Do Now Read from your text: Page 752 (paragraph under “Return to Peace…) Page 753 (last paragraph, left side and first paragraph, right side) Does any of this sound familiar?
Republicans Democrats
The Politics of the 1920’s
A Time of Labor Unrest Strikes were outlawed during WWI, however, in 1919 there were more than 3,000 strikes involving 4 million workers.
American Postwar Issues The American public was exhausted from World War I. Public debate over the League of Nations had divided America. An economic downturn meant many faced unemployment. A wave of nativism swept the nation.
Isolationism Many Americans adopted a belief in isolationism. This meant pulling away from involvement in world affairs.
Communism in the Soviet Union In 1917, a revolution in Russia transformed the nation into a Communist state, the Soviet Union. Vladimir Lenin led the Bolsheviks and overthrew the Czarist regime. He was inspired by Marxism, a radical form of socialism that advocates violence. A Communist party was formed in America too. Lenin
Communism – (Marxism) “hard core” Socialism where the economy is controlled by the government. There is little or no private property. The rulers are generally dictators and hold “all” the power. Socialism – Government controls means of production and resource distribution to ensure all people’s needs are met. Libertarianism – Government should be as limited as possible (extreme form of liberalism).
Rock, Papers, Scissors How did you feel at the start of the game? How did you feel when you ran out of cards and had to sit down? What tactics could you have used to get back into the game? Was the game fair? What could I have done to make it fair and should I do it?
Capitalism Private ownership of industry Freedom of competition Results in unequal economic classes Class struggles Socialism Government ownership of industry Goal is to bring economic equality Aims for a classless society Communism Goal of classless society achieved and no government needed CLICK FOR MORE INFO MORE
Sacco & Vanzetti Fear of Communism took the form of a Red Scare (anti-communist hysteria) and fed nativism in America. Italian anarchists Sacco & Vanzetti, a shoemaker and a fish peddler, were convicted of robbery and murder, despite flimsy evidence. Their execution was symbolic of discrimination against radical beliefs during the Red Scare.
Immigration Compare articles
The Harding Presidency NORMALCY Warren G. Harding’s modest successes include the Kellogg-Briand Pact which renounced war as a means of national policy (signed by fifteen nations, but difficult to enforce). Harding
Scandal Hits Harding The president’s main problem was that he didn’t understand the issues and put friends in high positions. “I have no trouble with my enemies, but my friends keep me walking the floors at night.”
Teapot Dome Scandal The worst case of corruption was the Teapot Dome Scandal. The government set aside oil-rich public land in Teapot, Wyoming. Secretary of Interior Albert Fall secretly leased the land to two oil companies. Fall received $400,000 from the oil companies and a felony conviction from the courts.
The Juggernaut
The Business of America The new president, Calvin Coolidge, fit the pro- business spirit of the 1920s very well. His famous quote: “The chief business of the American people is business...the man who builds a factory builds a temple – the man who works there worships there” President Calvin Coolidge Harding dies of a heart attack believed to be caused by stress.
American Business Flourishes Both Coolidge and his Republican successor Herbert Hoover, favored governmental policies that kept taxes down and business profits up. Tariffs were high, which helped American manufacturers. Government interference in business was minimal. Wages were increasing.
In 20 words or less… How would you describe the economy and politics of the 1920’s? Did you notice any similarities to the present?
Show me what you remember… Isolationism Bolsheviks Sacco & Vanzetti Harding Kellogg-Briand Pact Dawes Plan Teapot Dome Scandal Coolidge Hoover