Chapter 9: From War to Peace
 The Big Picture: The end of the war
brought peace to Americans, but not
peace of mind. Dangers seen and
unseen troubled the nation-until a new
president in the white house and a
booming economy seemed to smooth
the transition from war to peace.
Section 1: Postwar Havoc
 Learning Objectives for this section:
 Examine the events and ideas that led to
attacks on civil liberties and responses to
those attacks
Bellringer
How did peace in Europe bring death to the United
States? Following World War I a deadly wave of
influenza spread around the world in 1918 and
1919. The epidemic eventually infected 1 of
every 4 Americans. It took an especially heavy
toll on people who were otherwise in the prime of
life. To slow the spread of the disease, public
gathering places were closed for months. As the
winter of 1919 passed, the number of new cases
dropped. The epidemic killed 675,000
Americans, 10 times as many as had died
fighting the war. Yet the fear and unease
seemed to remain for sometime afterward.
Review Questions
 How do you think the influenza virus
spread around the world following
World War I?
 Why would a flu epidemic cause
lasting fear and unease?
 Main Idea: Although the end of WW
I brought peace, it didn’t ease the
minds of many Americans who found
much to fear in postwar years.
How did Europe bring death to the
United States?
 Flu found breeding ground in the
close quarters of the trenches and
military camps.
 When soldiers came home, parades
and celebrations were held to honor
returning soldiers.
 Soon many Americans were dying
 Targeted adults in their 20’s and 30’s
The First Red Scare
 U.S. faced not only a medical scare
but also economic and political
problems
 Demand for products suddenly fell
 As a result, people, especially
returning soldiers had difficulty
finding jobs
 Movement of 100% Americanism
grew
The Rise of The Bolsheviks
 Revolution in Russia overthrew
democracy and set up comunist
government
 Was led by Vladimir Lenin and his Red
Army of the Bosheviks
 Communism: a system of
government in which there is no
social class and no private property
American Reaction
 Americans were afraid and didn’t
understand Communism
 Communism is the polar opposite of
capitalism and its opportunities
 Lenin predicted that communism would
inspire workers to revolt and crush
capitalism
 Americans viewed this as a threat
 Communist parties were formed after World
War I in the United States
 Red Scare: widespread fear of
communism
 Much of the red scare was caused by
Yellow journalism
 5 legislators from New York who were
elected as members of the socialist
party were banned from office
 New York also tried to pass a law that
made it illegal to call for an overthrow
of the government.
The Palmer Raids
 A. Mitchell Palmer became a leader in
the anti-communist movement
 Palmer Raids: attacks on suspected
radicals in the United States
 Aliens: citizens from other countries
 Could be deported: removing an alien
from one country and sending him
another country
 By 1919 Palmers forces had arrested
thousands of suspected radicals and
deported 250 Americans
 Eventually the Red Scare died down
as it became clear the threat from
communists would not come true.
Focus Question #1
 What were the causes and effects of
the first Red Scare
 Causes: fear of communism, formation
of communist parties in the U.S. ,
exagerated newspaper reports
 Effects: becomes a crime to talk about
overthrowing the government, socialists
barred from office, Palmer raids, aliens
deported
Labor Strife Grow
 4 million workers took part in 3,000 strikes
 During the war, laborers won many rights &
President Wilson worked hard to protect workers
 After the war, President Wilson shifted his focus to
promoting his peace plan, workers wanted more
rights, jobs were scarce because demand was
down
 Employers were suspicious of workers because of
the red scare and call for workers to revolt
 Unions lost members and power
Major Strikes of the Era
 Seattle General Strike of 1919
 Started in shipyards, but spread to other
industries
 Resulted in shutdown of the entire city
 This strike actually hurt workers b/c they didn’t
gain anything, but drove companies away
 Boston police (1919)
 Protested low wages and poor work conditions
 Governor Calvin Coolidge called in militia to end
it
 United Mine Workers Strike
 Pleadge no strikes during the war, but
afterward went on strike for better
wages
Reading Focus Question #2
 How did labor strife grow during th
postwar years?
 Thousands of labor strikes in 1919,
Boston police strike, governor called in
militia, other strikes in steel and industry
Limiting Immgration
 Competition between older immigrants and
newer immigrants grew
 Targeted Catholics and Jews
 Government passed laws limiting
immigration in 1921
 National Origins Act of 1924 set quotas for
each country
 Goals was to reduce immigrants from certain
countries (mostly Eastern and Southern
European countries)
 Ku Klux Klan originally targeted
African Americans, but broadened its
target to include Jews and Catholics
Sacco and Vanzetti
 In 1920 Sacco and Vanzetti 2 Italian
immigrants were arrested for armed
robbery
 They were Anarchists: radicals who
seek to destroy the government
 Despite weak evidence, they were
found guilty and executed
Reading Focus Question #3
 How did the United States limit
immigration after WW I?
