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USA 1919-1942 (2) (WWII (More and more women started to work during the…
USA 1919-1942 (2)
WWII
More and more women started to work during the Second World War – around 6 million were working in factories and almost 200,000 joined the army. During the war women had enjoyed a new sense of independence and they were not willing to give it up after the war. This new independence gave them the confidence to demand more rights.
Criticism – Around 112,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned and many of them lost their homes and businesses. Around a 1000 were sent back to Japan.
Huge migration happened in the USA – Around 27 million moved around between 1941-45. They moved to look for work - to California especially to find work in armament factories.
Life improved for farmers – thre was more demand for their produce and so they were making more money.
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Many found work in the factories – unemployment fell from 9.5 million in 1939 to 670,000 in 1945.
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Prohibition
In 1920, the 18th Amendment was passed making the manufacture and sale of alcohol illegal. But many people in this time of 'Prohibition' continued to drink and gangsters made enormous amounts of money from supplying illegal liquor.
National mood - when America entered the war in 1917 the national mood also turned against drinking alcohol. The Anti-Saloon League argued that drinking alcohol was damaging American society.
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Moral - many agreed that it was wrong for some Americans to enjoy alcohol while the country's young men were at war.
Why it failed
There weren't enough Prohibition agents to enforce the law - only 1,500 in 1920.
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Many Americans never gave their support to Prohibition and were willing to drink in speakeasies - bars that claimed to sell soft drinks, but served alcohol behind the scenes.
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Protection rackets, organised crime and gangland murders were more common during Prohibition than when alcohol could be bought legally.
Why it lead to crime
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Gang leaders such as Al Capone and Bugs Moran battled for control of Chicago's illegal drinking dens known as speakeasies.
Capone claimed that he was only a businessman, but between 1927 and 1930 more than 500 gangland murders took place.
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Racism
Before the First World War, many Americans saw their country as a melting pot in which people of different nationalities, races and religions could live in harmony. The Statue of Liberty symbolised the welcome offered to the huddled masses as they entered America. Yet, there were signs that this mood of tolerance was under attack.
KKK
The revival of the Ku Klux Klan was a frightening development. The Klan believed in the superiority of the white race. Its members wore white gowns and pointed hats, and burned large crosses as a symbol of their presence. The revival of the Klan started in the Deep South, but spread to other parts of America.
The Ku Klux Klan, a racist organisation set up in the 19th century was revived by William J Simmons in 1915. The new Klan with its secret passwords and violent attacks caused terror amongst the African American population.
In the Red Scare of 1919-20, hostility against communists and suspected communists reached fever pitch.
The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the National Origins Act of 1924 made it much more difficult for immigrants to enter the USA.
Immigration
Many American people didn't support immigration as it doesn't support the "American Dream" of being superior to others
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The Second New Deal
Although Roosevelt restored hope and staved off the collapse of the banking system, the problem of unemployment was more difficult and at the start of 1934 there was still 11.3 million people out of work. Some historians have said that failing to deal with unemployment was the biggest weakness of the New Deal. Criticism of Roosevelt emerged from several directions.
The Works Progress Administration - this agency employed people to build schools, hospitals and other public buildings.
The Rural Electrification Administration - this agency aimed to bring electricity to America's farms.
The National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) - this act aimed to improve relations between workers and employers, especially as 1934 had seen a series of violent industrial disputes.
Critisiscm
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The wealthy businessmen behind the American Liberty League argued that by increasing taxation and encouraging the development of the trade union movement, Roosevelt had betrayed his own class (Roosevelt was from a very wealthy family).
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Women
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More and more women started to work during the Second World War – around 6 million were working in factories and almost 200,000 joined the army. During the war women had enjoyed a new sense of independence and they were not willing to give it up after the war. This new independence gave them the confidence to demand more rights.
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The Monkey Trial
Jon Scopes (Science teacher) was on trial for teaching Charles Darwin's theory of evolution because it contradicted the bible
Japanese People
Became a threat due to
In the Washington Naval Conference it was decided that Japan could not have a navy that was more than 60 per cent the size of the USA navy – this angered the Japanese.
The Japanese army influenced its government and called for a Joint Prosperity Scheme (as a result of reduced trade between Japan and the USA). Their intention was to control other countries in Asia.