Standard 6
Conflict between traditionalism and
progressivism in the 1920s and the
economic collapse and the political response
to the economic crisis in the 1930s
Day 1
Monday
6.1
6 slides
• Economic, social, and cultural changes in the
1920s
– Mass production
– Home appliances
– Installment plan
– Transportation
– Mass culture
– Harlem Renaissance
Changing Economy
• After WWI, the US entered
a period of economic
growth and cultural change
– Both positive and negative
consequences
– Did not extend to all
Americans
Changing Economy
• The growth of electric energy
hurt the coal industry
• Farmers faced surpluses due to
lack of troops to ship their
crops to
• Mass production marginalized
the skilled worker
• Workers were still underpaid
due to ineffectiveness of labor
unions
• Widening gap between the
‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’
Changing Economy
• The assembly line mass produced
radios, refrigerators, and new
appliances
– Introduced by Henry Ford in 1913
• The installment plan (credit)
encouraged consumers to ‘buy
now, pay later’
• Washing machines, electric irons,
and vacuum cleaners were laborsaving devices
– Working women could not afford
the appliances
– Middle class women started doing
their own house work instead of
hiring help
Changing Society and Culture
• Women had very little change
in society or the economy
– The flapper’s attempted to use
freedom to change cultural
attitudes towards the role of
women
– Most women continued the
traditional roles as wife and
mother
• Advertising, radio and the
movies reinforced traditional
gender roles
Changing Society and Culture
• Transportation helped change
urban life
– Automobile changed living
patterns for those who could
afford one
– Automobiles lessened the
isolation of rural life
– Street cars increased the gap in
living and working conditions
– Suburbs grew
– Aviation had little impact due to
cost
Changing Society and Culture
• The Great Migration led to segregated
neighborhoods
• A black middle class developed
– Supported African American writers,
musicians, and artists
• The Harlem Renaissance recognized
black artists and musicians
– James Weldon Johnson and Langston Hughes
– Celebrated ties to African culture and black
pride
– Questioned the 2nd class citizenship of blacks
• The radio helped spread jazz to white
audiences and promoted a shared
national culture
– Luis Armstrong
Day 2
Tuesday
6.2
8 slides
• Social change and conflict between traditional
and modern culture
– Role of women
– “Red Scare”
– Ku Klux Klan
– Immigration
– Prohibition
– Scopes trial
Role of Women
• The role of women changed
somewhat
– Took new jobs while men were
fighting during WWI
– Home front efforts during WWI
led to the 19th amendment
– No new opportunities in the
workplace (teachers, nurses,
secretaries, telephone
operators)
– Earned less money than men
– The flapper represented change
but posed little threat to
traditional roles
“Red Scare”
• WWI propaganda
promoted “100 percent
Americanism”
– Exacerbated nativism and
turned into xenophobia
(hatred or fear of foreigners)
• Postwar inflation and job
competition led to labor
unrest
– Strikes, the Russian
Revolution, and European
socialism frightened middle
and upper class
“Red Scare”
• The Red Scare resulted
from Communism,
Socialism, Anarchist
bombs, and labor strikes
• Attorney General A.
Mitchell Palmer led the
Palmer Raids against
suspected communists
– 4,000 alleged communists
were held without bond
– 100s were deported
Ku Klux Klan
• The KKK gained new
followers due to the Red
Scare
– Added radicals, immigrants,
and Catholics to the target list
• Klansmen saw themselves as
moral regulators, targeting
bootleggers and gamblers
• Used public beatings,
lynchings, and cross burnings
Immigration Quotas
• Anti-immigrant sentiment
turned to xenophobia
– Resulted in Congress limiting
immigration
– Eastern and Southern
European was limited and
Asians were barred entirely
Prohibition
• The temperance movement
advocated prohibition since the
1830s
• Anti-German sentiment and
grain shortages led to the 18th
amendment
– Prohibited the sale and
distribution of alcohol, but not its
consumption
• Neither federal nor local
governments had the
manpower to stop illegal
activity
• The 21st amendment repealed
the 18th and ended prohibition
Scopes Trial
• Conflict between traditional
religious beliefs and science
caused anxiety
– Religious fundamentalism
(literal truth of the Bible) vs.
