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The USA 1919-1941

Unit 1: The Growth of ISOLATION

1.1How did the USA react to the end of World War One?Woodrow Wilson wanted America to be a part of the League of Nations. However, the

American people voted against and refused to join. They wanted ISOLATION or asreturn to normalacy as the new president, Harding said.

People thought Europe was too far away and didnt really concern them. Nobody wanted more American soldiers being killed trying to keep peace. People were worried that America would have to pay lots of money helping

foreign countries. America First.

1.2How did the policies of the America Government encourage isolation? TARIFFS: Foreign goods coming into America had high taxes (called Tariffs)

making them more expensive than American goods. This protected Americagoods.

IMMIGRATION: America had allowed many thousands of foreigners live in theUSA before WW1. With Isolation this changed. People thought that foreignerswould take American jobs because they would work for cheap labour.

o Literacy Tests: Only educated English speakers could enter USA.o Quotas: Restricted the numbers allowed in to 357,000 but more people

allowed in from UK and Ireland than countries such as Russia and Italy

that USA didnt like. Numbers reduced again in 1924.

UNIT 2: The Promised Land? The USA in the 1920s.

2.1 How far did the USA achieve economic prosperity in the 1920s?The 1920s were known as the boom years, why? USA economy was strong following WW1, good trade with other countries. Tariffs protected American goods (see above) Mass Production: Henry Fords idea to make more and quicker. Consumer Boom: (see cycle of prosperity)

Advertising: Made people want to buy, often on radio and in magazines. Consumer Goods: New products such as fridges, radios, cars Hire Purchase or Credit: Pay back over time, made things affordable. Share Prices: Speculation on the stock exchange, buy on the margin.

POVERTY: Although known as the boom years, more than 40% lived in povertyin the 1920s, especially farmers and blacks.

2.2 Was the USA a free society in the 1920s?

Ku Klux Klan: People, manly in Southern States, who wished to save trueAmericans from Catholics, Immigrants and blacks. 5 million members in the1920s. White robes and strange religious ceremonies. Victims could be lynched

which means arrested, attacked and often hung without a trial.

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Prohibition: Illegal to buy or sell alcoholic drinks. Christian groups thought thatalcohol was bad for families and society. But prohibition FAILED:

People still wanted to drink so used speakeasies, moonshine orbootlegging.

There were not enough agents stopping people from buying and selling. GANGSTERS such as Al Capone were in charge of the police through

bribes.

1920s Lifestyle: Jazz Age, Flapper Girls, Hollywood

UNIT 3: America in the Depression 1929-1933

3.1: Why did the USA fall into depression in 1929?

OVER-PRODUCTION: People had bought what they needed so Americanindustry slowed down.

UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH: Many people in America werepoor already and would easily slip into depression. (see above)

TARIFFS: Foreign countries put Tariffs back on American goods stoppingAmerican exports from selling well

WALL STREET CRASH: October 1929, panic set in, millions of shares soldand prices collapse. Suicides but leads to much bigger problems = Depression.

3.1: What were the effects of the depression on American people?

Businesses collapse which leads to UNEMPLOYMENT (12 million) People have no money to spend so more businesses go under. HOMELESSNESS: People cant afford mortgage repayments, many end up

living in HOOVERVILLES (Shanty Towns which mocked the President)

President Hoover did not believe the Government should interfere in theeconomy. What he did do was TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE. He is a much-

criticised President: Bonus Army.

UNIT 4: Recovery from Depression, 1933-1941

4.1: What measures did Roosevelt introduce to bring Relief, Recovery and

Reform to the USA?

Roosevelt won the 1932 election easily. Nobody wanted Hoover again and FDRoffered a NEW DEAL

FIRESIDE CHATS: Roosevelt talked about his plans with the people ofAmerica. He was seen as a friend.

BANKING CRISIS: All banks closed, inspected and then re-opened iffinancially secure. People confident and start investing money again.

ALPHABET AGENCIES: Plans to restart economy (see cycle of recovery)o TVA: Tennessee Valley had new dams built to give jobs and improve the

land.

o NRA: workers were given Trade Union Rights.o WPA: Jobs created doing public work such as building roads or painting.

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o CCC: Young men sent to work for a dollar a day planting trees etc.o AAA: Prices of farm produce were raised by destroying some crops.

4.2: How far was the NEW Deal successful in ending the Depression in the USA?

The New Deal did give many jobs, more confidence, better rights etc. HOWEVER, 6 million were still unemployed. Some people were against the amount of money spent of the NEW DEAL,

wasted money. Some people did not like the idea of the President interfering in

the economy especially businessmen. Some people didnt think that he was

doing enough and wanted more money spent. Some Alphabet Agencies were

declared illegal by the Supreme Court. When America joined World War Two in 1941many jobs were created and the

depression was truly lifted.

Past Questions: (prepare your answers)

How could Americans afford to buy consumer goods in the 1920s? Describe the effects of the Depression on American people. Explain how the USA developed a policy of isolation in the period

after the First World War.

Explain why the USA fell into Depression in 1929? How did the Ku Klux Klan stir up racist hatred in the 1920s? Why did Over-Production lead to the Depression? How was Roosevelts approach in tackling the problems of the

Depression different from that of Hoover? Explain how the USA achieved economic prosperity in the 1920s. What measures did Roosevelt take in the NEW DEAL to solve the

problems of banking and agriculture?

Why did the USA not become a member of the League of Nations? Why did some people not share the economic prosperity of the 1920s? How did the Wall Street Crash affect business and industry in the

USA?

Why did Roosevelt defeat Hoover so easily in the election forPresident in 1932?

Explain how prohibition and organised crime affected the Americanpeople in the 1920s.

Explain why the American Government took steps to reduce thenumber of immigrants to the USA in the 1920s.

Why did the USA fall into depression in 1929?