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79 Cards in this Set

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Key issue: How and why did the USA achieve prosperity in the 1920s?
- Isolationism and its effects: American rejection of the Treaty of Versailles and refusal to join the League of Nations; the consequences for the USA.
- Tariff policy: Fordney-McCumber Tariff of 1922.
- Mass production (e.g. Ford and the Motor industry); consumer industries and advertising.
- Hire Purchase; purchase of shares; the stock market boom; Republican Government policies.
- Developments in the entertainment industries, e.g. the cinema, Jazz.
Key issue: How far was the USA a divided society in the 1920s?
- Rich versus poor: continuation of poverty for some – e.g. farmers.
- Race: immigration controls; the quota system of 1921; National Origins Act of 1924; the Ku Klux Klan and its activities.
- Prohibition: groups for and against it; organised crime; the impact on society.
- Young people: fashions, flappers.
Key issue: Why did the US Stock Exchange collapse in 1929?
- The problems of the 1920s: over-production, lack of credit control; the effects of tariff policy; unequal
distribution of wealth.
- The Wall Street Crash: events and immediate consequences.
Prosperity
To get on well, thrive and be successful.
'Normalcy'
To 'get back to normal'. Return America to the state of affairs before the war.
Cycle of Prosperity
The cycle of events that lead to each other and consequently America achieving prosperity.
Republican
A traditional political view. It was against the League of Nations and wanted a return to normalcy and isolationism. E.g. Warren Harding.
Democrat
A more liberal political view. They supported the League of Nations. E.g. Woodrow Wilson and James Cox.
Laissez Faire
A French term meaning rugged individualism. A policy of non-interference by the government in business and individual affairs.
Imports
Trade coming in.
Exports
Trade going out.
6 reasons how and why the USA achieved prosperity in the 1920s? (A Summary)
1) Refusal to join the Treaty of Versailles.
2) Tariff policy.
3) Mass production.
4) Hire purchase.
5) 'Laissez Faire' and 'Rugged Individualism'.
6) The 'Roar' in the 1920s.
What is the Fordney-McCumber tariff?
- It was passed by Congress in 1922.
- It meant that a tariff was placed on foreign goods coming into the USA.
- This made the goods more expensive than the same American products. This meant that foreign goods would not be able to compete with the 'home-grown' goods on the US market, protecting American industry.
- HOWEVER; Foreign governments retaliated by putting high tariffs on American goods exported abroad, making them harder to sell.
What was the 'Red Scare'?
The fear that immigrants would provide cheap labour (taking jobs from Americans) and bring political ideas such as Communism.

4 ways that the USA achieved prosperity?

1) Government Policy.
2) Mass Production.
3) Stock market
4) Credit facilities.


5)Entertainment

Detail Government Policy (Laissez Faire)?

- Republican government introduced a policy of non-interference.
- Lowered taxes for businesses.
- Did not place controls; no minimum wage, no maximum working hours e.t.c.
Detail Mass Production?
- Assembly lines started and production rose dramatically.
- New consumer goods were produced.
- They used basic, simple methods.
- It strongly reduced prices, FOR EXAMPLE; Ford, 1911 - £1200, 1920 - £295.
Detail Confidence?
- Throughout the 1920's there was a feeling of confidence.
- Encouraged to invest some money in shares.
- This was done by buying products 'on the margin'. This was with 10% cash and the remaining 90% as a loan.
Detail Credit Facilities?
- This was the ability to buy items by paying in installments.
- Mail order was increased for consumers in remoter areas.
- American families were encourages to 'Keep up with the Jones'. This was the typical, forward thinking American family.
What was the Cycle of Prosperity?
Increased demand for consumer goods.
...Leads to...
Increased production.
...Leads to...
Increased employment.
...Leads to...
More money available to spend on consumer goods.
...Leads BACK to...
Increased demand for consumer goods.

