Boerjes - 1920s Highs and Lows.ppt

Politics of the 1920s

The 1920s were dominated by Republicans in the White House & in both houses of Congress:–Limited Progressive reforms–Developed a close relationship between the gov’t & business that promoted private enterprise–Advocated a foreign policy based on economic investment of U.S. business in the world

Presidents of the 1920s■

Republican Warren Harding won the 1920 election promising “a return to normalcy”; his presidency is remembered for two things:–Corruption: prohibition bribery, graft in the Veterans Admin, & the Teapot Dome scandal –Treasury Sec Andrew Mellon’s cutback on gov’t spending, increase in protective tariffs, & reduction of income taxesTR set aside oil fields in WY & CA for the navy; Harding’s Sec of the Interior Albert Fall accepted $400,000 to “lease” oil reserves to businesses

Republican Presidents of the 1920s■Harding died in 1923 & VP Calvin Coolidge became president & won his own term in 1924:–Coolidge’s honesty & integrity was reassuring, but “Silent Cal” was not much of a leader–Coolidge continued Harding’s policies of less gov’t spending, lowering income taxes, & limiting Congressional legislation“Four-fifths of our troubles in this life would disappear if we would just sit down & be still”“Coolidge aspired to become the least president the country ever had; he attained his desire”

The Divided Democrats■While the Republicans dominated the gov’t, Democrats were split:–Rural Dems in the south & west favored prohibition, traditional Protestant values, & the Klan–Urban Democrats were mostly immigrants■The Democratic Nat’l Convention in NYC for the 1924 presidential nomination exposed this polarityNeither urban nor rural Dem candidate could win majority so compromise candidate, John Davis of WVBut urban voters had clearly had turned to the Democratic Party, they just needed a charismatic leader to unite the partyDavis received fewer popular votes of any Democratic candidate in 20th century

The 1928 election reflected a divided USA:■Herbert Hoover –Republican –Protestant–For prohibition–Native-born–Self-made millionaire committed to business & volunteerism ■Alfred Smith –Democrat–Catholic–“Wet” –Of immigrant parents–Rose through Tammany Hall to be a progressive NY governorSmith appealed to new voters in cities but alienated old-line Democrats; Catholicism hurt Smith more than anything elseA new urban voting bloc was revealed in 1928: For the 1st time, Democrats won the majority of votes in the 12 largest U.S. cities

Herbert Hoover■Herbert Hoover proved to be the most effective of the Republican presidents of the 1920s:–He believed in free enterprise & tried to strengthen U.S. trade by allying business with the gov’t –He doubled the size of the U.S. bureaucracy by creating bureaus to oversee housing, transportation, & miningHe was experienced having served as head of Wilson’s Food Admin & as Commerce Sec for Harding & CoolidgeInstead of the laissez-faire of Gilded Age, the Republican presidents of the 1920s pioneered a close relationship with business

Conclusions:The Old and the New

Warren G. Harding■Elected president in 1920 by calling for a “return to normalcy.”■Deregulated business, lowered taxes, raised tariffs, restricted immigration and made America isolationist again.■Died in 1923 of a heart attack.

Calvin Coolidge■Became president in 1923 when Harding died.■Won the 1924 election with the slogan, “Keep Cool with Coolidge”■Like Harding, he deregulated business, saying “The chief business of the American people is business.”

Herbert Hoover■Won the 1928 election by promising a “New Day” for America.■Ignored advice from economists who warned him that the stock market would crash without government regulation.■Stock market crashed on 10/29/29.■Said private charities, not government, should relieve the Great Depression.■Lost to FDR in 1932.

The Old and the New■Urban culture & industrial production dominated the 1920s:–Mass-produced consumer goods, mass media, advertising spread a new American culture–Much to the dismay of a rural America trying to cling to traditional values ■Progressive reforms were no match for technology & prosperity

■Essential Question:– What led to the economic, social, & urban changes of the “Roaring 20s”?

The Second Industrial Revolution

America in the 1920s■America was changed by the industrialism of the Gilded Age & the economic boom of WW I■During the 1920s:–The USA was the richest & most developed country in the world–Wages rose, hours declined, & Americans had access to new, innovative consumer goods

The Second Industrial Revolution ■From 1922 to 1929, the U.S. had a 2nd industrial boom:–Mostly in consumer durable goods like appliances, cars, radios, furniture, & clothing–Electricity replaced steam power–Corporations used salaried executives, plant managers, & engineers to increase efficiencyThe increase of national name brands (rather than locally produced goods) linked Americans more than ever

The Second Industrial Revolution■To stop the growth of labor unions companies used welfare capitalism–Offered employees stock, house-purchase, & insurance options–Used an “open shop” & offered non-union workers the same rights that unions gained–After WW I, the federal government & Supreme Court reverted back to a pro-business stance

Henry Ford’s River Rouge plant emphasized uniformity, speed, precision, & coordinationThe consumer goods revolution was best seen in the auto industryHenry Ford revolutionized the assembly line, the “$5-day,” new marketing & advertising techniques, & annual model changes“The work moves and the men stand still”The auto industry stimulated the steel, sheet metal, rubber, glass, petroleum industries

