WWI, Roaring 20s, & Great Depression

4 Causes of War

• MAIN

  • Militarism

  • Alliances

  • Imperialism

  • Nationalism

Militarism

• Strengthening of the military 

• Belief in an aggressive force to defend national interest

• Shift from lord, fiefs → nation states

• Occurs in all industrializing nations

  • Increase in Industrialization → Needing more resources → taking more land

Militarism event leading to WWI

• Franco Prussian War

Franco-Prussian War

• 1870 – 1871

• Dispute over land

• Between France & Germany

• Prussia joins other German states & creates the Prussian Empire

  • Under Bismarck's rule

• Bismarck forced to resign → Kaiser Wilhelm

  • Heavily militaristic. 

• France continues to start fights with Germany → Building the  Maginot line

  • Strong fortification line, by the French

Kaiser Wilhilm

• Leader of Prussian empire during WWI

Maginot Line

• Strong line of Defense by the French

Allinances

Triple Alliance

• Wilhelm (Prussia) allies with Austria-Hungary, Italy

Triple Entente:

• France, Russia, Great Britain. 

Russia Allies

• Russia, Serbia, Montenegro

  • Russia sees itself as a protector 

• Ottoman Empire:

  • Crumbles after WWI

  • Form into modern-day Turkey. 

    • Have economic aid from Bulgaria

Events of Imperialism leading to WWI

• European Competition

• African Scramble

Nationalism cause leading to WWI

• The Austro-Hungarian dispute over nationalism. 

Diplomatic Crisis Between Russia and Germany Leaders

• Caused by Numerous Alliances

• Czar Nicolas (Russia) & Kaiser Wilhelm (Germany) are first cousins

• Archuduke Fransi Ferdinand is assassinated

• Causes Austria-Hungary to send troops to Serbia

• Serbia invaded → Russia (ally) helped against Austria-Hungary

• Russia is going against Austria-Hungary → Germany (ally), helping Austria-Hungary

• Puts the Family against each other

German Plan of attack

1. Defeat France

2. Defeat Russia

3. Return troops to the East

• Germany uses the Van Schlifen plan

• The Germans believed they would get a quick victory

• Germany does not want the United States to join the war

Van Schlieffen Plan:

• Hold off Russia to the East

• Bypass Maginot Line

• Take Paris and France in 6 months

• Return East

Destruction of Belgium

• Germany uses the von Schlieffen plan

  • Terrible war through Belgium (declared neutral)

    • Lots of Destruction & warfare

      • ~ ⅕ Belgian population is scattered

• Leads to the U.S. Aid of Belgium

  • By Herbert Hoover

Britain Strategy in WWI

• Use Navy

• Blocade & Mining of the North Sea

  • Keep out Germany supplies → Germany is starving. 

• Wanted to counterattack

  • Like they did at the Battle of Marne. 

• British Propaganda

  • Even reach the United States

Major Events to Know:

• Battle of the Marne

• Battle of the Somme

• Lusitania

Battle of the Marne

• in 1914 

• While going to Paris, the Germans stop along the Marne River

• The British & French counterattacked along the Marne

• Stops the German Offense, puts both sides at a stalemate 

  • 0.5 Million killed/wounded

Battle of the Somme

• Bad offensive by the British & French

  • Led to them getting bitched

• More violent than Battle of the Marne

Lusitania

• May, 1915

• The German Embassy states that vessels from Britain with the Britain flag can be fired upon if near Europe. 

• Civilian Ship Sunk

  • With American civilians

• Wilson sends a protest to Germany →Germany promises not to do it again

  • Do not want the U.S. to join the war.

Countries Technological stances abilities war

• The Germans & French are known for technological expertise

• The U.S. is known for mass production 

U-Boats

• German strategy

• Want to combine it with torpedoes to sink ships from under. 

• International law prevents attacks on civilian ships. 

• Horrible conditions

• Have long-range machine guns when on surface. 

Major Attacks

• SS Arabic U-Boat Attack:

• Sussex:

Major U-Boat Attacks

SS Arabic U-Boat Attack:

• August 19thh

• Not a warship, Germans think it may have weapons. 

