GPS 15 and 16 (#’s 140 – 159)

World War I and Roaring 20’s

• Imperialism: Competition for colonial lands in Africa and elsewhere led to conflict among the major European powers.

• Militarism: By the early 1900s, powerful nations in Europe had adopted policies of militarism, or aggressively building up armed forces and giving the military more authority over government and foreign policy.

• Nationalism: One type of nationalism inspired the great powers of Europe to act in their own interests. Another emerged as ethnic minorities within larger nations sought self-government.

• Alliances: In a complicated system of alliances, different groups of European nations had pledged to come to one another’s aid in the event of attack.

• US bankers loaned large amounts of money to Great Britain and had a vested interest in them winning the war.

• In addition, the British had cut the main lines of communication from Germany to the US and all information was pro-Britain. As time passed, US came see Germany as a ruthless aggressor, out to destroy democracy and freedom.

• Germany’s sinking of the commercial cruise liner, Lusitania –1915

• 1917, Germany resumed attacks on US merchant and commercial ships.

• The Zimmerman Telegram – US intercepted a telegram from Germany to Mexico, urging Mexico to attack the US; in return, Germany promised to help Mexico win back the territories they lost in the Mexican-American War.

• With more sinking of US ships and b/c of Wilson’s urging, Congress passed a war resolution in April of 1917 – the US officially entered WWI.

• Germany’s policy of attacking all ships was known as

unrestricted submarine warfare.

• One of Germany’s fiercest weapons in WWI was their

dreaded U-boats – submarines that traveled underwater,

undetected, and fired on any and all ships without

warning.

• Woodrow Wilson helped establish federal agencies to oversee the nation’s wartime economy and to encourage public support for the war.

• Through movies, pamphlets, newspapers, and magazines, the government painted a picture of the Germans as evil monsters that it was the nation’s duty to fight and defeat.

• Herbert Hoover (future president) became the head of the Food Administration and its task was to encourage the US population to conserve food that could be used in the war effort.

• The government launched efforts to conserve fuel and this led to the idea of “daylight savings time” – by turning clocks ahead one hour during certain months, people would have more daylight and burn less fuel.

• Congress passed the Espionage and Sedition Acts.

• Because of the demand for products during WWI,

combined with the fact that many young men left their

jobs to fight in the war mean that there were more jobs in

northern cities where most the nation’s factories existed.

• As a result, many African American began leaving the

rural South (to northern cities) in growing numbers to

pursue better economic opportunities and in hopes of

escaping southern racism .

• In the name of protecting national security, Congress

passed the Espionage and Sedition Acts.

• These acts made it illegal to interfere with the draft,

obstruct the sale of Liberty Bonds, or make statements

considered disloyal to, or critical of, the government, the

Constitution, or the U.S. military.

• Socialist leader, Eugene Debs was actually sentenced to

ten years in prison under the Espionage and Sedition

Acts for criticizing the US government.

• Debs had once led the Pullman strike and ran for

president several times as the candidate for the US

Socialist Party.

• Wilson’s goal at the Paris Peace Conference was to help

establish peace and stability and he put forth a peace

proposal known as the Fourteen Points.

• The plan called for a reduction of weapons, the right of

self-determination (power to govern oneself) for ethnic

groups like those in Austria-Hungary, and he also

proposed the formation of the League of Nations – its

purpose would be to provide a place where countries

could peacefully discuss solutions to their differences,

rather than go to war.

• Opponents to the Treaty of Versailles which ended the

war and sanctioned the League of Nations, feared that

commitment to an international organization would lead

to binding alliances that might drag the nation into

another costly war.

• Wilson wanted peace and stability, many of his European

allies wanted retribution – the Treaty of Versailles made

Germany take total responsibility for the war and required

the Germans to pay reparations to the Allies.

• Congress now had the power to collect taxes on the

incomes of businesses and individuals. This amendment

increased the federal government’s revenue and

eliminated the need to tax according to the proportions of

state populations.

• Progressives viewed this reform as important for curbing

corrupt business practices that kept tons of profits in the

hands of big business owners, while paying very little to

laborers.

• Progressives also wanted to see more money from

business go to the government, so that it could afford to

expand and regulate more of society.

• This law established that US senators would be elected

directly by the people of a state, rather than by state

legislatures.

• The government prohibited the making, selling, or

transporting of alcoholic beverages.

• This era was known as “Prohibition” and it gave rise to

organized crime.

• This amendment was later repealed by the 21st

Amendment.

• Gave women the right to vote.

• A system in which people in society cooperate and own

property mutually, thereby making governments

unnecessary. It is preceded by a socialist form of

government.

• The Bolsheviks modeled their ideas about government

after the teachings of Karl Marx who believed that

oppressed workers would eventually rise up and throw

down capitalism.

• According to Marx, socialist governments were meant to

provide order while societies made this transition from

capitalism to Communism.

• 1917, Russia pulled out of WWI due to the Russian

Revolution at home where a party know as the

Bolsheviks took over and installed a socialist

government.

• A socialist government is one in which the state owns

most of property, regulates the economy, and runs most

of the major industry.

• Individual freedoms are not nearly as important as the

welfare of the state.

• An economic system based on free markets and privately

owned industry.

• Bolshevik leaders believed that, in order for their vision to become reality, workers in other countries needed to rise up and establish socialist governments as well.

• This greatly alarmed people in the US – business leaders, gov’t officials, and a growing number of private citizens feared that such a revolution might occur the US.

• This led to a period known as the “Red Scare”, in which many people became fearful of anyone who might be a Communist or threat to US freedom and were very suspicious of immigrants and congress passed restrictions on immigration.

• Congress passed a temporary limit to the number of immigrants who could come to the US in 1924 and a permanent ban 1929.

• Henry For was the first to perfect and successfully market the

automobile – 1907, he sold 30,000 of his first mass produced

car – the Model T.

• What truly set Ford apart was his visions for mass production.

• He decided to produce enough automobiles that he could

afford to sell them at greatly reduced prices, thus allowing

“ordinary people” to be able to afford his cars.

• He relied heavily on the assembly line – which existed before

– but his was innovative because it had the employees stay in

one spot while the assembly line brought the parts to them.

• He also paid his workers $5 a day so they could afford the car

too!

• The car made Americans more mobile, live farther away from

where they worked, and attended activities and events.

• Radios became the first source of mass communication

and entertainment available to people in their own

homes.

• Radio united the nation and molded a national culture like

never before as people across the country enjoyed the

same shows and heard the same news reports.

• It also transformed politics by giving leaders direct

access to larger numbers of people.

• Louis Armstrong – a trumpeter and singer from New Orleans was among the most noted jazz musicians.

• Jazz became a popular form of music after WWI, as musical artists from Louisiana and Mississippi brought their talents to the northern cities with a fast paced rhythm.

• Langston Hughes wrote memorable poetry, short stories, and plays about the black experience that reminded black Americans of their African heritage.

• Irving Berlin was one of the most famous musicians associated with Tin Pan Alley; he composed over 3000 songs – among his famous hits are the traditional Christmas favorite “White Christmas”, “God Bless America”, and “There’s No Business Like Show Business”.

• Tin Pan Alley grew to be an important center of the music industry and the name referred to the various music houses in New York City where songwriters and musicians composed and published songs.