENCOURAGE, REFORM
What did FDR introduce in the first 100 days?
Alphabet agencies
- FERA
- AAA
- NRA
- PWA
- CCC
- TVA
What did the CCC do?
Hired unemployed young men to work on public service projects e.g. building bridges, roads etc.
What did the AAA do?
Helped families to control production and stabilise prices
Successes of the New Deal (3)
- Reduced unemployment
- Made sure banks were safe and properly regulated
- Helped the poor
Disadvantages of the New Deal (4)
- Unemployment rose again in 1938
- Wasn’t enough money to maintain it
- Didn’t help black people
- Didn’t help women
Define isolationist
When a country separates itself from current affairs or other countries
Why was America isolationist? 5
- people expected them to lead in world affairs
- Americans felt they shouldn’t have been involved in WW1
- Could easily support itself
- Americans saw their country as a “place of opportunity”
- American Dream - thier way of living was best
What was the boom in terms of industry? 3
- more roads built
- more civillian airlines
- increase in things like cars, roads etc meant more jobs
What was the boom in terms of transport? 2
- number of cars increased from 9 million to 26 million in 10yrs
- in 1919 there were only 1 million trucks in USA but increased to 3.5 million by 1929
What was the boom in terms of home life? 3
- cars meant it was possible for people to live outside cities
- more homes with electricity all homes by 1929
- more people had silk stockings
What was the boom in terms of cities? 2
- more skyscrapers built
- less people living in cities due to cars
Who was Andrew Mellon? 4
- Secretary of the treasury from 1921-32
- Believed that tax cuts and lowering government spending would encourage private effort and initiative
- Spent 8 yrs in office
- Believed that tax reductions benefited the wealthy
Who was Warren Harding? 5
- Elected as 29th president on his birthday
- served from 1921-23
- Allowed congress
- approved tax cuts on higher incomes and protective tariffs
- supported limiting the immigration and ending spending controls
Who was Herbert Hoover? 8
- 31st president of US (1929-33)
- Led America through Great Depression and Wall st Crash
- Couldn’t overcome economic destruction and despair that was a result
- lost reelection bid in 1932
- wanted to keep people working
- none of his approaches helped the economy
- Helplessly watched businesses close and America sink into poverty
- Signed Smoot-Hawley Act which meant taxes were raised on imports
Who was Calvin Coolidge? 7
- 30th US president
- nicknamed ‘Silent Cal’ because of stubbornness
- cut taxes
- limited government spending
- led America through roaring 20s, escaped presidency before Wall St Crash
- he rejected US membership of League of Nations
- set high tariffs on imported goods to try and protect America
In terms of American attitudes, why was there an economic boom in the 1920’s? 2
- American dream
- America was the ‘land of opportunity’
In terms of WW1, why was there an economic boom in the 1920’s? 5
- USA left the war in a good position compared to others
- only lost 100,000 men
- no land lost
- businesses thrived (war torn countries industries were struggling so America took over)