In text form...
This growth created a 'cycle of prosperity'. The increased production of consumer goods created increased employment. This meant that people had more money to spend on consumer goods, especially as their prices were falling. This in turn created an increased demand for goods and encouraged further increased production.
So the cycle went on.
Jazz
Developed from ragtime and blues music, providing black musicians with recognition. Became more popular due to radios and gramophones. It became the music of the 1920s.
The Cotton Club

A famous nightclub in New York where Jazz became famous.
Duke Ellington
A famous black musician.
What did the radio do?
Increased listening to popular music such as jazz and listening to sports such as baseball, boxing and American football.
Jack Dempsey
A boxer who became 'a hero'.
Black Bottom/Charleston
New, fashionable dances that were popular amongst the young and frowned upon by the older generations because it was sexually suggestive.
Crazes
Doing new, silly, crazy things because you can.
Rudolph Valentino
A glamorous male actor with many female fans.
Warner Brothers
A big film company that developed in Hollywood in the 1920s and is still around today.
The Jazz Singer
The first 'talkie' (speaking movie). It won a special award in the first Oscars.
Charlie Chaplin
A hugely successful English film star who starred in silent movies.
The national income of the USA was bigger than that of...
Britain, France, Germany, Japan and 18 other countries put together.
1/3 of the nation's wealth was shared by...
5% of the people.
The poverty line was at $2500. This was the minimum national family income needed to provide a decent standard of living. In 1929, how many families were on or below the poverty line?
71% of families had an income below $2500.
Black people were seen as an inferior race. How much of the population was black?
Around 10%.
Because of laissez faire, workers in old industries (such as mining, farming) were exploited with...
Bad conditions and minimum wages.
Poor immigrants (not white North Western Europeans) were seen as...
A threat to American culture.
The Volstead Act
- Passed in 1920.
- Began prohibition by saying any liquor would be forbidden.
Liquor
Any drink containing 0.5% alcohol or more.
Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League
Groups who campaigned against alcohol for many years.
AAPA
- Association Against the Prohibition Amendment; 1918.
- Claimed the benefits of alcohol for medical purposes.
The 'Demon Drink'
Alcohol.
Speakeasies
- Illegal bars which appeared in saloons or basements.
- Many were disguised as jazz clubs.
- 30'000 in New York and 200'000 across America.
William Jennings Bryan
A leading campaigner for prohibition and in the AAPA and an ex-Democratic presidential candidate.
Bootleggers
Smuggled in alcohol from Canada and Mexico (often in knee high boots).
Izzy Einstein and Moe Smith
Two famous prohibition agents.
'Prohi'
Slang term for a prohibition agent.
Al Capone
- A gangster who gained control of Chicago by bribing and operating openly.
- His services included; protection rackets, prostitution and alcohol.
Protection Rackets
Threatening damage to a property unless they receive money to protect it.
St Valentine's Day Massacre
- Took place in 1929.
- Some of Al Capone's gang gunned down six members of the rival Bugs Moran gang.
- Shows the severity of gang warfare in 1920s Chicago.
Moonshine
Home brewed alcohol.
Bugs Moran Gang
Rival's of Al Capone's gang.
Flappers
Young middle-class girls who shocked their parents by cutting their hair short, smoking in public, wore rouge lipstick, short skirts and stayed out late dancing.
Bee Jackson
World Champion Charleston dancer.
4 reasons why alcohol was banned in 1920?
- Because of how it was claimed to damage society.
- Christians saw the damage it did to family life.
- Industrialists also backed the movement as they believed workers would be more reliable without drink.
- More breweries were ran by German immigrants and portrayed as 'Un-American' and the enemy.
How was prohibition introduced?
Alcohol was gradually banned across various states and by the time the Volstead Act was introduced, 3/4 of states were already dry.
How did flappers show the 'Roaring 20s'?
It shows the development in the place of women as they took on and campaigned for male dominated roles.
How did the film industry show the Roaring 20s?
There was a large and American centralized development in the film industry with Warner Brothers, Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, the Oscars and the first 'talkie'.
How did crazes show the Roaring 20s?
Showed people having the confidence to explore and push the limits of what was normal and socially acceptable, such as Shipwreck Kelly.
How did prohibition not show the Roaring 20s?
National alcohol consumption was higher during prohibition than before it and illegal alcohol contribution was both unhealthy and had dire consequences if you were caught.
How did organized crime not show the Roaring 20s?
