US History - Interwar period
POSTWAR SOCIAL CHANGE
A. Society in Flux: The Roaring Twenties
1. Setting the Scene: A Decade of Transformation
● Impact of World War I: Disillusionment with traditional values
● Emergence of urban-centered culture challenging rural traditions
2. The "New Woman" and Changing Roles
● The Flapper: Symbol of female liberation (bobbed hair, shorter skirts, new behaviors)
● Nineteenth Amendment: Granted women voting rights
● Women in workforce: Increased participation, though in traditional "female" occupations
3. Population Shifts and Urbanization
● First time more Americans lived in urban than rural areas
● The Great Migration: African Americans moving from rural South to northern cities
● Growth of suburbs facilitated by improved transportation
4. American Heroes and Popular Culture
● Aviation Pioneers: Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart
● Sports Heroes: Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, reflecting growing leisure time
B. Mass Media and the Jazz Age
1. The Rise of Mass Media and National Culture
● Movies: Transition from silent films to "talkies"
● Radio: Emergence as powerful medium with national networks (NBC, CBS)
2. The Jazz Age: Music and Cultural Expression
● Jazz: Originated in African American communities, spread nationally
● Literary figures critiquing American society and materialism
3. The Lost Generation
● American writers disillusioned by WWI and American materialism
● Key Figures: Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby)
4. The Harlem Renaissance
● Flourishing of African American artistic and intellectual life in Harlem
● Key Figures: Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Alain Locke
C. Cultural Conflicts
1. Prohibition and Its Consequences
US History - Interwar period
● Eighteenth Amendment outlawed alcohol
● Unintended consequences: Speakeasies, bootlegging, organized crime (Al Capone)
2. Religion and Science: The Fundamentalist Movement
● Scopes Trial (1925): Confrontation between religious tradition and scientific thought
3. Racial Tensions and Nativism
● Revival of the Ku Klux Klan targeting African Americans, Catholics, Jews, immigrants
● NAACP campaigns against lynching and for civil rights
● Marcus Garvey's movement advocating black pride and economic self-sufficiency
POLITICS AND PROSPERITY
A. A Republican Decade: Politics and Policies
1. The Red Scare and Nativism
● Fear of communism and radicalism following Russian Revolution
● Immigration Restriction: Quota Acts (1921, 1924) limiting immigration
2. Republican Presidential Leadership: "Return to Normalcy"
● Warren G. Harding (1921-1923): Pro-business policies, isolationism
● Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929): "The business of America is business"
● Herbert Hoover elected 1928, promising continued economic success
B. The Business Boom: Economic Expansion
1. The Consumer Economy
● Rise in disposable income and consumer spending
● Installment plans fueled demand but increased personal debt
2. Industrial Growth and Innovation
● Henry Ford: Model T and assembly line revolutionized manufacturing
● Business consolidation trend towards larger corporations
3. Underlying Economic Weaknesses
● Agriculture: Farmers faced overproduction and falling prices
● Uneven distribution of wealth; many remained in poverty
C. The Economy in the Late 1920s: Seeds of Trouble
1. Economic Danger Signs
● Overproduction and underconsumption
US History - Interwar period
● Stock market speculation and buying on margin
● Weak banking system and international economic instability
CRASH AND DEPRESSION
A. The Stock Market Crash of 1929
1. The Great Crash
● Black Thursday (October 24) and Black Tuesday (October 29)
● Beginning of the Great Depression
2. Underlying Causes of the Great Depression
● Uneven wealth distribution
● Overproduction in industry and agriculture
● Weak banking system and excessive speculation
B. Social Effects of the Depression
1. Widespread Poverty and Hardship
● Mass unemployment (peaking around 25%)
● "Hoovervilles," breadlines and soup kitchens
2. The Dust Bowl (Mid-1930s)
● Ecological disaster on Great Plains causing mass migration
3. Impact on Families and Society
● Strained relationships, delayed marriages, declining birth rates
● Increased discrimination against minorities
C. Hoover's Response and the Election of 1932
1. President Herbert Hoover's Philosophy and Actions
● "Rugged individualism" and limited government intervention
● Reconstruction Finance Corporation (1932): Loans to businesses
● Opposition to direct federal relief for individuals
2. The Election of 1932
● Franklin Delano Roosevelt won landslide victory
● Promised a "New Deal" for the American people
THE NEW DEAL
US History - Interwar period
A. Forging a New Deal: The First Hundred Days and Beyond
1. FDR's Approach and Philosophy
● "Bold, persistent experimentation" and Fireside Chats
● Focus on "Three Rs": Relief, Recovery, Reform
2. The First Hundred Days (March-June 1933)
● Banking Reform: Bank Holiday, FDIC
● Relief: FERA, CCC, PWA, CWA
● Agricultural Recovery: AAA
● Industrial Recovery: NRA
● Regional Development: TVA
3. The Second New Deal (Beginning 1935)
● Works Progress Administration (WPA)
● Social Security Act (1935): Pensions, unemployment insurance
● Wagner Act: Protected workers' right to unionize
B. Critics and Challenges to the New Deal
1. Conservative Critics
● American Liberty League: Argued New Deal was socialist
2. Liberal/Radical Critics
● Huey Long's "Share Our Wealth" program
● Father Coughlin and Dr. Townsend
3. Supreme Court Challenges
● Court declared several key programs unconstitutional
● FDR's failed "Court-Packing" Plan (1937)
C. Last Days of the New Deal and Its Legacy
1. Labor Union Growth
● Wagner Act spurred significant growth in union membership
● Rise of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)
2. Lasting Effects of the New Deal
● Expanded role of federal government in economy and welfare
● Creation of "Safety Net" programs like Social Security
● Political realignment forming the "New Deal Coalition"
US History - Interwar period
● Full economic recovery achieved through World War II mobilization