The auto industry led to the construction of roads & new filling stations…

…and new suburban shopping centers: Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza was the 1st U.S. shopping mall (built in 1924)

Glenwood Stove Ad1920s consumerism led to luxury living: New appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, & vacuums

1920s advertising

NBC was the 1st successful radio network1920s consumerism led to luxury living: Radios & movies boomed100 million Americans went to the movies in 1929 per week The first “talkie”

Economic Weaknesses■The “Roaring 20s” was not as prosperous as it appeared:–RR, cotton textile, coal industries suffered due to new competition–Farming boomed during WW I but a decline in demand after the war deflated farm pricesFarm per capita income was $273 per year vs. the U.S. average of $681 per year

Economic Weaknesses–Union membership dropped due to improved conditions & links to Debs’ “radical socialism” –Northern migration of blacks grew but workers gained menial jobs & faced racism–Growth in income was unequal with middle-class managers, bankers, engineers benefiting the most from the new affluence

Social Changes in the “Jazz Age”

Women and the Family■Change (& continuity) for women:–Female workers after WW I were limited to teachers, nurses, & other low-paying jobs –The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote but few women voted

Alice Paul’s National Women’s Party (NWP) failed to pass an Equal Rights Amendment

Women and the Family–“Flappers” rebelled against Victorian customs –Divorce rates doubledBut…most women looked forward to lives as a mother and a wife“The creation and fulfillment of a successful home…compares favorably with building a beautiful cathedral.”—Ladies Home Journal

Women and the Family■Families became smaller due to greater access to birth control■Children were no longer need to work to support their families■Teens began to “discover” their adolescence & revolt against their parents by drinking, having premarital sex, & searching for new forms of excitement“I have been kissed by dozens of men. I suppose I’ll kiss dozens more.”—character in F. Scott Fitzgerald novel

The Flowering of the Arts■The Harlem Renaissance reflected the explosion of black culture & the “New Negro”:–Jazz & Blues expressed the social realities of blacks; Louis Armstrong became very popular–Langston Hughes’ poetry, novels, & plays promoted equality, condemned racism, & celebrated black culture

“You could be black & proud, politically assertive & economically independent, creative & disciplined—or so it seemed”Josephine Baker, internationally renowned singer/dancer

■Marcus Garvey was the preeminent civil rights activist of the 1920s■Oppression in the U.S. necessitated strict segregation & black nationalism■He formed the United Negro Improvement Assoc & advocated a return to AfricaMarcus Garvey“The most dangerous enemy of the Negro race”—W.E.B. DuBois

“The Lost Generation”■The 1920s gave rise to a new class of intellectuals who condemned the new American industrial society & materialism:–Pessimistic Literature: TS Eliot, Ezra Pound, Sinclair Lewis, F Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway–Playwrights: Eugene O’Neill–Music: Gershwin & Copeland “The Waste Land” focused on a sterile U.S. societyPoetry discussed a “botched wasteland”“Main Street”–narrow-minded small towns“Great Gatsby”—human emptiness Romantic individualism & violencePlays of tragic pipedreams

■Essential Questions:–To what extent did the new economic, social, & urban changes of the “Roaring 20s” conflict with the traditional values of rural America?–How did the 1920s change Americans’ lives?

The Rural Counter-Attack

City Life in the Jazz Age■The 1920 census revealed for the 1st time that more Americans lived in cities than the countryside The New York City skyline in 1930: Skyscrapers gave cities a unique architectural styleThe shift in focus from the countryside revealed that urban life was different; traditional ties of home, church, schools were absent

The Rural Counter-Attack■Rural Americans identified cities with saloons, whore houses, communist cells, & immorality ■The 1920s saw an attempt to restore a “Protestant” culture in America & an attack on any “un-American” behavior like drinking, illiteracy, & immigration

Prohibition■In Jan 1920, Congress passed the Volstead Act to enforce the 18th Amendment (1917)■26 states had already banned alcohol, but the real conflict came when prohibition was applied to urban ethnic groups■Rural America became dry & urban consumption dropped but was severely resistedA rural, Protestant attack on the “social disease of drunkenness”

Per capita consumption of alcohol (1910-1929)

The Ku Klux Klan■The rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan in 1915 (Stone Mt, GA) was aimed at blacks, immigrants, Jews, Catholics, & prostitutes■The “Invisible Empire” sought to ease rural anxieties in the face of changing cultural attitudes■Used violence, kidnapping, murder, & politics to affect change

The KKK provided a sense of identity to its members: “Women’s Order, Junior Order for boys, Tri-K Klub for girls, Krusaders for assimilated immigrantsKlan violence met resistance & membership declined by 1925

The Fear of Radicalism■The most dramatic rural reaction was the Red Scare (1919-1920):–A general workers’ strike in Seattle, police strike in Boston, & series of mail bombs led to fears of anarchy & socialism–Deportation without due process, searches without warrants, & imprisonment of innocent people was initially backed by the American peopleIncluding the bombing of Attorney General Palmer’s house in 1919

