Political Spectrum Notes US History I Unit 4: Boom! The 1920’s

When we think about S, E, and P, what are the forces that can change or shape history? Agents of Change! What are agents of change? Geography Cultural diffusion Technology Ideology Agents of change shape the social, economic, and political landscape. What are each of these? Which shape S, E, or P?

The Political Spectrum Radical Liberal Moderate Conservative Reactionary References of people being "to the left" or "to the right" can be traced back to the French Revolution, where those deemed "conservative" sat on the right of the legislative assembly and those labeled "liberal" sat on the left. What does each one mean?

Moderate Lies on the center on the spectrum. Someone that is “on the fence,” meaning that they have beliefs that are slightly conservative, and some beliefs that are more liberal.

Conservative Lies just right of the center on the spectrum. Generally, this refers to a person that resists change or chooses to maintain the “status quo” (a Latin term meaning the present or existing state of affairs).

Reactionary The far right end of the spectrum, even further right than conservatives. They also resist change, but would not mind changing things to go back to a more conservative time. Think about what the word “reaction” means/implies.

Liberal Lies just left of the center on the spectrum. Someone who wants change, but thinks the best way to achieve change is by going through the proper process. What does the “proper process” mean?

Radical The far left end of the spectrum. A radical’s beliefs are very different from the moderate’s position. Wants change, but may not want to wait for it. What would an example of this be?

What does this have to do with the 1920’s? In the 20’s there was a wide variety of things that shaped the decade—politically, economically, and socially. Some of these changes were very liberal, almost radical and others were more conservative, even reactionary. As we study the 1920’s, we will constantly ask ourselves, “Where does this ‘belong’ on the political spectrum?”

As we study this unit, let’s use this statement as our framework for understanding the 1920’s: “American life in the 1920’s is a paradox. On one hand, the decade can be viewed as extremely reactionary. On the other hand, Americans experienced fundamental change.” What is a paradox? An apparently true statement that appears to lead to a contradiction or to circumstances that defy intuition. We will find out that the social, economic, and political aspects of the 1920’s will all belong in different places on the spectrum.