Unit 3: WWI And 1920s Flashcards
how did America’s intervention in the war change the country domestically and internationally
war created business for the country domestically
US neutrality
proclamation of strict impartiality toward both sides at war
how did the federal government attempt to control and influence Americans
the committee on public information
Casualties in the Great War
4 million dead British, French, Russians, and Italians on the Allied side
American Losses
115,000 dead
committee on public information
was put in charge of selling the war to the American people
using the latest techniques from public relations, advertising, and psychology to “fight for the minds of men” with official propaganda
Anti-German campaign
the committee on public information became an Anti-German campaign
espionage and sedition acts
damaging to freedom of expression
Americans were arrested merely for daring to speak out publicly against the war
League of Nations
an international alliance against war itself became known as the League of Nations
Treaty of Versailles
also forced Germany to accept full responsibility for the war and to pay billions in future “reparations” to the Allies
reparations
compensation for war damage paid by the defeated
influenza epidemic
Half a million Americans lost their lives
Russian Revolution
a hundred US soldiers died in Russia fighting the Bolsheviks after Wilson ordered military intervention against the Russian Revolution
the Palmer Raids
Palmer organized mass arrests of 6 thousand suspected radicals across the country
How and why did the abrupt end to WWI lead to recession and race riots across the United States?
billions of government orders were abruptly cancelled throwing many people out of work
competition between blacks and whites for scarce housing during the war turned into competition for scarce jobs afterwards
Who were the “New Woman” and the “New Negro” of the 1920s
New women: the American woman of the decade (especially the younger generation) were breaking free from repressive expectations society imposed on their gender
New Negro: new attitude of racial pride, assertiveness and defiance
Harlem Renaissance
writers, artists, and musicians, created the Harlem renaissance. a joyous celebration of black life in the North
The Great Migration
when half a million African Americans left the rural South for the urban North
what changed about the new women
the fashion, less restrictive clothing, short skirts and bobbed hair, demanded more access to education and careers
Warren Harding
Republican nominee won the 1920 election and was not in favor of the League of Nations
“Normalcy”
Harding’s promise was “not nostrums but normalcy”
isolationism
policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups
Calvin Coolidge
who replaced Harding famously said, “The chief business of the American people is business”
“Red scare”
the rounding up and deportation if immigrants of radical political views. the scare caused by fears of communists in the US after Russian revolution
republican conservatives
Republican conservatives like President Harding set the pro-business tone for politics and governance in the 1920s
teapot dome scandal
several high-ranking members of Harding’s administration went to prison for taking bribes from oil companies
Town vs. Country (tradition vs. modern)
Advocates for prohibition
cultural interests, access to technology, openness to change, and differences in prosperity often divided Americans along rural (traditional) vs. urban lines (modern)
Scopes trial and evolution
country folks believed in the education of the bible others believed in the teachings of evolution
prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol would be the most lasting and controversial home front legacy of World War I
against alcohol
18th amendment
prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of “intoxicating liquors,”
Farm prices crash
Farm prices crashed precipitously after World War I, leaving many farmers high and dry
Agricultural surpluses plagued the farm sector, Farm prices stayed low
necessity of credit
Credit in the form of “buy now, pay later”
new advertising
Advertising was equally necessary to persuade consumers to buy what they knew they could not afford
What did the phrase “new era prosperity” mean
New Era prosperity relied on credit and advertising to stoke the engines of mass consumption
what lead to the Great Crash?
the nations severe inequality of income; just a handful of rich people were able to afford things such as Model T cars so an under-consumption began to happen
speculation
speculative stocks are favored by speculators and investors because of the high-reward, high-risk characteristics
“Black Tuesday”
share prices on the New York stock exchange collapsed becoming a pivotal factor of the Great Depression
