Untitled Flashcards Set

How did new technologies and manufacturing techniques impact the U.S. economy?

They focused the economy on consumer goods, improved standards of living, increased personal mobility, and advanced communication systems.

By 1920, where did the majority of the U.S. population live, and why?

In urban centers due to economic opportunities for women, international migrants, and internal migrants.

What led to calls for a stronger financial regulatory system in the early 20th century?

Episodes of credit and market instability, particularly the Great Depression.

What were the three main goals of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal?

Relief for the poor, recovery of the economy, and reform of the financial system.

What groups pushed Roosevelt toward more extensive economic reforms?

Radical, union, and populist movements.

Who opposed Roosevelt’s New Deal and why?

Conservatives in Congress and the Supreme Court sought to limit its scope.

Did the New Deal end the Great Depression?

No, but it left a legacy of reforms and regulatory agencies.

How did the New Deal affect American politics?

It caused a political realignment, with many ethnic groups, African Americans, and working-class communities identifying with the Democratic Party.

How did new mass media contribute to American culture?

Radio and cinema spread national culture and increased awareness of regional cultures.

What cultural movement in the early 20th century expressed Black identity?

The Harlem Renaissance.

How did World War I affect freedom of speech?

Increased anxiety about radicalism led to a Red Scare, which resulted in attacks on labor activism and immigrant culture.

What social and political debates arose in the 1920s?

Debates over gender roles, modernism, science, religion, race, and immigration.

When did immigration from Europe peak, and what happened afterward?

It peaked before WWI, but nativist campaigns led to immigration quotas that restricted Southern & Eastern Europeans and increased barriers for Asian immigrants.

Why did many Americans migrate to urban centers in the early 20th century?

War production demands (WWI & WWII) and economic difficulties during the Great Depression.

What was the Great Migration, and why did it happen?

African Americans moved from the South to the North and West to escape segregation, racial violence, and limited economic opportunity.

What challenges did African Americans face in the North after the Great Migration?

They found new opportunities but still faced discrimination.

How did U.S. policies toward Mexican immigration change in the early 20th century?

Migration from Mexico increased, but U.S. policies toward Mexican immigrants were often contradictory.

What was the U.S.’s initial stance in World War I?

Neutrality and noninvolvement in European affairs.

Why did the U.S. enter World War I?

Woodrow Wilson called for defending humanitarian and democratic principles.

How did U.S. involvement impact the outcome of World War I?

The American Expeditionary Forces played a limited combat role, but their entry helped tip the balance in favor of the Allies.

What was Wilson’s goal after World War I, and what happened to it?

Wilson pushed for the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations, but the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the treaty or join the League.

How did the U.S. approach foreign policy in the 1920s and 1930s?

The U.S. followed a unilateral foreign policy, promoting international investment, peace treaties, and selective military intervention while maintaining isolationism.

How did Americans initially respond to the rise of fascism in the 1930s?

Most Americans opposed military action against Nazi Germany and Japan.

What event led the U.S. to enter World War II?

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.