1. A Republican Decade Angela Brown Chapter 11

2. The Red Scare “Normalcy” appealed to American in 1920
Events convinced people U.S. threatened by political violence.

3. Russian Revolution Czar Nicholas II forced to abdicate March 1917
Vladimir Lenin and Bolsheviks took control
Bolshevik government put all privately owned farms, industries, land, and transportation under government ownership.

5. 1918 Civil War Lenin forces “Reds”, opponents “White”
Britain, France Japan, U.S. whose investments had been seized – backed Whites (farmers/landowners)
Reds triumphed in 1920 = Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)/Soviet Union

6. Soviet Union Map

7. Communism as practiced in Soviet Union
government owned all land-property
single political party controlled government
Individuals had no rights
government vowed to spread communism

8. Redscare – intense fear of communism and other extreme ideas
Known communists jailed or driven out of country.

9. Schenck Vs U.S.
Government justified in silencing free speech when “clear and present danger” stated Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Charles Schenck – letters to draftees urged them not to report to duty
Convicted of violating espionage act

10. The Palmer Raids
1919 Attorney General Mitchell Palmer of Justice Department set up special force to overthrow “subversives” – targets included communists, socialists, anarchists
Thousands jailed, 500 immigrants deported most innocent – none convicted of any crime

11. At first supported – went to far
1920 NY State assembly expelled (5) socialists (had done nothing wrong – legally elected)

12. Sacco and Vanzetti
1920 gunman robbed /killed guard and paymaster of shoestore
Nicola Sacco, shoemaker; Bartolomeo Vanzetti, fish peddler – both carrying guns when arrested
Drew international attention/controversy

13. Americans suspected/accused because they were immigrants (Italian)
Many appeals upheld conviction – electrocuted 1927
Labor Strikes
Americans believed communists behind strikes
Simpler cause, cost of living double prewar levels

14. http://www. kirkwood. k12. mo

15. Boston Police Strikes Strike – no pay increases since before WWI
Rioting began – Calvin Coolidge (Governor) called out state guard

16. Steel and Coal Strikes
1919 U.S. Steel Corp. used force to break strike (private police force) – killed 18 – beat hundreds
United mine Workers of America – no strike agreement during war
Governor Court ordered strikers back to work
UMW cancelled strike – got raise
1920’s economy boomed – strikes/unions decreased

17. Republican Leadership
Republican Party dominated all (3) branches of government (President Harding, Coolidge, Hoover )
William H. Taft – Chief Justice of Supreme Court
Favored business, social stability = economic growth

18. The Harding Presidency
Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce
Many appointments to friends – incompetent and dishonest – overwhelm his presidency and life

19. Isolationism
Foreign policy reflected Americans’ postwar desire for isolationism
Isolationism – a policy of avoiding political or economic alliances with foreign countries
No attempt to join League of Nations

20. Support disarmament – program for nations to voluntarily give up weapons
1921 Washington Conference nations signed treaties limiting size of navies
1922 Fordney – McCumber Tariff – raised rates on a number of imports – discouraged imports that competed with goods made by U.S.

21. Limiting Immigration Nativist movement became stronger
immigrants could never be fully loyal
mostly protestants – disliked Catholics, Orthodox Christians, or Jews
Blamed immigrants for city problems (slums, corruption)

22. feared would take away U.S. jobs
came from unstable parts of Europe – might hold or adopt dangerous political ideas
1921, 1924 Congress passed laws restricting immigration at Harding’s request
350,000 total immigrants

23. quotas, numerical limits form each foreign nation
low quotas for southern/eastern European countries – Asian immigration banned altogether

24. Teapot Dome Scandal Harding died of heart problems Aug 2, 1923
Possibly due to upset from corruption scandals of his administration- stolen government funds, bribes taken, two committed suicide.

25. Sec. of Interior, Albert Fall, secretly gave oil drilling rights on government oil fields (Elk Hills, California and Teapot Dome, Wyoming)
Fall received $300,000 disguised as loans – jailed

26. The Coolidge Presidency
Vice- President Calvin Coolidge’s father, a justice of the peace administered him oath of office of President of the United States by kerosene lamp
Coolidge respected as governor of Mass. – not part of Harding scandals

27. 1924 election won in own right “Keep Cool with Coolidge” slogan
skilled public speaker, privately man of few words (could be silent in (5) languages

28. Laissez Faire “The business of the American People is Business”
Republican decade – theme – do not interfere with big business – tried to make federal government smaller
Coolidge’s efforts to have government do less drew criticism from those who saw it as failure to take action

29. Continued Isolationism
Sec. of State, Frank Kellogg – French Foreign minister, Aristide Briand
Kellogg-Briand Pact – 15 nations agreed not to use the threat of war in their dealings with one another – more than 60 nations joined (unrealistic, unworkable – no way to enforce)
1941 many nations that signed at war

30. Election of 1928 Coolidge chose not to run again.
Herbert Hoover Republican Nominee
Won by large margin against Alfred E. Smith first Roman Catholic to run – Governor of NY.
U.S. hoped Coolidge prosperity would continue.