U.S. History: 20th Century Events and Policies

Flashcards covering key events, acts, and themes from U.S. history in the 20th century.

Selective Service Act (1917)

Required men to register for military draft to rapidly build army for WWI participation.

Espionage Act (1917)

Criminalized interference with the war effort to suppress dissent during WWI.

Sedition Act (1918)

Expanded Espionage Act by banning 'disloyal' speech to silence opposition to WWI.

19th Amendment (1920)

Granted women the right to vote as a result of the long suffrage movement.

League of Nations

An international peace organization aimed at preventing future wars, ultimately failed.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

Banned Chinese labor immigration due to racial prejudice and job competition fears.

Emergency Immigration Act (1921)

Introduced immigration quotas to limit Southern/Eastern European immigration.

Prohibition (18th Amendment, Volstead Act)

Ban on the production and sale of alcohol from 1920 to 1933.

Great Depression Causes

Stock Market Crash (1929); led to economic collapse due to speculation and debt.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)

Hoover's program providing loans to stabilize banks and businesses during the Depression.

Emergency Banking Act (1933)

Closed banks under federal review to restore confidence in the banking system.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Provided environmental conservation jobs to reduce unemployment during the 1930s.

Wagner Act (1935)

Guaranteed workers' rights to unionize and to engage in collective bargaining.

GI Bill (1944)

Provided education, housing, and job benefits to WWII veterans for reintegration.

Bretton Woods System (1944)

Established an international financial system to stabilize the global economy.

Containment Policy

U.S. strategy to stop the spread of communism during the Cold War.

Truman Doctrine (1947)

Provided aid to countries resisting communism, initially focusing on Greece and Turkey.