• Creates Arabic Pledge

Arabic Pledge:

• Warnings will be given for passenger safety 

Sussex:

• March 1916,

• A French Ferry

• Creates Sussex Pledge

Sussex Pledge:

• Passenger and merchant ships will not be attacked. 

2 Major German Statements of U-Boats

Arabic Pledge:

• Warnings will be given for passenger safety 

Sussex Pledge:

• Passenger and merchant ships will not be attacked. 

Airplanes

• Increase in popularity

  • Peak in WWII

• Used for Reconnaissance

• Dogfights happen occasionally

Election of 1917

Wilson's re-election:

• One key argument is that he kept the U.S. out of the war

  • Popular

  • Isolationist- Similar to Washington

  • Largely against European people

    • Ex. Irish people 

• Wins for re-election

Presidential View of the War

• Wilson declares that Europe must peacefully resolve conflicts to avoid forcing peace due to embarrassment to foreign countries. 

• Wants:

  • Neutrality

  • Freedom of the seas

  • Trade Policy

Philosophical Opposition to War:

• Pacifists (Quakers, conscientious objectors)

• Hyphenated Americans (German-American, Irish-American)

• Socialists

  • Believed war was capitalists profiting from war

• Increase in Women Activists. 

Practical opposition to war:

• Loss of life

• Too far away, Europe’s problem, Anti-democratic

• Too expensive, put America First, Progressive reforms

  • War will kill progressivism.

Economic voices for war:

• Yellow press

  • Economic benefit from selling more newspapers

• Jingos

• Big Business

• JP Morgan. 

Biases of War (in US):

German Ties (Central Powers)

• The largest immigrant group in New York

• Want neutrality

• Are successful in American Society

  • Also identify as “Americans.”

• Triple Entente Ties:

  • Puritan & colonial heritage

  • Belief in democracy & Legal law

  • Economic Trade – Capitalism

  • The French alliance with the American Revolution

Zimmerman Telegram

• Britain intercepts a telegram from the German Minister Zimmerman to Mexico

• In a telegram, Germany instructs Mexico to initiate a war with the U.S.

  • Says they would fund the war

  • Promises that submarines wouldn’t affect Mexico

• To prevent the U.S. from interfering with the war

• Once public, the U.S. people want war against Germany

US Wanting to Enter WWI

• Willson wants to join the war

  • Believes he is fighting this war to protect Democracy

• Must get the American Public Involved

  • Especially isolationists.

• The U.S. uses propaganda to force-motivate the public

  • Ex. the Sinking of the Lusitania.

US Preparation for WWI

• Meet output for food & Industrial Products

• Must find & make weapons

  • Both the U.S. and France & England

• Creates over 3000 Agencies, expanding the power of the federal government

U.S. War Plan (4Ms)

4 Ms for all wars

• Mobilizing Men

  • draft/raising an army

• Mobilizing Minds

  • Change minds, propaganda

• Mobilizing Money

  • Raise funds necessary

• Mobilizing Machines

  • Create & have changes for weapons of war

  • Change businesses to produce more war products now

U.S. Mobilizing Men

• Draft renamed to Selective Service

• Create agency: National War Labor Board

  • Looks at all young men, gets their occupations

  • Minimize strikes and such, to keep weapons production.

• 4.8 million men served in WWI

• Women and Black people try to get opportunities

  • Lots of Black people join the army

  • Women in plants, creating more weapons. 

Mobilizing Minds:

• Posters increase in popularity to promote war

• Committee on Public Information (CPI)

  • Made by George Creel

  • Tries to convince people to support the war through propaganda.

• Four Minute Men (75,000):

  • Going out to make 4-minute speeches promoting the war

    • Psychologists say impossible to hold attention for more than 4 minutes

• Depict Germans as “Huns.”

  • Savage, old Germanic Tribes

• Pass the Espionage Act

  • Can’t interfere with the draft or show disloyalty to the army

  • Gets Schenck (socialist party leader) arrested

  • Limiting American “free acts.”

