I fucking hate you Robert Block

Vladimir Lenin

Bolshevik leader who led the 1917 Russian Revolution; the Bolsheviks overthrew the tsar's government and established communist rule.

A. Mitchell Palmer

U.S. attorney general who blamed unrest and bombings on communists and ordered the Palmer Raids in 1919–1920.

Nicola Sacco

Italian immigrant and anarchist convicted with Bartolomeo Vanzetti of a Massachusetts robbery-murder; both were executed in 1927 after a controversial trial.

Bartolomeo Vanzetti

Italian immigrant and anarchist convicted with Nicola Sacco of a Massachusetts robbery-murder; both were executed in 1927 after a controversial trial.

Warren Harding

Republican president from 1921 to 1923 who promised a ‘Return to Normalcy’; his administration was associated with scandals, including Teapot Dome.

Calvin Coolidge

Vice president who became president after Harding died in 1923; continued low taxes, reduced spending, and fewer business regulations.

Herbert Hoover

Republican elected president in 1928; campaigned on the strong economy of the 1920s and credited earlier Republican policies.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Writer associated with the Lost Generation; his writing reflected aspects of the 1920s and its changing culture.

Al Capone

Gangster whose criminal organization profited from illegal alcohol during Prohibition; associated with the rise of organized crime.

Albert Fall

Harding’s secretary of the interior who was imprisoned for his role in the Teapot Dome scandal.

John Davis

Democratic presidential candidate in 1924; Calvin Coolidge defeated him.

Marcus Garvey

Leader of a growing Black nationalism and Black pride movement during the 1920s.

Charles Lindbergh

Aviator who became a technology-era hero after his 1927 transatlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis.

John Scopes

Tennessee teacher arrested for teaching evolution; his trial became a major clash over religion and modern science.

William Jennings Bryan

Supplemental context: Democratic politician and religious fundamentalist who helped prosecute John Scopes, opposing the teaching of evolution.

Robert LaFollette

Supplemental context: Progressive politician who ran for president in 1924 as a third-party candidate and advocated political and economic reforms.

Henry Ford

Automobile industrialist who used the assembly line to mass-produce cars, helping make automobiles more widely available.

Al Smith

Democratic presidential nominee in 1928; the first Catholic nominated for president and the grandson of European immigrants, he faced anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant prejudice.

Charlie Chaplin

One of the biggest stars of silent movies, which dominated movie theaters during the 1920s.

Babe Ruth

Major baseball star of the 1920s, when baseball became the most followed national sport.

James Cox

Democratic presidential candidate defeated by Warren Harding in the 1920 election.

Eugene Debs

Socialist presidential candidate in 1920 who received nearly one million votes despite being imprisoned for opposing the World War I draft.

W.E.B. DuBois

Supplemental context: African American scholar and civil-rights activist; he helped found the NAACP and advocated equal civil and political rights.

J. Edgar Hoover

Supplemental context: Director of the federal Bureau of Investigation beginning in 1924; he helped professionalize the agency that later became known as the FBI.

Andrew Mellon

Supplemental context: U.S. Treasury secretary under Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover who favored tax reductions and business-friendly economic policies.

communist

A person who supports communism: in the provided notes, an economic and political system in which business and property are government-owned and meant to serve the people rather than private profit.

Bolsheviks

The Russian revolutionary group, also called the Reds or communists, led by Vladimir Lenin; they took power after the 1917 Revolution and won the Russian Civil War.

anarchists

People who oppose established government or centralized state authority; Sacco and Vanzetti were identified as anarchists.

Red Scare

A period of fear that communists would start a revolution in the United States after World War I.

Palmer Raids

1919–1920 raids ordered by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer; thousands of suspected immigrant radicals were arrested and hundreds deported.

nativism

Anti-immigrant sentiment; in the 1920s it helped drive strict immigration quotas and hostility toward immigrants.

National Origins Act

The 1924 law that established immigration quotas, sharply restricted immigration, and almost entirely blocked immigration from Asia.

Fordney-McCumber Act

A law supported by Harding that significantly raised tariffs on imported goods.

Bonus Bill

A bill that would have given additional financial benefits to World War I veterans; President Harding vetoed it.

