America 1920-29 Flashcards
(26 cards)
WW1(Causes of the boom)
The First World War: When war broke out in 1914, the USA stayed out of it as part of a policy known as isolationism.
The consumer society(Causes of the boom)
In 1916, only 15% of American homes had electricity. But nearly 70% had it by 1927. This meant workers began to spend their money on ultra-modern electicity powered gadgets such as vacuum cleaners, radios
. Huge demand for these products created jobs in the factories that made them.
Republican government policies(Causes of the boom)
The policy of these Republican Presidents was that government should leave the economy alone – they adopted alaissez-faire(free market) policy. This meant that big businesses were free to expand without being held back by the government.
In 1922 Harding, he introduced theFordney-McCumber Tariff Actwhich imposed a tax on goods from foreign countries.
New ways to buy and sell(Causes of the boom)
Effective advertsing campaigns were used to sell products. Billboards, newspapers and magazines urged people to but the latest gadget. People took advantage of the ‘buy now, pay later’ schemes. This was also called hire-purchase plan. Six out of ten cars were bought this way.
Growing industries and mass production(Causes of the boom)
The growth of the motor industry was a massive boost for the US economy. Car production used 20% of America’s steel
Industries started to use the assembly line to produce items quickly. This became known as mass production. Due to this good became cheaper.
Henry Ford
Ford made just one type of car – the Model T or ‘Tin Lizzie’. It was mass-produced. Cost were kept low because it had one engine size and one colour.
As production got faster, the price of the car fell. Costing nearly $800 in 1911, by 1928 it was only $295. As a result, 15 million people bought Model T Fords between 1911 and 1929.
Henry Ford(Part 2)
Due to the motor industry, jobs were created in not only factories that made them but also industries that supplied the materials. There were also huge jobs in building roads, highways and oil refineries. As well as, petrol station, hotels and garages.
The roaring twenties(Cinema)
People would pay to see their favourite actors e.g. Charlie Chaplin
By 1929 Hollywood was making over 500 films a year.
“Talkies” were first shown in 1927
Why did American farmers not benefit from the Boom
American farmers had done well during the First World War. They had sold crops and animals to countries at war in Europe.
When the First World War ended, Europe’s farms began to recover and there was less demand for American crops and animals. Some foreign nations even began to add taxes (tariffs) onto crops that American farmers were trying to sell abroad
Why did American farmers not benefit from the Boom part 2
Also, new high-tech machinery like combine harvesters meant that American farmers were producing more food than ever before. In fact, there was more food available than the population could eat so it remained unsold. some had borrowed money from the banks to buy the latest machinery and now they could not repay the loans.
Why did workers in traditional industries not benefit from the boom
Cotton and wool workers, in traditional industries, suffered too because there was less demand for their products as a result of the popularity of new man-made fibres
Why did workers in traditional industries not benefit from the boom part 2
Furthermore, coal miners, in another traditional industry, suffered . Other forms of fuel, such as oil, gas and electricity, were increasingly used as alternatives to heat homes and cook food.
Why did African-American workers not benefit from the boom
the majority of African-Americans lived in the southern states, such as Mississippi and South Carolina. Many worked on farms as labourers, or rented small areas of land from a landowner.
Why did African-American workers not benefit from the boom part 2
Generally speaking, living conditions were appalling and millions lived in poverty. As the farming industry suffered in general, African-American farmworkers and sharecroppers were hit particularly hard because they were already desperately poor. Many made their way to the cities to find work but could only find low-paid jobs- and some factories operated a whites-only policy.
Why did Native Americans not benefit from the boom
Much of their land has been seized by mining companies and their traditional way of life had disappeared when they had been forced to move to reservations. The soil on these reservations was often so poor that it was impossible to grow crops properly.
A report in the late 1920’s found that most Native Americans lived in extreme poverty, were poorly educated and had a lower life expectancy than other ethnic groups
Why was prohibition introduced
They said that drinkers were unpatriotic cowards in WW1 because many breweries were run by Germans.
Religious organisations and churches claimed that alcohol led to social problems such as violence, poverty, addiction and debt
Some argued that alcohol led to a decline in moral values. People in rural areas saw the newly growing towns as places of alcohol-fuelled violence and crime.
Enforcing Prohibition
The government set up 1500 Prohibition agents. They had to locate places that bought or sold alcohol, then make arrests and confiscate any alcohol.
Impact of organised crime
Criminal gangs, or gangsters, made millions from the illegal sale of alcohol. They used the money they made to bribe and intimidate police, lawyers and judges.
Criminal gangs made money through racketeering – shopkeepers paid them to stop them smashing up their shops. Al Capone (gangster) made $10 million a year from racketeering.
More impacts of organised crime
14 February 1929 Valentine’s Day Massacre. Al Capone attempted to get rid of his biggest rival, Bugs Moran. Moran survived but it showed the impact of organised crime and the fact that Prohibition has led to increased violence.
By the 1930s there were about 200,000 speakeasies (illegal bars) in America, including 32,000 speakeasies in New York, compared to only 15,000 bars in New York before Prohibition.
Impact of immigration
New immigrants were often resented by ‘old immigrants’ because they were usually poor, couldn’t speak English well and unfamiliar traditions.
The First World War had increased Americans’ suspicion of foreigners.
The Russian Revolution in 1917 heightened fears that Russian immigrants might try to cause a Communist revolution in America.
Some people blamed immigrants for the fact that they had not prospered e.g poor, white members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Some Americans saw immigrants as a threat to the traditional, American way of life
Consequences of immigration
The 1921 immigration quota law limited immigration to 350,000 a year. The 1924 Origins Act limited this further to 150,000.
The Sacco and Vanzetti case is an example of how intolerant Americans had become of immigrants in the 1920s.
Experience of African Americans
1921 61 African Americans were lynched. The police did little to stop it happening.
The Jim Crow Laws meant that African Americans were segregated and not allowed to use the same restaurants, waiting rooms etc
African Americans had to pass an impossible literacy test before they could vote.
African Americans could not expect to get justice as lawyers and judges upheld the Jim Crow Laws.
Nearly two million African Americans left the southern states as there was less discrimination in the northern states. However, there was still racism and African Americans generally lived in the poorest housing with the worst pay.
Some African-Americans flourished due to the attraction of jazz music.
Who were the Ku Klux Klan
A white supremacy movement.
5 million members by 1925. Most members were poor, white people. They looked for someone to blame.
What did the Ku Klux Klan do
Wanted to uphold white Protestants as superior. They saw the KKK as a defence against a decline in moral standards.
Used violence to intimidate African Americans. Their methods incuded whipping, branding with acid, kidnapping and lynching.
1919-25 300 African Americans murdered by the KKK.