• Pass the Sedition Act

  • No disloyal, profane, or abusive language about the U.S. flag, government, or armed forces

  • Limiting American “Free speech.”

Pass the Espionage Act

• Can’t interfere with the draft or show disloyalty to the army

• Gets Schenck (socialist party leader) arrested

• Limiting American “free acts.”

Pass the Sedition Act

• No disloyal, profane, or abusive language about the U.S. flag, government, or armed forces

• Limiting American “Free speech.

Mobilizing money:

• Liberty Bonds:

  • Give the government money, assuming they will pay you back, with full interest

• Revenue Act

  • Raises Taxes for revenue

Mobilizing Machines

• Form War Industries Board

  • Tasked to switch Industries from consumer goods to war goods

• Consolidates all military business decisions under 1 leader

  • Seen as an industrial dictatorship

  • Shows the start of Government & Corporation collusion

• Bernard Baruch made as a leader

• Can control the industry's production & prices

  • Seems as if this is not a democracy itself.

• Works successfully

  • Under 1 year, industrial production as a whole increased by ~20%

• 1 large part of success was taking control of railroads

 War Industries Board

• Tasked to switch Industries from consumer goods to war goods

• Consolidates all military business decisions under 1 leader

  • Seen as an industrial dictatorship

  • Shows the start of Government & Corporation collusion

• Bernard Baruch made as a leader

  • Known as the lone wolf of Wall Street

• Can control the industry's production & prices

  • Seems as if this is not a democracy itself.

• Works successfully

  • Under 1 year, industrial production as a whole increased by ~20%

Russian Withdrawal in WWI

• October 1917

• Vladimir Lenin returns from exile & plans revolution with Bolsheviks (party)

• Russian Revolution → toppling of the monarchy in Russia

• After winning, Lenin withdrew Russia from the war

  • Make a peace agreement with Germany

• They state it’s a war for capitalism & it isn’t helping the people

• Allows the Germans to be 50 miles from Paris, no conflict.

U.S. joining war

• U.S. Joins active combat, April 1918

• Led by General Pershing

  • One of the greatest military generals in U.S. History

  • Resists French/English calls for Trench Warfare

• Wilson gives a 14-point Speech

14pt Speech Main ideas

• Wants the Global League to settle disputes & maintain peace

• Demilitarization (Have only what’s needed for defense)

• Freedom of seas

• Equal & Free trade

• No Secret Treaties

• Self-government for some

• Impartial colonial claims

  • Consider the interests of colonized people

Results of WWI

• The United States, English, & French emerge victorious

  • The Italians switch sides & also “technically” emerge victorious. 

Peace Conference (1919)

Create the Treaty of Versailles 

• Germans pay heavy war reperations

• The Germans reduce men in their army

  • Contrasting Kaise Wilhelm’s ideas militarism

• Many important nations weren’t even at the meeting

  • Like Germany

• The Germans lost territory

• Led to the Creation of the League of Nations

  • But the U.S. public is so outraged at all lives lost, Congress does not let the United States join the League of Nations

Treaty of Versailles:

• Germans pay heavy war reperations

• The Germans reduce men in their army

  • Contrasting Kaiser Wilhelm’s militarism

• Many important nations weren’t even at the meeting

  • Like Germany

• The Germans lost territory

• Led to the Creation of the League of Nations

  • But the U.S. public is so outraged at all lives lost, Congress does not let the United States join the League of Nations

Conservative Political Views

Economic:

• Laissez Faire

• Free Market

• Rugged Individualism

Social

• Want to restrict behavior that violates social norms

• Traditional American values

• Personal responsibility

• Moral & Ethics

• Individual empowerment

Government Intervention

• Believe in keeping government small 

• Strong national defense

• Stronger Police force

Liberal Political Views

Economic:

• Believed in the Government’s duty to regulate industrial capitalism (corporations)

• Wanted taxes on the wealthy

• Say that Americans currently don’t have an “equal playing field.”

  • Large ideal of democracy

Social

• favor choice in personal matters

Government Intervention

• Heavily believe that the state should intervene to help those at risk

  • Core liberal value

• Problem-solving minded, activist.

