HIST152 Quiz 3

Culture and economy in 1920s

• Pan-Africanism: ppl of African descent should come together and form their own country to challenge racism (developed by western educated Black ppl)

• Harlem renaissance, jazz

• New culture of sexual liberalism, rejecting conformity, economic and political independence in women (suffrage, birth control) thru flappers

• Significant economic growth but increasing inequality (corporate profit vs low worker wages)

KKK return in 1920s

• Social darwinism: people have fixed physical + moral characteristics (black ppl are better suited to do manual labor bc they have overdeveloped physical attributes + undeveloped mental attributes)

• Culture comes from bottom-up + people coming together and meant for a certain group (cultural preservation)

• ‘The Birth of a Nation’ film portrayed black men as sexually aggressive, and a threat to white society. Had such a positive reception it was played in the White House

Garveyism in 1920s

Belief within Black-American community that assimilation is impossible, best thing black intellectuals can do is to move out of U.S.

• Intellectuals would build infrastructure in Africa, self-sufficient migration

Flappers + changing gender roles 1920s

• Rejecting conservative sexual norms through smoking, secretly drinking alcohol, dancing

• Rising participation in workforce, rising independence + social mobility esp in middle-upper class white women (right to vote, freedom thru automobiles w/o a supervisor)

Domestic causes of Great Depression

• 1929 stock market crash

• Banks collapse causing individual savings to be wiped out

• Price of food plummets -> farmers cannot make $$

International causes of Great Depression

• Decline in food costs due to overproduction

• Countries split after WW1 which formed small countries that had trade barriers and high tariffs

• Treaty of Versailles + trade of international finance (International finance bc of Germany reparation structure which drained German economy)

Effects of Great Depression

• Unemployment rate rises

• Homelessness + Hoovervilles in Central Park (bc Hoover thought ppl shouldn’t rely on national gov for jobs)

• Veteran’s march (WW1 veterans had $1k bond in 1924 and could cash it in 1945 but veterans became homeless/unemployed/disabled -> marched to demand early bond payout)

• Glass-Steagall Act: separates investment from personal banking

Who was in the political coalition during the New Deal

Black intellectuals, former progressives, Jewish + catholic minorities, former southern populists/progressives

Goals of New Deal

• Relief for unemployed + stimulate economic growth

• Prevent future stock market imbalances/triggers

• Reconfigure wealth + produce social welfare (biggest impact is social security)

New Deal accomplishments

• Social security: welfare system so ppl pay into system and gov pays out to retired workers 65 + older

• Federal Housing Association (FHA): backs private mortgages, lowers down payment to buy a house (20-33% to 3.5%) in exchange for mortgage premium tax, allows ppl to buy a home faster in low-income areas

• FDIC: guarantees indiv deposits, up to $250k of ur money is protected even if bank collapses

Criticism of New Deal

• African Americans take advantage of Public Works Administration but are last hired, first fired during New Deal

• African Americans are excluded from FHA loans + have limited access to housing

• Women are given greater support but married women r often fired from federal gov bc their husbands get a substantial raise

• First New Deal didn’t solve unemployment crisis bc the unemployment rate was still 12-25% which was very high

U.S. entry into WW2

Japan declares war on U.S. after Pearl Harbor 

• Doesn’t hit aircraft carrier which allows plane to fly on a large boat on sea even tho they do cripple most of American fleet

Causes of WW2

• German expansionism: invading Poland, defeated France in 6 weeks to unite all ethnic Germans

• Japanese expansionism: Asian nationalist movement w/ racial hierarchy through attacks on Manchuria + Nanking

• Manchuria: explosion attack on Japanese soldiers stationed in Manchuria to rationalize them invading -> gets them kicked out of League of Nations 

• Nanking: 40k-300k civilians murdered, widespread rape + looting

U.S. military actions during WW2

• Lend-Lease Act: $50.1 billion to Britain/Soviet Union/China/France, bringing unused American warship to war 

• Atomic bombs on Hiroshima + Nagasaki

• Battle of Midway: 4 Japanese aircraft carriers/cruiser are lost + damage cruiser + two destroyed while U.S. only loses 1 carrier, U.S. gain massive control over Pacific ocean which helps bomb a bunch of Japanese cities using new nuclear bombs 

Domestic/Social/Political effects of WW2

• Executive order 9066: FDR imprisons more than 120k Japanese ppl from 1942-1945 in internment camps (2/3rds were American citizens)

• Women reverted to traditional familial roles from rejecting radical totalitarianism (Nazism) → organized gender culture

• GI bill: gave soldiers returning from war chance to buy home @ a better rate, African American soldiers were excluded

• Suburban America through Levittowns: closely compact homes that looked the same, nuclear family (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms), reimagination of ppl owning their own land -> owning own home