Charles Darwin’s theory of
evolution
• The Scopes Trial (Monkey
Trial) resulted from a
Tennessee law that forbade
the teaching of evolution in
public schools
– Biology teacher purposefully
broke the law to teach
evolution
Day 3
Wednesday
6.3
10 slides
• Causes and consequences of the Great
Depression
– Wealth gap
– Farm economy
– Dust Bowl
– Limited regulation
– taxes and investments
– Stock market speculation
– Federal Reserve System
False Prosperity
• The tradition of
government not regulating
the economy was reflected
in the practices of the
1920s
– Encouraged Big Business
– Not protecting the interests
of laborers and farmers
• The Great Depression
would question this role
False Prosperity
• The 1920s seemed
prosperous with high
employment and low
inflation
– Huge wealth gap
– Most Americans earned less
than $2500 per year
– Wages were stagnant despite
the company’s prosperity
– When installment payments
stopped, so did consumer
spending
– Less demand caused lay-offs
Farm Sector Collapse
• The farm economy
collapsed
–
–
–
–
International competition
Lower crop prices
High debts and taxes
Defaulted on bank loans
• Farm defaults caused banks
to fail due to lower supply
of currency
– Limited the number of loans
available
Laissez-Faire Economics
• Republican presidents
returned to a laissez-faire
policy
– Powerful corporations
– High tariffs
– SCOTUS overturned child labor
and minimum wage laws
• The wealthy invested their
earnings in the stock market
– Didn’t open new factories
– Increased speculation (buying
stock in bulk then selling
individually)
– Made a company look
profitable (caused prices to
increase) when it really wasn’t
Laissez-Faire Economics
• Stock market speculation was
fueled by a “get rich quick”
mentality
– Led to inflated stock values
• Lack of regulations allowed
people to buy on the margin
(buying stock with a small % of
personal $ and borrowing $
from the bank to pay off the
rest)
– Investors would pay the bank back
with profits earned
• On “Black Tuesday” the market
experienced the greatest crash
in history
– October 29, 1929
Day 4
Thursday
Government Mistakes
• Poor decisions of individual
companies, consumers,
investors, and the Federal
Reserve worsened the
economic climate
• The Fed is able to regulate
the money supply
– Make loans to banks-> make
loans to businesses-> hire
workers-> buy products
– They attempted to stop
speculation by charging high
interest rates on loans but
ended up discouraging bank
lending
Government Mistakes
• Congress attempted to
protect American industry by
imposing a high tariff in 1930
– Caused more damage to the
economy
– Halted international trade
• President Hoover urged
companies to voluntarily
maintain wages and hours
– Low consumer demand made
this impossible
– Companies laid off workers and
cut hours
The Great Depression
• The Great Depression was
the worst economic
disaster to ever hit the US
– 25% unemployment
– People faced eviction and
foreclosure
– Wages and hours were cut
– People stopped buying
anything but the most
essential goods
– Bank “runs” occurred when
people rushed to the banks
to withdraw their savings
The Great Depression
• Soup kitchens formed to help
feed the poor
• The lines for soup kitchens
were called bread lines
• Hoovervilles were shanty towns
or shacks where the homeless
lived
• Schools closed
• Fewer marriages
• Lower birthrate
• Men abandoned their families
• The “Bonus Army” of
unemployed WWI veterans
marched on DC seeking an early
payment of a promised bonus
The Great Depression
• The farming community
suffered an economic and
environmental disaster
– The plains were damaged by
overgrazing
– Mechanized farm equipment and
greater demand during WWI
caused overplanting
• The Dust Bowl occurred when
drought and high winds during
the 1930s blew away the rich
top soil
– Evicted tenant farmers
– Migrant workers roamed
searching for work
– Okies left the plains for California
and jobs
Work Day- Friday
Day 6
Monday
6.4
9 slides
• Effectiveness of FDR’s New Deal Programs
– Relieving suffering
– Achieving economic recovery
– Protecting the rights of minorities
Government Intervention
• During the 1932 election,
Americans demanded
federal aid
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt
immediately initiated a
series of relief and
recovery measures
• The New Deal alleviated
some suffering and offered
hope to Americans
The New Deal
• FDR’s initial goal was to
stabilize the economy and
relieve human suffering
– Banks were closed for a
holiday-> stopped runs
– Government insured bank
deposits-> instilled confidence
in banks [Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation]
– Stock market regulations->
prevent pre-crash conditions
[Securities and Exchange
Commission]
The New Deal
– Government subsidies to farmers who
produced less crops-> stabilized prices
and raised income [Agricultural
Adjustment Act]
– Rural electrification programs built
dams-> brought electricity, 1000s of
jobs, and stimulated the economy
[Tennessee Valley Authority]
– Federal government employed young
men and veterans-> built national
parks, bridges, hospitals, schools, and
air fields [Civilian Conservation Corps]
– Federal support of the arts->
employed writers, artists, and
actors[Works Progress Administration]
The New Deal
– A national insurance policy->
provided aid to the
unemployed, disabled, elderly,
and dependent children [Social
Security Act]
• Workers would pay into the plan
for future protection
• Did not provide immediate relief
• Critics cite the SSA as laying the
groundwork for the “welfare
state”
The New Deal
– Minimum wage and
maximum hour standards
[Fair Labor Standards Act]
– Recognized the rights of
labor unions and collective
bargaining [Fair Employment
Practices Act (Wagner Act)]
– FDR increased taxes for
wealthy individuals and
businesses to pay for the
New Deal programs
Day 6
Tuesday
Criticism of the New Deal
• Liberals and conservatives criticized the New Deal
– Political left- workers and labor unions claimed FDR was not
doing enough to redistribute income and help the elderly and
the poor
– Political right- wealthy business owners claimed the New Deal
was too expensive and socialist
– FDR was accused of taking too much power for the federal
government
– SCOTUS undermined programs by ruling several of them
unconstitutional
– Deficit spending (government spending $ so Americans can
earn $) provided millions of dollars in relief but caused an
unbalanced budget
Opposition in Government
• FDR responded to the SCOTUS by
proposing a plan to increase the size of the
Court
– This would give him the opportunity to
nominate Justices who supported the New
Deal
– The “court-packing” plan fueled conservative
criticism but prevented the SCOTUS from
overturning any other programs
Failures of the New Deal
• The New Deal programs did not help African
Americans
– 1933- 48% of blacks were unemployed
– The CCC was racially segregated
– The AAA hurt tenant farmers and sharecroppers
• FDR formed a “Black Cabinet” to consult for
race issues
• Due to discrimination, blacks threatened to
march on DC-> commission was established to
protect black workers in wartime industries [Fair
Employment Practices Commission]
Failures of the New Deal
• The New Deal programs did not help women
– Women had to “use it up, wear it out, make it do or do
without”
– Faced job discrimination
– The CCC did not hire women
– Other programs hired mostly men
– Lower minimum wage for women [National Recovery
Administration]
• FDR appointed the first woman to the Cabinet (Frances
Perkins)
• FDR relied on Eleanor Roosevelt for information and
advice