Roaring 20s Presidencies

• Off a streak of “progressive” presidents

  • Progressivism was seen as “not real republican.s

• Swings from a liberal, progressive movement to “Normalcy.”

  • This idea of becoming the same as before, 

  • similar to Old Republican values, like let big business go

Presidents during the Roaring 20s:

• Warren G. Harding

• Calvin Coolidge

• Herbert Hoover

Normalcy

• Republican viewpoint, wanting to go back to the old

  • To the golden times

Election of 1920

• Between Republican Harding & Coolidge (vp) against Democratic James Cox & Franklin Roosevelt (vp)

• Democrats want to keep office & build on achievements after Willison

• Republicans want to forget about past achievements & continue going towards the future

• Harding easily beats James Cox

Warren Harding:

• He is seen (by the public) as a nice guy without any concrete plan

  • He was chosen by businessmen to control him

  • Does not stand for anything

• Very laid back, did not really care

  • Unserious, played lots of poker, drank lots, etc.

• Gave unqualified Ohio Jobs friends

  • So they can play poker with him

• Chooses really good cabinet who help keep country alive

Harding’s Cabinet 3 Scandals

• Teapot Dome – Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall

• Veterans Bureau – Charles Forbes

• Justice Department – Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty.

Teapot Dome Scandal

• Done by Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall

• Oil-rich land had been put aside for future necessities & the navy

• Transfers ownership of lands from the Navy → to himself

• Leases off land to private companies for their use

  • Had been getting gifts from these companies

• Once uncovered, forced to step down

Veterans Bureau Scandal:

• Charles Forbes appointed leader of the Veterans Bureau after one meeting with Harding

  • Organization to treat retired & disabled veterans

• Estimated 250 million dollars were wasted/stolen under him

• Eventually steps down due to backlash from everyone

Justice Department Scandal

• Attorney General Harry Daugherty was selling seized alcohol & pocketing money

• When Assistant is confronted, he commits suicide

Harding’s important Cabinet Appointees

• Andrew Mellen – Treasury

  • 3rd richest Man in America

• Herbert Hoover – Commerce & Trade

• Charles Evans Hughes – Secretary of State.

Andrew Mellen Beliefs

• Believed heavily in laissez-faire economics

• Designed Melonomics

• Believed in Conservative Domestic Policies – Pro-corporations

• Believed in cutting jobs in times of economic struggle

  • Thought it would motivate people to work harder & be more moral

• Isolationist

• Wanted Higher Tariffs

• Created tax Cuts for the wealthy

  • Melonomics

• Big Business aided by the FTC

  • Shows FTC going from consumer → Big Business

Mellonomics: 

• Trickle-Down Economics

  • Make life great for the wealthy

  • Incentivize them to create more factories, more jobs, etc.

  • Will trickle down benefits & money to the lower classes

Calvin Coolidge Background

• Born in Vermont

  • Small town New England Values

• Becomes governor in Massachusetts

  • Rise to fame during police & red Scare

• Becomes President once Harding dies 

  • 2 years left in the term

• Expected to continue helping Big Business

• Known as Silent Cal

Pick-up in Coolidge’s fame

• During the Red Scare, the Police attempted to go on strike

• As the governor of MA, he denies them 

  • States they can’t strike when the public is at threat

• Threatens to fire them all, the police union backs down

Coolidge Beliefs

• Conservative

  • Small government, little interference

  • Thinks people should thrift & work hard

• Believed in Tax Cuts. 

• Picks up Harding’s economy

Coolidge Political Legislation: 

• Tax Cuts

• Helps economically

  • Economy flourishes

• Passes the National Origins Act: 

  • In response to increased immigration.

    • Not much before the Chinese Exclusion Act

  • Creates a limit of 2% South East European (Slavic) and excludes all Japanese and Asian

  • Fueled by communist fear and Red Scare

  • Favors North West Europe

National Origins Act of 1924:

• Set a limit of 2% South East European immigrants (Slavic) and exclude all Japanese and Asians

• Fueled by communist fear and the Red Scare

• Favors North-West Europe

Election of 1924

• Republican Coolidge won the majority

• all of the North, much of the South, the South West states, & all the North East

• Democrats win all of Southeast

• Third-party candidate “La Follette” wins Wisconsin

Coolidge Withdrawal in 1928

• Coolidge states he does not want to run for reelection.