 In 1921 laws established immigration
quotas
 In 1924 The National Origins Act set
even stricter quotas
 Almost eliminated immigration from
Asian countries
Review Questions Section 1
 What problems faced the U.S. after WW I?
 Why do you think capitalism is considered
fundamental to American life?
 How did the U.S. government react to the Red
Scare?
 What caused the Red Scare to die down?
 What were some of the gains laborers made
during WW I?
 How did immigrants before and after 1900 differ?
Section 2: A New Economy
 Learning Objectives for this section
 Discuss mass production, urban growth,
new technologies and their effect on the
United States
Bell ringer
How did the Department store create an American
tradition? In 1824 the American economy was on
the rise, spurred by the sale of consumer goods.
In the middle of that buying spree was Macy
Department store of New York City. That year, a
number of Macy’s employees came up with the
idea of holding a parade to celebrate the
Christmas holiday. The parade featured several
hundred employees, bands, clowns, and live
animals. A quarter million potential shoppers
watched as dozens of horses pranced by, each
draped with Macy’s logo. The parade soon
became an annual tradition.
Review Questions
 How might the Macy’s parade bring
consumers into the store to shop?
 In your opinion, is the Macy’s parade
a holiday tradition or an advertising
gimmick?
 Main Idea: New products, new
industries, and new ways of doing
business expanded the economy in
the 1920’s, although not everyone
shared in the prosperity
Ford Revolutionizes Industry
 In the early 1900’s Henry Ford makes a
commitment to produce a vehicle for the
“multitudes”
 Ford studies the moving belts of
meatpacking factories and interchangeable
parts
 Ford hired scientists to produce the first
large scale assembly line:a production
system in which the item being built along
a conveyor belt to various workstations
 New cars sold for $500, half the cost of the
original Model T’s
 By the 1920’s Ford was producing a car
every minute
 In response to his success, Ford raised
workers salaries to $5 per day
(encouraging them to buy cars)
 Ford was against unions, and was ruthless
to anyone who tried to organize a union
 During 1920’s half of all cars were Fords
 Chrysler and GM also began building cars
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz7mOl
r0s6Y
 Different industries began to use the
assembly line concept
 Caused an increase in productivity: how
much is produced per unit of labor
 Led to the increase of welfare capitalism:
system of providing benefits to workers to
increase worker satisfaction
Reading Focus Question #1
 What role did the Ford Motor
Company play in revolutionizing
American industry?
 It played a major role, it created the
assembly line and mass production, &
led to increased worker wages
Industry Changes Society
 Increase in car production led to
increase in other industries (steel,
rubber, glass, gas stations, repair,
motels, restaurants)
 Cities of Detroit and Akron grew
 Suburbs: smaller towns outside of
cities also grew
Reading Focus Question #2
 How did the auto industry and the
nation change during the 1920?
 Amazing growth in auto industry,
increased demand for steel, glass,
rubber, & gasoline, boom in the travel
industry, cities and suburbs grew
The New Consumer
 Industries were producing new
electrical appliances like vacuums,
refrigerators, & radios
 Families listened to the radio together
at night, radios brought news from
around the world as well as listen to
radio shows
 Passenger Airplanes began: were
uncomfortable, cold, unpressurized
Creating Demand
 Persuasive advertising encouraged
consumers to buy.
 Began advertising in newspapers as
well as sponsored radio shows
New Ways to Pay
 In the early 1900’s buyers paid cash
for items
 In the 1920’s buyers turned to
installment buying: paying for an
item over time in small payments,
they bought items of credit:
borrowing money
 By the end of the 1920’s 90% of
goods bought were bought on credit
Reading Focus Question #3
 What were some of the qualities of
the new consumers of the 1920’s?
 Eager to buy new electronic devices ,
bought on credit
Weakness in the economy
 After the war, demand for agricultural
products dropped, farmers suffered
 U.S. government placed a tariff on foreign
agricultural products
 Infestation of weevils damaged cotton
crops
 Mississippi River flooded in 1927, killing
more that 1000 and leaving many more
homeless
 Florida faced a massive hurricane
Reading Focus Question #4
 What were some of the weak parts of
the economy in 1920’s?
 Farming, hurricanes, floods
Section 3: The Harding & Coolidge
Presidencies
 Learning Objectives:
 Discuss the policies of the three
presidents
Bell Ringer
How did one word help Waren G. Harding become
president? In May 1920, Republican Warren G.
Harding was not the leading candidate for
president. The he made a campaign speech that
would help him win the presidency. His speech
was a stirring call for healing, restoration, and
“normalcy.” He meant that the nation should
return to the way it was before WW I. The postwar years had featured political conflict, hard
times, and even fear of revolution. For many
Americans, the past and the future seemed
frightening and uncertain. Harding’s call for
normalcy helped him win the election by a
landslide.