Washington Conference

An international conference that began in Washington, D.C., in November 1921; its treaties aimed to limit the naval arms race and improve international stability.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

Supplemental context: A 1928 agreement in which participating nations renounced war as an instrument of national policy and pledged to settle disputes peacefully; it had little power to prevent later wars.

Teapot Dome scandal

A Harding-era scandal in which Interior Secretary Albert Fall improperly arranged leases of federal naval oil reserves and was convicted of crimes.

the Ohio Gang

Harding’s friends and supporters, many from Ohio, whom he appointed to government jobs; some were involved in scandals.

Jazz Age

Nickname for the 1920s, when jazz and African American music had major cultural influence.

flappers

The ‘new’ women of the 1920s who embraced more freedom in fashion, lifestyle, and relations between men and women.

speakeasies

Illegal bars or clubs where people bought or drank alcohol during Prohibition.

bootlegging

The illegal making, transporting, or selling of alcohol during Prohibition.

prohibition

The nationwide ban on alcoholic beverages created by the 18th Amendment; it was lightly enforced in the 1920s and encouraged corruption and illegal alcohol sales.

The Jazz Singer

The 1927 film identified in the notes as the first talking movie; it marked the move from silent films toward sound films.

The Spirit of St. Louis

The airplane Charles Lindbergh piloted during his famous 1927 transatlantic flight.

fundamentalism

A religious movement emphasizing traditional or literal interpretations of the Bible; it grew during the 1920s backlash against social change and modern ideas.

Great Migration

The movement of Black Americans out of the South to northern states in search of better jobs and to escape harsh conditions and racism; it continued through the 1920s.

Ku Klux Klan

A racist white-supremacist organization that resurged during the 1920s and spread beyond the South.

Harlem Renaissance

A flowering of African American culture centered in Harlem, Manhattan, during the 1920s.

18th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that established Prohibition by banning alcoholic beverages; it took effect in 1920.

19th Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1920 that granted women the right to vote.

Volstead Act

Supplemental context: The federal law that defined and provided enforcement rules for Prohibition under the 18th Amendment.

League of Women Voters

Supplemental context: A nonpartisan organization founded in 1920 to help women participate in elections and encourage informed voting.

F.B.I.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the notes connect the agency’s development in the 1920s with efforts to fight organized gangs.

vaudeville

A popular form of stage entertainment featuring a variety of short acts, such as comedy, music, and other performances.

N.A.A.C.P.

Supplemental context: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, an organization formed to fight racial discrimination and secure civil rights.

lynching

An extrajudicial killing by a mob, often used as racial terror against Black Americans; the notes report more than 70 Black people were lynched in 1919.

welfare capitalism

Supplemental context: A business approach in which employers offered benefits or services to workers, partly to improve morale and reduce support for labor unions.

Jim Crow laws

Supplemental context: State and local laws, especially in the South, that enforced racial segregation and discrimination against Black Americans.

Social Darwinism

The belief, as described in the notes, that government should not interfere with people’s lives or assist the poor; wealth or poverty was seen as an individual’s responsibility.

Return to Normalcy

Harding’s campaign promise to return the country to stability after World War I, with less government involvement and a focus on domestic concerns.

laissez-faire

The belief that government should not interfere with or regulate business; the notes associate it with Republican policies.

Lost Generation

Disillusioned writers and intellectuals who believed World War I had brought few real benefits; F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the writers associated with it.

isolationism

The policy of avoiding entanglement in foreign affairs; the United States did not join the League of Nations after World War I.

installment buying

Supplemental context: Buying a product on credit and paying for it in smaller amounts over time instead of paying the full price at once.

capitalism

An economic and political system in which private owners control businesses and trade to make a profit; individuals own property and businesses, and the government does not own or control business.

communism (economic system)

An economic and political system in which business and property are owned and controlled by the government for the benefit of the people, with the stated goal of reducing extreme wealth inequality.

Democrat Party

In the provided notes, generally prioritizes using government power to ensure the general welfare and take care of the people.

Republican Party

In the provided notes, generally favors a smaller government, lower taxes, less regulation, and less government power.

Left / Liberal

The left side of the political spectrum; the notes pair ‘left’ with ‘liberal.’

Middle / Moderate

The middle of the political spectrum; the notes pair ‘middle’ with ‘moderate.’

