USA - 1920's

(Post-WWI)

USA clearly the wealthiest country following WWI

  • Industrial intensity of war exaggerated the effects of mass production and urbanization.

USA in the 1920’s – S.P.E.R.M

Social:

1)Social power of women became evident

  • Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) used their considerable lobbying power to convince legislators in Washington to ban all production, sale, and consumption of alcohol from 1920-1933.Prohibition > officially called " The Volstead Act"

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  • Recreation: Role of women became more public
  • Fashion was more daring
  • Dances like the Charleston were more provocative
  • Flappers: a "new breed" of young women: wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered "decent" behavior. Viewed as brash in their time for wearing makeup, drinking hard liquor and smoking tobacco.

2)Xenophobia: Time of increasing racial intolerance/fear of foreigners

  • Klu Klux Klan: By 1925 5 million members. Practiced discrimination/hatred against blacks, Jews, Catholics, Hispanics, Communists.
  • Government contributed to climate of racial intolerance:
  • 1917-1924: Introduced series of laws to cut down immigration from eastern European and Asian countries.
  • Did nothing to prevent discrimination in the south where

“Jim Crow” laws stopped blacks from using the same buses, hotels, schools as whites

3)Mass production of the automobile had big social consequences:

  • The mass production of the automobile lead to the suburb = people did not need to live near places of work.
  • Automobile = new social developments: i) family touring holiday

ii) teenage courting

Political:

1)USA senate/congress refused to accept Treaty of Versailles/join League of Nations

  • Democrats and Wilson were defeated in the 1920 election – Republicans won with platform based on ideas of isolationism

Defn:Isolationismpolicy of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peaceby avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities.

*Why were the republicans victorious with ideas of isolation?

  • Americans did not want to be involved in international affairs
  • Viewed Europeans as warmongers who had not learned to resolve disputes without resorting to war.
  • Americans believed the USA was young/innocent, and the world was corrupt/decadent

Economic:

1)The 1920’s was a period of boom in the USA. Time of increasing prosperity

  • Expanding consumer markets = increased demand for consumer goods like automobiles and electric appliances.

2)To protect American trade, the government established many protectivetariffs (duties or money collected on imported materials/products).

  • Isolationism = Americans favoured autarky (economic self-sufficiency)

Examples:i) Fordney-McCumber Act (1922)

ii) Smoot-Howley Tariff Bill (1930)

3)American economy was based on ideas of laissez-faire economic policy.

  • Government intervened as little as possible with the country’s economics.

Religion:

1)Extreme Protestantism: KKK

Military:

1)Cut spending on army/navy – Remember Washington Conference/Treaty (1922)

2)Much smaller military – eventually harmed the economy.