1920s, Great Depression, New Deal, and World War II Review Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the social, economic, and political events of the 1920s, the Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II based on the provided lecture notes.

Palmer Raids

A series of government-led arrests and deportations of suspected radicals from 1919–1920, led by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer.

Red Scare

A period of intense fear of communism and radical political movements in the United States following World War I, fueled by events like the Russian Revolution.

A. Mitchell Palmer

The U.S. Attorney General who organized raids to arrest and deport suspected radicals, representing how government leaders can overreact during national panic.

KKK (Ku Klux Klan)

A revived 1920s white supremacist organization that targeted African Americans, immigrants, Catholics, and Jews, promoting nativism and racism.

Quota System

Immigration laws passed in the 1920s that limited the number of immigrants based on national origin, favoring Northern and Western Europe.

Harlem Renaissance

A 1920s cultural movement in Harlem, New York, where African American artists and writers expressed Black identity through literature, jazz, and art.

Langston Hughes

A leading poet of the Harlem Renaissance whose work emphasized racial pride and the everyday experiences of African Americans.

Claude McKay

A Harlem Renaissance writer and poet who focused on themes of racial injustice and bold resistance to discrimination.

Marcus Garvey

A Black nationalist leader who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and promoted self-reliance and economic independence.

Prohibition

The nationwide ban on alcohol from 1920 to 1933 established by the 18th Amendment, which led to a rise in organized crime.

Speakeasy

Illegal bars that sold alcohol during Prohibition and symbolized widespread disregard for government regulation.

Bootlegger

A person who illegally produced, transported, or sold alcohol during the Prohibition era.

Al Capone

A famous Prohibition-era gangster who controlled a large illegal alcohol empire in Chicago and was eventually convicted of tax evasion.

Scopes Trial

A 1925 court case concerning the teaching of evolution in public schools, symbolizing the conflict between modernism and fundamentalism.

Fundamentalism

A religious belief that the Bible should be interpreted literally and without compromise.

Henry Ford

An industrialist who revolutionized manufacturing through the assembly line, contributing to the rise of consumer culture.

Model T

An affordable car produced by Henry Ford that transformed American mobility and led to the growth of suburbs.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

A 1928 international agreement where nations promised to renounce war as a tool of foreign policy, though it lacked enforcement mechanisms.

Myth of Isolationism

The false idea that the U.S. was completely isolated in the 1920s and 1930s, despite remaining economically and diplomatically active.

Good Neighbor Policy

A policy introduced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to improve relations with Latin American countries through cooperation and respect for sovereignty.

Washington Naval Conference

An international meeting (1921–1922) where major powers agreed to limit naval armaments to prevent a post-WWI arms race.

League of Nations Weaknesses

Included the absence of the United States, lack of a military force, and the requirement of unanimous agreement for decisions.

Dawes Plan

A 1924 agreement where the U.S. provided loans to Germany to pay reparations to Britain and France, who then repaid debts to the U.S.

Nye Committee

A 1930s Senate investigation that concluded bankers and arms manufacturers pushed the U.S. into WWI for profit, reinforcing isolationism.

Black Tuesday

October 29, 1929, the day the stock market crashed, destroying wealth and triggering the Great Depression.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)

A government agency created by President Hoover in 1932 to provide emergency loans to banks, railroads, and large businesses.

Hoovervilles

Makeshift shantytowns built by homeless people during the Great Depression, named sarcastically after President Herbert Hoover.

Trickle-down theory

The economic idea that supporting businesses and the wealthy will eventually benefit the lower classes through job creation.

Rugged Individualism

The belief supported by Herbert Hoover that people should rely on themselves and voluntary cooperation rather than government aid.

Lame duck

A president who remains in office after losing an election but has limited power, as seen with Hoover before FDR's inauguration.

Dust Bowl

A 1930s environmental disaster in the Great Plains caused by drought and poor farming practices like over-plowing.

Bonus Army March

A 1932 protest where WWI veterans marched on Washington, D.C., to demand early payment of promised bonuses.

Fireside Chats

Radio broadcasts by FDR used to communicate directly with the public and build trust in the government.