Right / Conservative

The right side of the political spectrum; the notes pair ‘right’ with ‘conservative.’

Republican ideas: laissez-faire and Social Darwinism

Laissez-faire opposes government regulation of business; Social Darwinism, as described in the notes, opposes government intervention in people’s economic circumstances.

How do the notes contrast capitalism and communism?

Capitalism uses private ownership and profit; communism uses government ownership and aims to serve the people and reduce wealth inequality.

When did World War I (the Great War) officially end?

November 11, 1918.

What was one major health crisis immediately after World War I?

A worldwide flu pandemic began in 1918; the notes report over 675,000 American deaths in 1918–1919.

What happened in Russia during the 1917 Revolution and after?

Lenin’s Bolsheviks overthrew the tsar’s government; the Reds won the civil war, communists took control, and Russia became the Soviet Union in 1922.

What were the main effects of the postwar economic downturn described in the notes?

Unemployment and inflation rose, wages fell, labor strikes sometimes turned violent, and falling farm prices hurt farmers.

What happened during the 1919 race riots and racial violence?

White mobs attacked Black communities in multiple cities; the notes report that over 70 Black people were lynched in 1919.

What happened in the Wall Street bombing of September 1920?

A car bomb exploded on Wall Street, killing 38; nobody was arrested, and many Americans blamed immigrants and communists.

What was the U.S. response to the League of Nations after World War I?

The United States did not join the League of Nations and pursued an isolationist foreign policy.

Why did the U.S. sign a separate peace treaty with Germany in 1921?

The U.S. Senate never ratified the Treaty of Versailles, so the United States signed a formal peace treaty with Germany separately.

What was the main goal of the Washington Naval Conference?

To limit the international naval arms race and encourage more stable relations among world powers.

What policies did Harding generally support?

Higher tariffs, lower taxes, less government spending, and reduced government regulation.

What was Coolidge’s approach to government and business?

He continued Harding’s policies, cutting taxes, spending, and regulations; he also vetoed aid bills for veterans and farmers and refused federal aid after the 1927 Mississippi River flood.

Who won the 1920 presidential election?

Republican Warren Harding defeated Democrat James Cox; Socialist Eugene Debs received nearly one million votes while in prison.

Who ran in the 1928 presidential election, and what cultural issue affected the campaign?

Republican Herbert Hoover defeated Democrat Al Smith; Smith faced anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant prejudice.

How did women’s lives change during the 1920s?

Women gained the vote and more social freedom and job opportunities, but they still had little political influence and faced workplace discrimination.

What contradiction did Black Americans face during the Great Migration?

Many moved north for better jobs and to escape Southern racism, but they continued to experience discrimination and racism in the North.

What effects did Prohibition have, according to the notes?

It was lightly enforced, encouraged speakeasies and bootlegging, contributed to police and court corruption, and helped organized gangs grow.

How did education change during the 1920s?

Compulsory schooling and bans on child labor helped increase attendance; high-school enrollment rose from 700,000 in 1900 to 4.8 million in 1930.

What new technologies and entertainment shaped daily life in the 1920s?

Household appliances, automobiles, radio, silent films, talking movies, and popular sports spread widely.

What was the first major radio development listed in the notes?

The first U.S. radio station began broadcasting in Pittsburgh in 1920; radio became the decade’s most common mass-communication and entertainment medium.

How did the automobile change American life in the 1920s?

Cars became widespread, encouraging highways, gas stations, suburbs, and growth in the automobile industry.

What is an assembly line, and how did Henry Ford use it?

A production method in which work is divided into sequential steps; Ford used it to mass-produce automobiles.

What was a consumer-oriented society?

A society in which buying goods became central to the economy; rising wages, credit, and more leisure time helped consumer purchases grow.

What is mass culture, as described in the notes?

A shared national culture that grew through common media and products such as cars, radio, movies, sports, and national businesses.

Why did a moral backlash develop late in the 1920s?

Some Americans believed social changes were harming the country; fundamentalism grew, Hollywood adopted production codes, and ‘respectable’ dance halls opened.

What was the Scopes Trial about?

A Tennessee teacher was arrested for teaching evolution; the trial highlighted conflict between religious fundamentalism and modern scientific ideas.