US knowledge test Flashcards
How did the USA emerge from WW1?
The USA had lent the old empire powers, like Britain, money which they now had to repay
What happened to the production of industrial goods during the 1920s?
Production of industrial goods rose by 50% between 1922 and 1929
What was the assembly line and who pioneered its use?
Henry Ford pioneered the use of this method of production using a moving conveyor belt. A product is gradually built as it moves to each unskilled person working on the assembly line who completes one step of the production.
By 1924, how effective had Ford’s assembly line been?
10 million Model Ts had been built at Highland Park
What impact did technological advances have on leisure?
Between 1923 and 1930, 60% of American families purchased radios
By 1929 how much had been bought on credit?
Almost $7 billion worth of goods were sold using credit
Who was the Republican President between the years 1923 and 1929?
Calvin Coolidge
Which statement best describes the approach of the Republican Government during the 1920s?
The government of the 1920s took a laissez faire approach, choosing to let the economy grow freely with very little intervention and regulation. The legislation they did introduce was motivated by protecting the US economy above all others, and reinforcing the culture of self-help and individualism in the American people.
Which was a negative effect of the Fordney McCumber Tariff of 1922?
Costs increased for Farmers, who relied on foreign markets to export their surplus, and purchased their machinery from abroad.
What is a cartel?
When a group of different producers work together to fix prices or limit supplies so that they make the most profit.
What is a holding company?
When a company is so big that it ends up controlling other companies, giving it the power to fix prices and make big profits.
How was wealth distributed across the USA?
Wages in the North Eastern Industrial cities: average $921 a month, wages in rural South: average $361 a month
Which of the below was NOT a reason why there was a drop in demand for agricultural products?
Mechanisation meant that more crops could be produced on fewer acres, 13 million acres were taken out of production during the 1920s.
What % of farmers operated at a loss?
66%
What was the Agricultural Credits Act 1923?
The Act funded 12 Credit banks to lend to cooperatives - with the idea that small farms would join together.
How many women were in high paid skilled careers in the 1920s?
150 dentists and less than 100 accountants
What was the great northern migration?
Just under 1 million black Americans moved to northern industrial cities to escape the Jim Crow South and find better opportunities
What is the best definition of yellow dog clauses?
Clauses in an employees contract which forbade them from joining a trade union.
To elucidate the culture of borrowing and credit…
By 1929, almost $7 bn worth of consumer goods had been bought on credit
What were the consequences of the drop in demand for agricultural products?
Overproduction
What was the Agricultural Credits Act 1923? What did it aim to do?
The Act funded twelve Credit banks to fund cooperatives - with the idea that small farms would join together. However, this was a loan - which small scale farmers could not pay back - so did not take out the loan.
What was the reality of northern migration?
- Better paid jobs and less discrimination in urban areas, even if jobs were menial
- Ghettoisation, many black Americans ended up living in poor and overcrowded conditions
What traditional industries did not share in economic prosperity?
- The coal industry
- Ship building
By how much did union membership fall by during the 1920s?
Union membership fell from 5 million to 3.4 million in the 1920s
What were the estimated unemployment rates by 1932?
25%
How many banks closed between 1929 and 1932?
10,000
How did the national wage bill compare in 1932 to 1929?
60% less
What was GDP in 1929?
$104 billion
What was GDP in 1932?
$54 billion
What were car sales in 1932 compared to 1929?
1932: 1.1 million, 1929: 4.5 million
By how much did the national suicide rate increase between 1929 and 1932?
30%
By 1931, how many one parent families were in receipt of aid?
Less than 20,000
Which is an example of an industry that did well during the 1930s?
Aviation
The number of newly built residential units fell by how much 1929 - 32?
82%
Why did the dustbowl exacerbate the effects of the Great Depression?
The dustbowl hit the American prairies, large agricultural plains where farmers were already struggling to stay afloat before 1929.
How did the Great Depression exacerbate the situation for many African Americans?
During the 1920s 3/4 million sharecroppers had already lost their jobs, as more farms were foreclosed, more and more African Americans lost their agricultural jobs.
Give one example of how the Depression affected women’s employment.
24 / 48 states had laws banning married women from working
How were hispanic Americans treated by the government during the Great Depression?
400,000 were deported
Which of the below best describes what happened in urban areas during the Great Depression?
Many unemployed across America became homeless and therefore made shanty towns, which became known as Hoovervilles. Hoovervilles in Washington, D.C., and New York City, boasted thousands of inhabitants.