• People were confused as the economy was great

  • But it really had underlying problems (probably why Coolidge left)

    • Yet we know that it wasn’t all that great

    • Agriculture was going down

    • Everyone buying automobile

    • The sector’s varied

• After he left, the economy hit the Great Recession of 1929. 

Unseen Economic Problems during the Coolidge Presidency:

• Agriculture was going down

• Everyone buying automobile

  • Overproduction

Red Scare Overview

• Red Scare was a time of Fear of Others

• Caused by Patriotic fever after the war ended

  • Patriotic Fervor → irrational fears → red scare

• Causes a large fear of immigrants

• Creates isolationist views

• Fear of Communism

3 Main problems of the Red Scare:

• Problems with the Justice Department

• Labor Strikes & Unions

• Nativism

Red Scare — Justice Department problems

The Palmer Raids

• Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer cracked down on many suspected Radicals

  • Created fear of government overreach

Red Scare — Labor Strikes and Unions problems

• Rise in Trade & Unionism from 1919

• On May Day (International Workers Day), socialists sent letter bombs to many influential businessmen

  • Start equating strike → Communism

    • Opposed to safety in the workplace

• High Consumer Demand, higher prices, Inflation

• Wages were kept low by wartime agencies

• Absolutely massive numbers of strikes Nationwide

Boston Police Strike:

• Coolidge only interferes after the Strike starts, as opposed to before

• Calls in the National Guard, gains large publicity

• “There is no right to strike against the public safety by anyone, anywhere, anytime

  • Gets him famous

Red Scare — Nativism problems

• Increased Nativism (desire to get not real “Americans gone)

• Main Problems:

  • 2nd coming of the KKK

  • Congress's immigration policies

  • Sacco & Vanzetti Murder Trial

• 2nd Coming of the KKK:

• Congress bad Legislation

  • National Origins Act

  • Immigration Act of 1921

  • Immigration Act of 1924

• Sacco & Vanzetti Murder Trial

2nd Coming of the KKK

• Targets incoming immigrants who aren’t white or protestant

• Targets of the KKK

  • African Americans

  • Jews

  • Roman Catholics

  • All foreigners

Congress's Immigration Policies

• Passes laws to limit Immigration 

  • National Origins Act

• Immigration Act of 1921

  • Limits to 3% any new immigrants (3% of the current population already in the U.S. from that country)

• Immigration Act of 1924

National Origins Act

• Passes laws to limit Immigration 

Immigration Act of 1921

• Limits to 3% any new immigrants (3% of the current population already in the U.S. from that country)

Sacco & Vanzetti Murder Trial

• Italians accused of robbing a bank truck & killing 2 guards

• Accused of having “worthy complections” (Itallians)

  • Don’t find the 15k missing

• Find a socialist pamphlet on them → more discrimination

• Trial becomes a fight between Nativists & Immigrants

• Both are Executed

The Automobile

• Henry Ford’s pet projects – a horseless carriage

• New usage for the combustion engine

• Model T

  • Changes American Life 

  • Started as a luxury vehicle

  • Made on assembly lines

• Symbol of Capitalism

Assembly Lines

• Mainly/first used for Automobiles (Model T)

• The old method was the Static Assembly Line:

  • Skilled workers→slower times→more expensive

• Start using the Moving Assembly line

  • Less skill→more made→less expensive→ more sold

Paternalism:

• Ford acts as a father towards his workers, to ensure they stay & don’t strike.

• More than Doubles their Pay

  • Causes an increase in desire to work under Ford

• Made a free English Language School

  • Americanizes them

• Stock

• Partial ownership of a company

• Buy/Sell stock

• Receive/spend money for the value of a sock. Bought, when price is low. Sold, when price is high.

• Bull Market

• Rising Market, all stocks are going up, Economy going really well

• Public Company

• Listed on the Stock Exchange & have sold shares of stock to the public. Are obligated, every 3 months, to share earnings & plans.

