Post WWI / Spanish Flu / Red Scare Flashcards
Red Scare
Fear of potential rise of communism in the US
General A. Mitchell Palmer gathers ‘reds’ after having home bombed
Suspects deported without real evidence
J. Edgar Hoover leads investigations
Causes of the Red Scare
Russian Revolution- creation of communist international which were coordinating communist parties in other countries
Strikes: Boston Police Strike, Steel Mill Strike, hanging of I.W.W. Labor organizer, Seattle docks idled by a strike
Bombings: 8 cities bombed within 30 seconds of eachother, 38 mail bombs were found and an anarchist Italian suicide bomber exploded himself outside of Mitchell A. Palmers home
Race riots: 25 race riots during “Red Summer” of 1919
Palmer Raids
Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer appointed J. Edgar Hoover as a special assistant in hunting down suspected communists, socialists, or anarchists after his house was bombed by an Italian anarchist suicide bomber and the red scare
Capitalism
“Free-Market” people control themselves, govt. only intervenes if a law is broken etc
Industry + trade controlled by private owners, economical freedom
Communism
Government controls EVERYTHING- opposite of capitalism
Single often authoritatian party holds power claiming to make all goods equally shared by the people
Socialism
Government manages and provides societal needs (economy)
Intermediate of communism and capitalism
Producing and distributing goods is owned collectively by a centralized government that plans economy
Anarchy
Absence of political power or government
Freedom of everything, no law enforcement
Proletariat
Working class
Sickle and hammer
Symbol of communism and tools of proletariat
Election of 1920
“Kangaroo”— Vice President more electable than president
Return to normalcy- Harding’s campaign slogan— turning away from president Wilson’s internationalism
Rep. Warren G Harding VP Calvin Coolidge V Dem. James Coy VP Frederick D. Roosevelt
Harding wanted to set tax cuts and budgets
Warren’s Qualified Cabinet members
Charles evans hughes - Secretary of State (Supreme Court justice)
Andrew Mellon - head of treasury (financier)
Herbert Hoover - secretary of commerce (food administrator)
Wardens unqualified cabinet members (spoils system)
Albert fall - secretary of interior (teapot dome scandal)
Charles Forbes - secretary of veterans (bribery veteran hospitals)
Henry Daugherty - attorney general (sold govt favors)
Washington conference / 5 powers treaty
France, Italy, Britain, japan, usa agree to limit size of army, navy etc
First time countries collectively agree to disarm
Kellogg Briand Pact
1928 USA + 14 other countries agreed to outlaw war although they didn’t have the means to enforce the pact
Ohio Gang
Albert fall, charles Forbes, Henry Daugherty
Teapot Dome Scandal
Rock formation with a “teapot shape” in Wyoming had US petroleum reserves underneath
Albert fall illegally leased land to oil and petroleum companies for kickbacks
Accepted 400,000 dollars in bribes
Charles Forbes
Accepted large bribes, liquor, and parties from bad construction companies to build veteran companies
General harry Daugherty
Conspired to defraud the government by selling government favors— case was dropped after 2 undecided verdicts
Sacco and Vanzetti
2 Italian born immigrant anarchists were convicted of murdering two men for their 15,000 dollar paycheck
Red scare raised the suspicion of foreigners, all the evidence against them was circumstancial and prejudiced
Both sentenced to death penalty causing worldwide protests
Return of the KKK
- “100 percent Americanism”
Discrimination against blacks, Jews, Catholics, immigrants, communists unions, and anything/one “unamerican”
4.5 million members!
In 1925 40,000 members walked down Pennsylvania Avenue
In 1921 and 1924 they made the congress pass immigration limits
Scopes “Monkey” Trial
John Butler’s “Butler Act” prohibited schools to teach Darwin’s theory of evolution because it went against the Bible
John Scopes, a substitute science teacher, was hired + paid to claim he taught evolution
Clarence Darrow was appointed as defense attorney and began to use bible verse translations as an offense ands wins the trial, but asks jury to find Scopes guilty before the other group could use their long worked on closing argument
First trial ever broadcasted on radio
William Jennings Bryant- prosecutor who unsuccessfully ran for president 4 times
5 impacts of WWI on the United States
- Economy in 1919
- Strikes
- Racial unrest
- The Red Scare
- Election of 1920
Economy of 1919
- 2 million soldiers return home from the war seeking jobs, business begin to raise prices causing inflation
- increase of living costs and unemployment
Strikes (effect of WWI)
- workers demanded wage increase because of inflation
- union membership increased and organized worker strikes increased greatly
Racial Unrest
- while soldiers were gone, African Americans took over most jobs
- as soldiers returned, they were laid off for the white soldiers
- racial tension grows causing 25 “race riots” during “red summer” of 1919
Red scare (effect of WWI)
- Americans felt betrayed by Russians and communists for deserting the war
- communists labeled “reds”
- bombs and riots = arrests and deportations
Election of 1920 (effect of WWI)
- US in crisis after Wilsons second term is almost ended
- Warren G Harding beats democrat cox in election of 1920
Fear of Labor
- government didnt allow strikes in order to support the war during WWI
- management wanted a return to laissez-afire after WWI
- workers pressing for higher wages
- 1919: 4 million workers on strike
Boston police strike
1919, boston police go on strike demanding an increase in pay. Remaining police fired. Calvin Coolidge involved
Steel mill strike
1919, 350,000 workers from US steel plant strike. Steel plant hired militia and private police, 18 workers killed
Victory parades
4 million+ soldiers return home from being mobilized, US celebrates WWI victory and soldier return with huge parades in NYC
Nativism
- one of the various worries following WWI
- prejudice against foreign-born citizens
- evident in immigration quotes and return + rise of KKK
- led to red scare
- 600% immigration increase
Emergency quota act
1921, placed a limit on the number of people who could enter US from each country
Spanish flu
2nd deadliest plague in history
Spain claimed it started there because they were a neutral country with no sabotage / sedition act and also… they needed help!
Germans were blamed because they spread “flu” gas bombs
Schools closed, fine for not wearing masks or sneezing/coughing in public
16m died in WWI, 50-100M died to Spanish flu
More deaths in US than all combined 20th century military deaths
Took 15 years to isolate virus, not given to the public until AFTER WW2
US ratio of WWI to SF deaths
116,500 deaths from WWI and 675,000 from SF
3 waves of the Spanish Flu
Wave 1- Spring 1918, camp Riley in Kansas killed many soldiers and spread to other military camps
Wave 2- August 1918, quickly spread through France
Wave 3- February 1919, less deadly, but killed the weak
Front Porch Campaign
Harding remained in Ohio— Campaign used in American politics in which the candidate remains close to or at home to make speeches to supporters who come to visit.