Review Questions
 Why would people want to return to
the way things were before the war
instead of moving forward?
 What is normalcy?
The Harding Presidency
 As Wilson’s Presidency came to an
end, Republicans hoped to win back
the Presidency
 Harding was not the Republican’s 1st
choice until he created the normalcy
slogan.
 Harding won by a landslide
Harding’s Policy
 Was more interested in leisure than
governing
 Wanted to reduce government and
reduce the budget
 Cut taxes for wealthy due to the
belief that the wealthy created the
nation’s wealth & by easing taxes,
business would grow, and the nation
would prosper
 For farmers, Harding passed tariffs on
foreign agricultural products, thereby raised
prices of domestic farm products
 Appointed Andrew Mellon, a multimillionaire
businessman to reform tax system
 Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall,
accepted bribes from oil companies to allow
them to drill on National Reserves (Teapot
Dome)
 Other members of Coolidge’s posts also
took bribes
 Harding died of a heart attack while
in office
 Was popular when he died, but over
time, the corruption of his
government soured his reputation
Reading Focus Question #1
 What political events and ideas
marked the Harding presidency?
 Pro-business policies, Tariff against
agricultural products, teapot Dome
scandal
The Coolidge Presidency
 Was Harding’s vice-president, but
was sworn in after his death
 Coolidge was raised in a modest
conservative family in Vermont
 Was governor of Massachusetts
during the police stretch
 When he became President, got rid of
all officials suspected of corruption
 Was Coolidge also believed in limited
government and the strength of
business to promote a strong national
economy
 Also supported tax breaks for the rich
and reducing national budget
 Was characterized as a quiet nononsense president
Reading Focus Question #2
 What political events and ideas
marked the Coolidge Presidency?
 Pro-business policies, limited
government involvement in business and
industry
The Lingering Effects of WW I
 During the War, European countries
had borrowed more than $10 billion
 U.S. expected repayment after the
war, but European countries had
difficulty repaying
 European nations demanded
reparations: payments designed to
make up for the damage of the war,
from Germany
 Germany was unable to pay the
Allies, who were then unable to pay
back the United States.
 United States responded by lending
money to Germany so that they could
pay the allies
Washington Naval Conference
 Public wanted decrease in military size to
save $ and reduce the threat of war,
however the U.S. was afraid of an arms
race: competing nations build up more and
more weapons in an effort to avoid one
nation gaining an advantage
 U.S. organized the Naval Conference in
1921, invited all major naval powers
 Resulted in agreement that major countries
would not compete for control of China
Billy Mitchell argues for air power
 Mitchell led the air combat operations
in WW I
 Argued for increasing air power
 Was combative and argumentative
with government officials
 Resulted in him leaving the military
Kellogg-Briand Pact
 U.S. had refused to join the League of
Nations
 France proposed a separate treaty
with U.S. that would outlaw war
between the 2 countries
 Kellogg-Briand Pact resulted: a peace
treaty involving 60 nations
 There was no means to enforce the
treaty
Reading Focus Question #3
 What were the lingering effects of
WW I on politics of the 1920’s?
 U.S. had to loan $ to Germany, U.S.
navy reduced its size, Kellogg-Briand
Pact was signed.
CST Practice Question
 The revival of the Ku Klux Klan and
the establishment of immigration
quotas in the 1920s resulted from
the
a.
b.
c.
d.
The rise of nativism
Growth of labor strife
Unionization of workers
Increase in production demands
Answer:
 The revival of the Ku Klux Klan and
the establishment of immigration
quotas in the 1920s resulted from the
a. The rise of nativism
b. Growth of labor strife
c. Unionization of workers
d. Increase in production demands
CST Practice Question
 After World War I, Communism and
other radical ideas that threatened
the American norms led to the red
scare and
a.
b.
c.
d.
Renewed confidence in labor unions
The start of the Bolshevik revolution
An attack known as the Palmer raids
Greater understanding between earlier
and more recent immigrants
Answer:
 After World War I, Communism and
other radical ideas that threatened
the American norms led to the red
scare and
a.
b.
c.
d.
Renewed confidence in labor unions
The start of the Bolshevik revolution
An attack known as the Palmer raids
Greater understanding between earlier
and more recent immigrants
CST Practice Question
 Both Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge
would most likely agree with
a. Promoting business and limiting government
regulatory power
b. Limiting big business and funding more
public works projects
c. Increasing government oversight and strictly
enforcing business regulations
d. Supporting the nation’s farmers & regulating
business when it conflicts with public interest
Answer:
 Both Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge
would most likely agree with
a. Promoting business and limiting government
regulatory power
b. Limiting big business and funding more public
works projects
c. Increasing government oversight and strictly
enforcing business regulations
d. Supporting the nation’s farmers & regulating
business when it conflicts with public interest