Conservative Counterack In The 1920's

In the 1920’s a conservative counterattack occurred, which would challenge many new norms, and attempt to restore America to its old “morally acceptable” ways. This revolution occurred due to the rise of social tensions caused by urbanization. When a large amount of America’s population migrated to cities, rural Americans began to associate city life with an evil way of life. With the idea of cities, they associated heavy drinking, prostitution, communism, and atheism. During World War I, America was conditioned to be fearful of and even loathe foreign-born individuals, which only strengthened the conservative counterattack. Several different components were included in this counterattack, all of which attempted to bring back an earlier America …show more content…
This refers to the time, during 1919, when America’s fear of radicalism skyrocketed. This occurred due to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the triumph of Marxism, which created a trend of communism among many radical Americans. During the Red Scare, foreigners and communists, and any other dissidents were viewed with fear and hostility. Many were deported without due process, and their civil liberties were often violated. Many believed that the deportation of these foreign-born people would cause a decline in radical ideas and communism, and bring America back to its earlier age. The second component in this counterattack is prohibition. The Volstead Act was enacted to carry out the 18th amendment, which prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in America. Conservatives believed that drunkenness was an evil caused by city life, and prohibition attempted to solve this problem, but with no avail. Illegal bars were prevalent in cities, and although some poor individuals could no longer afford the price of liquor, prohibition was mostly ineffective. Urban resistance to this conservative amendment eventually led to its repeal in