The Changing Political Environent (1917-1933)

Question 1

What three republican presidents dominated during the 1920s?

Answer 1

1-Warren Harding (1921-1923)

2-Calvin Coolidge(1923-1929)

3-Herbert Hoover(1929-1933)

Question 2

What ideology did warren Harding promote?

Answer 2

Normalcy

Question 3

What ideology did Calvin Coolidge promote?

Answer 3

“Business is Americans business”

Question 4

What ideology did Herbert hoover promote?

Answer 4

Rugged individualism and voluntarism

Question 5

What type of polices did all three presidents promote?

Answer 5

• laissez faire economic ideas
• protectionist tariffs
• reduce immigration

Question 6

What amendment was prohibition?

And when was it passed?

Answer 6

18th amendment passed in 1919

Question 7

Why did Herbert hoover earn the the title “The great humanitarian” before his election?

Answer 7

-He aided civilians who were victims of the war,thus promoting voluntarism

Question 8

How did Herbert hoover embody rugged individualism?

Answer 8

He Made millions as a mining engineer

Question 9

How did warren Harding rise to international prominence before he was elected?

Answer 9

In 1919 Harding served on the senate of foreign relations and was a leading critique of Woodrow Wilson’s League of Nations.

Question 10

Why did warren Harding criticise the League of Nations?

Answer 10

As it would oblige the us to defend another country therefore Harding was an advocated for isolationism

Question 11

In 1919 why did Calvin Coolidge (Massachusetts governor)hit the headlines?

Answer 11

His tough stance over a Boston police strike

This appealed Americans who were suffering form post war economic depression and were resentful of strikes

Question 12

What are the two names give to the people who advocated for prohibition to take place?

Answer 12

Temperance campaigners

Dries

Question 13

How many infants were smothered yearly by drunk parents?

Answer 13

300 said one temperance leaflet

Question 14

By 1917 how many states had already banned alcohol?

Answer 14

27

Question 15

What did prohibition happen?

Answer 15

• it caused communism,crime and poverty
• important foods such as grain being wasted
• brewing companies often had German names such as Pabst and Americans wanted to be more isolated

Question 16

What does patriotic mean and give me and example of how Americans were patriotic during the 1920s?

Answer 16

Patriotic means supporting ones country

Not drinking alcohol was an example of being patriotic during the 1920s

Question 17

When and who ended prohibition?

Answer 17

Franklin d Roosevelt ended it in 1933

Question 18

When was the red scare?

And tell me three things that happened in it

Answer 18

1919-1920

• there were 3,600 strikes and it was often blamed on communism for instance when 350,000 steel workers strikes business leaders blamed it on Communism this intensified fears of revolution.
• general Mitchell palmers house was bombed leading to the Palmer raids
• there were 25 race riots largest being in Chicago wherein which 38 people died (25 blacks,15 whites)

Question 19

How many arrests were there in the Palmer raids and how much people were actually innocent?

Answer 19

• 6000 alien arrests with many foreign born radicals deported such as Emma Goldman
• according to secretary of labor Lois posts investigation concluded that only 556 people were guilty

Question 20

Why did the red scare contribute to increased anti immigrant feelings?

Answer 20

• Russian Jews usually brought in the views
• foreign born radicals such as Emma Goldman held and promoted her anarchist views.it was usually immigrants who were political radicals
• Italian born labourers Sacco and venzetti also expressed their hatred for capitalism

Question 21

Which did Americans want things to go back to normal?

Answer 21

• government had an increased role in the economy(war industries board)
• taxation had become high during the war so Americans wanted someone to balance the books
• legislation such as as the 1918 sedition act gave the federal government extra powers to silence opponents of the war the government was become too corrupt

Question 22

What did one Ohio journalist say about Harding?

Answer 22

“Harding possessed that rare power of convincing his hearers”

Question 23

Give me some quotes that Harding said in his presidential candidate speech.

Answer 23

“Tranquility at home is more precious that peace abroad”

“The word needs to be reminded that all human ills are not curable by legislation”(supports voluntarism,rugged individualism)

“Excess is government offer no substitute for quality of citizenship”

Americans must “put America first”(isolationism)

Question 24

What else played a part in hardings victory?

These points foreshadows a changing president as well

Answer 24

• Albert lasker his brilliant publicist introduced many of the advertising (radio magazines) and public relations techniques
• republican owned magazines gave him a lot of support as he got on well with the reporters they even refused to publish contemporary mains that he has black ancestry.
• new women voters supported him as he supported their enfranchisement.

Question 25

Tell me some triumphs of Harding presidency.

Answer 25

• he successfully mediated between labour and management during the steel strike in 1921
• he obtained an injunction that ended the railroad strike which delighted most Americans
• he lowered federal government expenditure by 1922 it was cut to $3373 million from $5000 dollars in 1922
• a major cut in federal expenditure allowed tax to lower and also only the very wealthy now had to pay tax
• approved progressive style legislation the sheppard Towner maternity aid which gave federal aid for instance and maternity health programmes this was important it was on of the first welfare programmes but in place

Question 26

What type of disagreements did warren Harding have with congress?

And what scandal did he get into after his death?

Answer 26

• urged them to enact an anti lynching bill however southern democrats kept blocking it
• vetoed a popular bonus for Veterans on the basis it would damage national finances
• criticised the 1922 fordney Mcumber tarrif
• the teapot dome scandal dominated the headlines although Harding himself did nothing wrong his appointees accepting bribes.

Question 27

How did the nation magazine describe Calvin Coolidge?

Answer 27

“Just what the country needs a quote dimple man man with no desire for any reform”

Question 28

How much did national debt decrease to during president Coolidges presidency?

Answer 28

At the start of his presidency (1923) it was at $22.3 billion and by (1929) it was $16.9 billion

Question 29

What was his relation like with the public?

Answer 29

He was quite “my friend bet me I can’t get two words out of you” he replied “you lose”

He has innovative techniques to develop public relations for example he met reporters regularly

He greeted an average of 400 callers in the White House daily

He invited congressman to White House breakfasts

He never attacked his open owned and cited the bible regularly

He took photographs of himself wearing cowboy clothes and Indian clothes and there was also a family picture of him at a farm in Vermont

Question 30

Why can Coolidge be blamed for the Great Depression

Answer 30

He was too optimistic “we in America are nearer today to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land” he failed to recognise the economic weaknesses