The Nature of Prosperity, 1914-1929

Flashcards covering key concepts from Week 5 Module 5 lecture notes on the Nature of Prosperity, 1914-1929, including World War I, U.S. involvement, post-war societal changes, political shifts, and the rise of various social ideologies.

The Great War (World War I)

A global conflict from 1914 to November 11, 1918, with U.S. involvement from April 6, 1917, to November 11, 1918.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

His assassination by a Serbian nationalist in June 1914 triggered Austria-Hungary and Germany to declare war, initiating World War I.

Central Powers

The alliance in WWI consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire.

Allied Powers

The alliance in WWI consisting of Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan, and the United States.

Naval War (WWI)

A key aspect of WWI, characterized by Britain's blockade of Germany and Germany's use of submarines, leading to high danger for island nations like England.

Submarine Technology (WWI)

Germany led in the development of engine-driven submarines from the 1870s, possessing fewer but technologically superior submarines compared to Britain.

Land War (WWI)

Fought primarily in heavily-populated areas, where technological advancements (like better guns, poison gases) were more effective at killing people than current military tactics for defense or advantage.

Siege of Verdun

A WWI battle in France in February 1916, lasting 5 months and resulting in 330,000 German and 350,000 French casualties.

Battle of the Somme

A WWI battle from July to October 1916, resulting in 1 million deaths with no change in land held, part of the overall 16 million deaths in the war.

Woodrow Wilson's Neutrality

The U.S. President's initial stance on WWI in 1914, advocating for Americans to act and speak in the true spirit of neutrality.

Election of 1916

Wilson won re-election against a classic Progressive opponent, with his campaign slogan 'He Kept Us Out of War'.

U.S. Entry into WWI

Occurred on April 6, 1917, after Congress approved President Wilson's war resolution.

The Draft (June 1917)

A huge mobilization effort for WWI, requiring all men aged 18-45 to register, impacting an immigrant nation with divided loyalties and encountering opposition from pacifists.

Battle of Argonne

A significant engagement in September 1918 where 500,000 American and French troops regained 200 square miles from Germany.

Zimmerman Telegram (March 1917)

A coded message exposed in March 1917, proposing that Mexico, as a Central Power, invade the U.S. from the south, contributing to U.S. entry into WWI.

Russian Revolution (March 1917)

An event that weakened Wilson's argument against joining WWI on the grounds that Russia, an Allied Power, was undemocratic, influencing U.S. entry into the war.

Spanish Flu (H1N1 influenza)

A pandemic that hit in the fall of 1918, ebbed, and resurged until after the winter of 1920, causing 675,000 deaths in the U.S. and significantly affecting President Wilson's health.

Impact of WWI on Progressivism

The war challenged American support for Progressivism, leading to the rise of religious Protestant fundamentalism, Eugenics, the Red Scare, Race Riots, and the Nineteenth Amendment.

Religious Protestant Fundamentalism

A post-WWI movement triggered by opposition to Darwinism, focusing on literal gospel and strict interpretations of the Bible, rejecting the Social Gospel but not Social Darwinism.

Eugenics

A warped application of Darwin's theory to human society, promoting the idea of 'breeding better humans' and 'superior blood' (especially white, Northern European), providing an explanation for inequality and supported by both fundamentalists and mainstream scientists.

Red Scare

A period of intense fear of Communism; the brand new FBI conducted investigations against Bolsheviks and anarchists, leading to many suspected or actual Bolsheviks being deported.

Race Riots and Tulsa Massacre

Events in the summer of 1919 (amidst the end of WWI, the Influenza Pandemic, and the Red Scare) caused by factors like the Great Migration of African Americans to Northern cities, rising rents, and post-war unemployment.

Nineteenth Amendment

Passed after WWI, guaranteeing women's suffrage and representing the last constitutional act of the Progressive movement.

Warren G. Harding's Presidency (1920)

His election marked a rise of Conservatism, with promises to undo Progressivism through Taylorism and 'Scientific Efficiency'.

Taylorism

A system promoting 'Scientific Efficiency' and new technology in U.S. government processes, as advocated by President Harding.

Closing the Borders (Post-WWI)

The U.S., becoming the center of global trade after WWI, began to close its borders to goods and people through tariffs on imported goods and restricted immigration.

Immigration Act of 1924

Legislation that eliminated Chinese immigration and, through the National Origins Act (Quota System), returned new arrival numbers to the 1890 census, favoring Northern European immigration and nearly eliminating it from Africa and Asia, with the goal of establishing the U.S. as a 'White Race' nation.

Ku Klux Klan (1920s)

Experienced a rebirth, advocating anti-immigrant (nativist), anti-Catholic, and anti-disability positions, supporting sterilization laws that targeted poor, African American, and disabled women.

Mass Communication and Mass Democracy

A post-WWI concern regarding the emergence of new mass journals (like Time) and the use of propaganda, leading figures like Herbert Hoover to convene radio conferences to discuss government regulation of broadcasts.