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THE RETURN TO NORMALCY, 1919-32 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - THE WASHINGTON DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE 1921
        
        reasons:
        
        the US wanted to prevent renewal of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 1922.
        
        america was scared of growing Japanese inluence and wanted to stop their alliance with on of their own allies.
        
        Haring left foreign affairs with the Secretary of State - Hughes - who favoured disarmament.
        
        Japan posed threat to some areas of America's sphere of influence.
        
        achievements:
        :check: first agreement on arms limitation and brought stability and peace in pacific - made between the US, UK, Japan, France, and later, Italy.
        :check: agreement for each to reduce tonnage of battleships for 10 years.
        :check: signed the 4 power treaty which agreed to respect each country's interests in the far east and maintain open door policy in China.
        
        limitations:
        :red_cross: imposed no limits on size of air force or armies.
        :red_cross: there was no method of enforcing agreement.
      - THE KELLOG-BRIAND PACT 1928
        
        international agreement between US and France.
        
        signed because; french was keen on an alliance with the us; the us wanted minimal commitment to the european powers so this was a way of placating the french.
        
        pact was signed by 15 countries which agreed not to wage war except in self defence, and to seek peaceful means to resolve disputes.
        
        another agreement with nothing to enforce it.
        
        this encourage the senate to ratify it because it did not sanction the use of war if attacked and also did not commit the USA to help any country that was threatened.
    - - LOANS:
        
        lent money to country after the war to restore prosperity and prevent the spread of communism.
        
        insisted all war debts must be repaid - used debt repayments as a threat to european powers - seen when they threatened harsher repayment terms to Britain after they tried to force up rubber prices by restricting supplies in the B. Empire.
      - THE DAWES PLAN:
        
        reduced German reparation payments slightly until their economy started to improve.
        
        gave Germany and immediate loan.
      - THE YOUNG PLAN:
        
        scaled down and extended reparations even more.
        
        the US was effectively paying itself as they were giving loans to Germany, for them to use to pay their reparations to the Allies, who were using this to pay off their war debts to the US.
    - - whilst the us had reverted to isolationism, they continued to pursue and protect their interests in latin america.
        
        party due to monroe doctrine and good neighbour policy.
      - ECONOMIC INVOLVEMENT:
        
        us investment in latin america doubled in the years 1924-1929.
        
        in 1923, General Electric set up the American and Foreign Power Company and controlled the provision of electricity in 8 latin american countries.
        
        the State Dept established plans for countries that requested US investment - the Kemmerer Plans helped to stabilise and develop the economics of such currencies by offering advice advice on sound currency and central banks.
        
        this investment did also mean though that us involvement was increased to protect these investments - the us was reluctant to sanction military intervention though because it was expensive and unpopular with tax payers.
      - SETTLING DISPUTES:
        
        the US gave Colombia $25mil in compensation for its support for the independence of Panama in 1903.
        
        in 1925, US troops were taken out of Nicaragua to improve relations but had to be sent in again the following year due to the outbreak of a civil war.
- - - - IMPACT OF WWI:
        
        over a mill women had helped with war effort and had received some greater opportunities in the absence of men.
        
        the war proved women could do jobs just as well as men and encouraged greater freedoms; especially habits like smoking, drinking and going out unchaperoned.
        
        war was significant factor in 19th amendment and women gaining the vote.
        
        consumer boom in 1920s provided labour saving devices, allowing some women to enter the workforce and gave others more opportunity for leisure activities.
        
        popularity of cinema, radio and dance halls provided further opportunities for women.
      - EMPLOYMENT:
        
        by 1930 2 mill more women than 10 years earlier were employed.
        
        these did tend to be unskilled, low-paid jobs though.
        
        1/3 of university degrees were awarded to women in 1930.
        
        only 4% of university professors were women though.
        
        the number of female doctors actually declined in the 1920s though.
        
        men were paid more for doing the same job.
        
        the Supreme Court banned all attempts to set a minimum wage for women.
      - POLITICS:
        
        women given the vote in 1920.
        
        1924: first female elected governor of a state - Nellie Ross of Wyoming.
        
        1926: Bertha Landes became first female city mayor of Seattle.
      - BIRTH CONTROL:
        
        lack of contraception forced many women into dangerous back street abortions.
        