National Recovery Administration (NRA)

A New Deal agency that sought to stabilize the economy by regulating industry and setting fair wages; later declared unconstitutional.

Court-Packing Scheme

FDR's plan to add more justices to the Supreme Court to protect New Deal programs from being struck down.

Relief, Recovery, Reform

The three main goals of the New Deal: immediate help, economic revival, and permanent regulation to prevent future crises.

Emergency Banking Relief Act

A law passed during FDR’s first Hundred Days that allowed the government to inspect and reopen financially secure banks.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

A government body created to regulate the stock market and prevent the kind of fraud that led to the 1929 crash.

AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Act)

A program that paid farmers to reduce production in order to raise crop prices by limiting supply.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

A New Deal program that built dams and provided electricity to the rural Tennessee Valley region.

Second New Deal

A 1935 phase of FDR's policies that focused on long-term reform and social welfare, including Social Security.

FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)

An agency created to insure bank deposits and protect consumers from losing their savings if a bank fails.

Keynesian Economics

The theory by John Maynard Keynes that the government should increase spending during downturns to stimulate demand.

Social Security

A government program created during the Second New Deal to provide financial support to the elderly, disabled, and unemployed.

CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)

A relief program that provided jobs for young men in environmental projects like planting trees and building parks.

Wagner Act / NLRB

A law protecting workers' rights to form unions and bargain collectively, establishing the National Labor Relations Board.

Works Progress Administration (WPA)

One of the largest New Deal programs, which provided millions of jobs in construction, public projects, and the arts.

Eleanor Roosevelt

The First Lady who actively advocated for civil rights, women's rights, and the poor while supporting New Deal programs.

Mary McLeod Bethune

An African American educator and civil rights leader who served as an advisor to FDR and was part of the 'Black Cabinet.'

Frances Perkins

The first woman to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet, acting as Secretary of Labor and helping design Social Security.

Indian Reorganization Act

A 1934 policy that ended the division of tribal lands and encouraged Native American self-governance and cultural preservation.

Black Cabinet

An informal group of African American advisors who influenced New Deal policies related to civil rights and education.

Safety Net

Government programs like Social Security and unemployment insurance designed to protect individuals during economic hardship.

Neville Chamberlain

The British Prime Minister who followed a policy of appeasement toward Adolf Hitler prior to World War II.

Hideki Tojo

The Prime Minister of Japan and a key military leader who pushed for aggressive expansion and the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Totalitarianism

A form of government where the state exercises total control over all aspects of public and private life, often using propaganda.

Four Freedoms

Goals outlined by FDR in 1941: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

Benito Mussolini

The fascist dictator of Italy who allied with Hitler as part of the Axis Powers.

Joseph Stalin

The totalitarian leader of the Soviet Union who joined the Allies during WWII after Germany invaded the USSR.

Winston Churchill

The British Prime Minister during WWII who inspired resistance against Nazi Germany and opposed appeasement.

Appeasement

The policy of giving in to the demands of aggressive nations, such as Nazi Germany, to avoid military conflict.

Cash and Carry

A 1939 U.S. policy allowing warring nations to buy U.S. arms if they paid cash and used their own ships for transport.

Pearl Harbor

The site of the Japanese surprise attack on December 7, 1941, which brought the United States into World War II.

Double V Campaign

An African American movement during WWII calling for victory against fascism abroad and victory against racism at home.

Office of Price Administration (OPA)

A government agency that controlled prices and managed the rationing of goods during World War II.

Bataan Death March

The 1942 forced march of American and Filipino prisoners by Japanese forces, characterized by extreme brutality.

Executive Order 8802

A decree issued by FDR that banned racial discrimination in the nation's defense industries.

Manhattan Project

The secret U.S. research program during WWII that developed the first atomic bombs.

Holocaust

The systematic genocide of six million Jews and other targeted groups by Nazi Germany.

Zoot Suit Riots

1943 racial conflicts in Los Angeles between U.S. servicemen and Mexican American youth.

Battle of Coral Sea

A 1942 naval battle fought entirely by aircraft carriers that stopped Japanese expansion toward Australia.

Rosie the Riveter

A cultural icon representing the many American women who entered the industrial workforce during World War II.