1. World War I and Its Aftermath
The War’s Impact
Chapter 16 Section 4
World War I and Its Aftermath

2. An Economy in Turmoil
Soldiers are returning home to parades and parties
But there is a problem. . .
Two million veterans need to find jobs but the American economy is going into a recession
Once the war was over the government agencies were removed
Cost of living rapidly increased

3. An Economy in Turmoil Inflation Leads to Strikes
During the war Labor Union numbers increased but companies wanted to get rid of the unions
The Seattle General Strike
35,000 shipyard workers walked off the job demanding more pay
Other unions joined the shipyard workers and organized a general strike
General Strike – strike that involves the entire community
60,000 people went on strike and paralyzed the city for 5 days
Eventually went back to work making no gains

4. An Economy in Turmoil Inflation Leads to Strikes
The Boston Police Strike
75% of the police force walked off the job
Governor, Calvin Coolidge called in the National Guard
When the strikers returned to work the police commissioner fired the strikes and hired a new police force
Coolidge agreed with the decision and earned him widespread support and a candidate for Vice President in 1920

5. An Economy in Turmoil Inflation Leads to Strikes The Steel Strike
350,000 steelworkers went on strike for higher pay, shorter hours, and union recognition
Elbert Gary, head of US Steel, refused to talk to union leaders – he chose to use anti-immigrant feelings to divide the union
The company blamed the strike on foreign radicals (immigrants) and urged loyal Americans to return to work
Hired African Americans and Mexicans as replacement workers
The strike collapsed in early 1920 with no advancements

6. An Economy in Turmoil Racial Unrest
Many African Americans had moved North during the war to take factory jobs
Many returning soldiers blamed African Americans for the lack of jobs
Summer of 1919 – 25 race riots broke out across America
Chicago – July – African Americans went to a whites-only beach
Both sides began throwing stones at one another
The white threw stones at an African American teenager swimming and caused him to drown

7. An Economy Turmoil Racial Unrest Chicago Riot
Angry African Americans attacked white neighborhoods while whites attacked African American Neighborhoods
Riot lasted 2 weeks and the governor was forced to send in the National Guard
38 people were killed – 15 white and 23 black
500 were injured

8. The Red Scare
People believed that the strikes in 1919 were the result of communist
Americans saw Lenin’s overthrow of the Russian government and the treaty signing with Germany as an act of betrayal
Nationwide spread of panic of Communism became known as the Red Scare

9. The Red Scare
April – the postal service intercepted more than 30 homemade bombs
May – union members, socialists, and communists organized a parade in Cleveland to protest the jailing of Socialist Party leader Eugene Debs
Parade turned into a series of riots
June – 8 bombs in eight cities exploded suggesting a nationwide conspiracy
One of the bombs damaged the home of US Attorney General Mitchell Palmer

10. The Red Scare The Palmer Raids Palmer decided something had to be done
General Intelligence Division – led by J. Edgar Hoover (later becomes the FBI)
Palmer’s Raids targeted the foreign born
Ordered a series of raids on offices of the Union of Russian Workers in 12 cities – 249 immigrants were deported
January – Palmer issued another raid where 6,000 people were arrested
32 states passed sedition laws making it illegal to join groups promoting revolution

11. The Red Scare The Palmer Raids
Palmer’s agents ignored the civil liberties of the suspects
Officers entered houses without search warrants
People were jailed for a long period of time without being able to speak with their attorneys
Palmer was seen as a national hero but he was never able to give any hard evidence of the conspiracies
Americans began to link radicalism with immigrants and congress began restricting immigration

12. The Election of 1920
Ohio governor, James Cox and Franklin Roosevelt ran on progressive ideals
Republican Candidate Warren G. Harding called for a “return to normalcy”
Harding won the election by a landslide
The American public wanted to put the country’s racial and labor unrest and economic troubles behind and return to normal