U.S. Interwar Period Flashcards

Flashcards about the Interwar Period in the USA

Monroe Doctrine

Policy where Republican presidents of the 1890s sought to increase American influence over nations and territories via annexation, trade deals, and concessions.

Women’s Suffrage Movement

Arose from the broader women’s rights movement that began in the 1840s, leading to the 19th Amendment in 1919, granting women the right to vote nationwide.

Prohibition

Banning of alcohol consumption, led to the rise of speakeasies and organized crime, and was influenced by the Temperance Movement and the Anti-Saloon League.

Speakeasies

Underground nightclubs that sold alcohol during Prohibition, led to increased fraternization among different groups and the rise of organized crime.

First Red Scare

Period of public fear over the rise of communist and socialist ideologies in the U.S. from 1917 to 1920, triggered by the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.

Immigration Act of 1924

Legislation that established quotas limiting immigration based on nationality, favoring Northern and Western European countries while restricting immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia.

The Great Migration

Migration of southern African Americans to northern cities, leading to the flourishing of art and politics in segregated neighborhoods like Harlem.

Harlem Renaissance

A flourishing of African American art and culture in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, as a result of the Great Migration.

Hollywood

Became the global center of the film industry during the interwar period, popularizing movie stars and dominated by major studios.

The Jazz Singer

The first major 'talkie' released in 1927. It revolutionized the film industry by introducing sound.

Modernism

Literary movement of the 1920s marked by themes of disillusionment and loss, experimental language, and a break from traditional writing.

Lost Generation

Group of expatriate American writers who lived in Europe, mainly in Paris, and who used their writing to come to terms with the aftermath of WWI and criticize post-war America.

Scopes Monkey Trial

A Supreme Court ruling that marked a shift in American values as the country shifted from more traditional values to the scientific findings of the modern age.

KKK resurgence in the 1920s

Saw nationwide support due to large waves of immigration from European nations, the Great Migration, and African Americans entering society of Northern cities.

Roaring Twenties Economy

Era of rapid economic growth in the U.S., marked by a booming stock market, new industries, and mass production techniques.

Stock Market Crash of 1929

Marked the beginning of the Great Depression, triggered by overproduction, high tariffs, and risky investment practices.

Great Depression Causes

The Stock Market Crash, bank failures, the Dust Bowl, decline in international trade, unequal distribution of wealth, and Federal Reserve's monetary policy.

Herbert Hoover

President whose policies during the Great Depression were largely unsuccessful due to his laissez-faire approach.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

President who implemented the New Deal to address economic hardship during the Great Depression, focusing on Relief, Recovery, and Reform.

New Deal

FDR's policies and laws aimed at addressing economic hardship during the Great Depression. Aimed at business recovery and economic reform to prevent future depressions.

American Neutrality Acts

Series of laws enacted between 1935 and 1939, designed to keep the United States out of escalating conflicts in Europe and Asia.

Great Depression literature themes

Poverty and hardship, social injustice and inequality, nostalgia, escapism, perseverance and hope, despair and hopelessness and radicalism.

Radio in the 1930s

The rise of the radio was during The Great Depression. It was used for news, entertainment, and presidential addresses to ease the public and increase confidence in the government.