Palmer’s “Soviet Ark”“Stand them up before the firing squad and save space on our ships”“Place the Bolsheviks on ships of stone with sails of lead”The solution is simple: “S.O.S.—ship or shoot”

Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco & Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed for armed robbery & murder without evidence The judge in the case even referred to Sacco & Vanzetti as “those anarchist bastards”

Immigration Restriction■Many feared mass immigration to the U.S. among Europeans escaping post-war rebuilding:–The Immigration Act (1921) placed a cap on European immigration to 3% of each ethnic group’s U.S. population–The National Origins Quota Act (1924) limited U.S. immigration to 150,000 total; Allocated most spots to British, Irish, GermansThis act still allowed over 500,000 immigrants mostly from South & East EuropeImmigration restrictions (unlike the Red Scare, Prohibition, or the KKK) lasted beyond the 1920s (into 1960s)

The Fundamentalist Challenge■The most long-lasting reaction of rural America was a retreat to Christian beliefs –Aggressive fundamentalist churches provided a haven for rural American values –The Scopes “Monkey Trial” revealed the rural attack on evolution in schoolsPentecostals, Church of Christ, Jehovah’s Witnesses all grew in membership

Conclusions■Urban America came to define all of the United States in the 1920s:–Radio, movies, advertising reflected urban culture–Consumer goods were made in American cities –Small-town whites, blacks, & immigrants moved to cities■But, conservative rural Americans (religious fundamentalists & KKK) attacked these new, urban ideas

■Essential Question:–What caused the Great Depression & how did the federal government respond?

The Great Depression

The Great Depression■The Depression of the 1930s came as a shock to Americans:–The consumer revolution led to confidence that 1920s economic prosperity would continue–When the stock market crashed in 1929, businesses closed & millions were unemployed–Americans began to look to the gov’t for unprecedented support

The Great Crash■Prelude to the stock market crash –In 1927, the economy had a recession but gov’t & business leaders ignored warning signs –The Federal Reserve lowering interest rates for loans would stimulate the economy, but this easy credit led speculators to buy stock on-the-margin

The Great Crash■An initial stock market crash on Oct 24, 1929 (Black Thursday) led to a catastrophic drop in stocks on Oct 29 (Black Tuesday)–Panicked investors sold stocks, causing stock prices to plummet–Banks lent less money, factories produced less, workers were fired or paid less → consumers had less money to spend → factories & businesses closed

This downward spiral continued for 4 years; By 1932 unemployment was at 25% Unemployment, 1929-1942

The Great Crash■Reasons for the depression:–U.S. factories overproduced consumer durable goods–The post-war conditions in Europe decreased foreign trade –Unequal distribution of wealth, high consumer debt, stock market over speculation led to an overall decrease in consumer purchase powerConsumers already owned durable goods & were not buying more

In 1929, the total market debt of the USA was 210% of the value of GDPIn 1929, the total market debt of the USA was 210% of the value of GDPBy 1934, U.S. debt rose to 265% of GDPIn 2005, the value of U.S. debt was 303% of GDP

Effects of the Great Depression■The Depression hit all classes:–Many families lost their homes or farms & were forced to live in “Hoovervilles” –The U.S. saw unprecedented poverty & suicide rates; fathers abandoned their families; lawlessness ensued –The U.S. gov’t offered relief checks to the unemployed

Effects of the Great Depression■African-Americans who had migrated to North were laid off■Mexican immigrants faced competition & deportation from angry Americans■The middle class was hit hard:–Refused relief checks & charity–Many lost their homes–Health care declined; doctor & dentist visits were “luxuries”

Employment Agencies & Relief-Check Lines

Soup Kitchens & Breadlines

Mortgage Foreclosures

“Hoovervilles” & “Hoover Flags”

Hoover Struggles to Fight the Depression

Hoover and Voluntarism■Hoover’s initial response was to reassure Americans that prosperity would return■Hoover rejected bold gov’t action & called for volunteerism among charities, local gov’t, & business■As the depression worsened, Hoover called for gov’t projects like the Reconstruction Finance Corps (RFC) which loaned money to failing businesses“Rugged individualism”

The Hoover administration initiated job-creation programs, like building the Hoover Dam The Hoover administration initiated job-creation programs, like building the Hoover Dam

Hoover and Voluntarism■In 1932, President Hoover suffered two final blows:–When 22,000 war veterans marched to the capital to demand their WW1 bonus checks early, Hoover ordered this Bonus Army to be forcibly removed–The steady rise of bank failures led to a complete collapse of the U.S. banking system

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Bonus ArmyDouglas MacArthurDwight Eisenhower

Bank Failures, 1929-1933

Fighting the Depression■The inability of Republicans to resolve the economic depression opened the door for a Democratic takeover in politics■Once in power, Democrats succeeded in relieving some suffering, restored hope, & created an unprecedented level of gov’t intervention in the process

• Franklin D. Roosevelt: Elected in 1932, he introduced the New Deal, a series of programs aimed at economic recovery and social reform.

• Social Security Act: Established a safety net for the elderly and unemployed, marking a significant shift in government responsibility for citizens' welfare.