It meant that cities were under the control of gangsters who dealt in illegal activities and fought other gangs (e.g. St Valentine's Day Massacre).
How did racism not show the Roaring 20s?
Anyone who wasn't a WASP could be subject to hideous crimes.
WASP?
White Anglo Saxon Protestant.
What was the Sacco and Vanzetti case?
- Two immigrants from Italy who were anarchists - who in 1920 were found guilty of armed robbery and murder (and executed in 1927).
- Even though the defence produced 107 witnesses that they were elsewhere at the time, and in 1925 the actual murderer came forward and gave himself up. - The jury did not believe the defence witnesses because they were all Italian immigrants.
What was the Ku Klux Klan and how did it effect America?
- The Ku Klux Klan was an organization that believed in the superiority of the WASP race.
- They mainly targeted black people, such as the African-Americans.
- They wore white cloaks and organized events such as lynchings. Many sheriffs, judges and other prominent local members were in the KKK, meaning the local government would not act out against these racist attacks.
- This originated in the Deep South but spread to some of the more Northern states.
- This led to large migrations northwards of black people into the cities, where they were exploited to provide cheap labour due to 'laissez faire'.
QUESTION FOR THOUGHT: 'The Roaring Twenties'. Is this a good description of the USA in the 1920's?
- Introduction; make opinion clear.
- Reasons for; flappers, cinema, jazz, crazes.
- Reasons against; social discrimination, prohibition, organized crime, racism.
- Conclusion; refer back to introduction.
The perks of the Roaring 20's depended on...
Where you lived and what your social class was!!
How does the stock market work?
- If a company wants to join the stock market, it sells shares in itself.
- The shares are first bought at a fixed price. Once all the shares have been sold the price fluctuates.
- If a company does well and makes a profit the value of the shares will go up because more people want a part of a successful company.
What were the problems with the 1920s stock market?
- In 1920s America, people believed that the value of shares would always go up.
- Therefore, buying shares was a quick and easy way of making money.
- However, people paid too much for shares in non-profitable companies and this creates a problem in the future.
5 causes of the Great Depression? (A Summary)
1) Overproduction.
2) Unequal distribution of wealth.
3) Tariff policy.
4) Financial crisis (speculation).
5) Wall Street Crash.
Detail overproduction?
- Mass production meant goods were produced quickly.
- The market became saturated with consumer goods and demands fell.
- Factories had to produce less goods and so unemployed workers, who now couldn't afford the goods themselves.
Detail unequal distribution of wealth?
- Many Americans did not wish to buy goods but millions could not afford to.
- In 1928, 71% of Americans lived below the poverty line.
- Worst affected were farmers, black workers, new immigrants and old industry workers.
Detail tariff policy?
- When America placed tariffs on foreign goods, many foreign governments did the same to Americans.
- This made it more difficult to sell abroad.
Detail financial crisis (speculation)?
- During the 1920s, more Americans bought shares on the stock exchange.
- People were confident that the share prices would keep on rising, buying them on credit and expecting to sell them for a profit and settle the debts (SPECULATION).
- In 1928, share prices didn't rise as much. Companies didn't sell as many goods so profits fell and people were less willing to buy shares.
- More experienced investors began to sell their shares now before values fell.
The Wall Street Crash; 1929.

Thursday 24th October
- BLACK THURSDAY.
- Nearly 13 million shares were sold.
- Prices dived due to a lack of buyers.
The Wall Street Crash, 1929.

Banker's Action
- A group of bankers spend nearly $250,000 to encourage investors to buy rather than sell.
- It seemed to work...
The Wall Street Crash, 1929.

Monday 28th October
There was renewed panic and over 9 MILLION shares were sold at lower prices.
The Wall Street Crash, 1929.

Tuesday 29th October
- Over 16 million shares were sold at whatever price was available.
- Shareholders lost a total of $8000 MILLION that day.
- Although this was the worst day, share prices fell until they bottomed out in mid-November.
What was the Cycle of Depression?
Reduced demand for consumer goods.
...Leads to...
Reduced production.
...Leads to...
Increased unemployment.
...Leads to...
Less money available to spend on consumer goods.
...Leads BACK to...
Reduced demand for consumer goods.

In text form...
This decline created a 'cycle of depression'. The decreased production of consumer goods created increased unemployment. This meant that people had less money to spend on consumer goods. This in turn created a decreased demand for goods and discouraged further production.
So the cycle went on.