• Overproduction

• Increase in supply →Decrease in price 

• Recession

• 3 quarters of Negative Economic Growth

Ways to Determine Health of an Economy

• Unemployment index

  • % of people unemployed

  • Normal% is 3-4

  • 7-8% is really high

  • Anything greater is horrible

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

  • Value of all goods & services in the United States produced per year

• Consumer Spending

  • More spending signals → increase circulation of money

• Consumer Debt

  • Increased debt → increased foreclosure rate

Causes of Great Depression

1. Stock Speculation & Then Market Crash

2. Wealthy stop investing, GDP declines

3. Consumer Spending Slows, Farm Crisis

4. Unemployment, Poverty

5. Banking Crisis

Stock Speculation & Market Crash

• When Market Crashes, Oct 1929, loss of 16 billion

  • The majority of things are bought on margin (loan)

    • Laisez Faire

    • High Risk High Rewards

  • Causes more debt than currency in circulation

• Causes Wealthy to stop investing → Decreased GDP

• Before the crash, more people started to invest

  • Causes more money lost, & affects the common man more

J.P. Morgan & Co. attempt to fix Market Crash

• Organization goes on a 2-day spending spree,

• Buys up very low-priced stocks

  • Attempting to shore up prices on the market

• Overall ends with a 13% decrease in cash

  • Had done this strategy before, so had experience

Decreasing Wealthy Circulation

• The majority of Capital investment is done by the wealthy

• Wealth being held onto → end of investment

  • The wealthy hold their money when the market crashes

• Causes a reduction in Industrial Production

  • GDP shrinks by 50%

Farming Expansion & Crisis

• In the 1920s, many items were bought on Installment

• FDR had tried to reduce the quantity of goods of farmers to increase the prices of goods. 

  • Hoover & Melon Against

• In the 1930s, many farmers fell behind on payments

  • Causes increased foreclosure

• Increased foreclosure → increased Deflation

• Increased foreclosures forced poor Farmers to move

  • Many went West (Nebraska, California) because they had heard of good farming communities there

• Dust Bowl– takes decades to recover

• Problems with Farming Expansion

  • Lack of spending money

  • Lack of consumer demand.

Unemployment, Poverty

• huge Unemployment rates

• Many live in Hoovervilles 

  • Shacks made of cardboard. Named After Hoover.

• 40,000 Boston families on relief, 1932

• 40% of the Chicago workforce is unemployed

Bank Runs, Panic & Bank Closings, Credit Crisis

• Banks take your deposit & guarantee that they will give it back to you,

  • But if everyone wants to take out money, it will start to fail.

• More Fear of banks

  • Start thinking Bank will close on you & you will lose your money

• Causes less circulation of currency

major problems of the Depression

1. Overproduction & farming crisis

2. Stock Market Crashes

3. Bank Failiures (farm foreclosures)

4. Consumer Spending Declines & Deflation

5. Foreign Loans not Paid Back

6. Production cut back & Rise in unemployment

Farming Crisis cycle

Farm Overproduction:

1. Increase production → Decrease in the stock market

2. Decrease in stock market → prices/wages/job reductions

3. Price/wage/job reductions → less money in circulation

4. Less money in circulation → less money to combat overproduction

5. Less money to combat overproduction → increased bank runs

6. Increased bank runs→ decrease in the stock market

7. Repeat from step 2

• Cyclical

• Hoover creates Federal Farm Board to helpo

  • But worsens state

Federal Farm Board:

• Under Hoover

• Created to give loans to farmers

  • Who are struggling to pay back loans

• Farmers must promise to keep their prices high

  • Yet, the board gives no protection to ensure profits

• Causes prices to deflate even more.

Stock Market Crashes

• When Market Crashes, Oct 1929, loss of 16 billion

  • The majority of things are bought on margin (loan)

    • Laisez Faire

  • Causes more debt than currency in circulation

• Causes Wealthy to stop investing → Decreased GDP

• Before the crash, more people started to invest

  • Causes more money lost, & affects the common man more