        Comstock Act of 1873 had banned the distribution of articles written on contraception.
        
        1921: American Birth Control League founded by Margaret Sanger.
        
        supporters of eugenics supported birth control as a way of discouraging poor from 'breeding'.
  - - - WHY WAS IT INTRODUCED:
        
        female reformers had argued there were links between the consumption of alcohol, wife beating and child abuse.
        
        industrialists like Ford were concerned that drinking reduced efficiency and output at work.
        
        many religious groups saw alcohol as the root of sin and evil value of american people.
        
        felt that prohibition would enhance the traditional, encouraging people to be hard working and thrifty.
        
        americas participation in WWI as many brewers were of German origin and therefore prohibition seemed patriotic.
      - WHY DID IT FAIL:
        
        it simply drove drinkers underground.
        
        huge numbers of people were prepared to break the law to produce and consume alcohol.
        
        there were more speakeasies than there had been legal saloons in a very short period of time.
        -it was an impossible law to enforce - large coastline of US meant smuggling was difficult to prevent.
        
        Internal Revenue Service was set up to enforce prohibition but never had more than 2500 agents and some of these were paid hands of gang leaders.
      - THE END OF PROHIBITION:
        
        clear opposition by early 30s.
        
        1928 presidential candidate Al Smith, advocated abolition of prohibition.
        
        Hoover - who defeated him - set up the Wickersham Commission to investigate Prohibition and it reported how prohibition was impossible to enforce but still recommended a continuation of it.
        
        Roosevelt finally abolished the measure in 1933 for the brewing industry to create more jobs, taxes and duties.
      - BENEFITS
        :check: deaths from alcoholism had fallen 80%.
        :check: reduced number of incidents on roads and drink related accidents at work.
        :check: average consumption of alcohol fell.
        :check: arrests from drunkenness fell.
        SHORTCOMINGS:
        :red_cross:about 50,000 people died from poisoned alcohol.
        :red_cross: prohibition helped to create and further develop organised crime.
        :red_cross: after prohibition it was difficult for the brewing industry to recover and rebuild.
  - - - CHANGING ATTITUDES TOWARDS IMMIGRANTS:
        
        became less welcome in 20th century due to competition for jobs.
        
        involvement in WWI fuelled anti-German feelings and encouraged support for restrictions on immigration.
        
        most americans did not want to be dragged into another war - they blamed WWI on european rivalries.
        
        immigrant ghettos began to appear in the big northern cities of america.
      - CHANGES IN IMMIGRATION POLICY:
        
        1917 Literacy Act - a foreigners wishing to enter USA had to take a literacy test to prove they could read a short passage in English. Many from poorer countries could not afford lessons and failed the test.
        
        1921 Immigration Quota Act - new immigrants were allowed in as a proportion of the number of people who had been in America in 1910. The figure was set at 3% per year.
        
        1924 National Origins Act - reduced quota to 2% of the 1890 census: there had been more Northern Europeans in this era so proportionally more were allowed to enter.
        
        1929 Immigration Act - restricted immigration to 150,000 per year. No Asians at all. Northern and Western Europeans were allocated 85% of places. By 1930, immigration from Japan, China and Eastern Europe had virtually ceased.
    - - REASONS FOR REVIVAL:
        
        the release of 'Birth of a Nation' film.
        
        in reaction to new groups of immigrants and migrants in workforce upon return of veterans from war.
        
        increasing industrialisation and growth of new towns and cities.
        
        many of the workers in these cities were immigrants or migrants.
        
        southern white people resented the arming of african americnas during the war.
      - ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVITIES:
        
        klan members were WASPs.
        
        fighting for 'native, white, Protestant supremacy'.
        
        anti-communist, anti-african americans, anti-jew, anti-catholic and against all foreigners.
        
        dressed in white with hoods to hide the identity of the members who attacked their victims at night.
        
        white colour symbolised white supremacy.
        
        carried US flags and burnt crosses at their night time meetings.
        
        by 1925 the klan claimed to have over 5 mill members - far more than the 100,000 in 1920.
        
        attracted members particularly in south, white, protestant and racist.
        
        Oregon and Oklahoma had governors who were members of the klan.
        
        members carried out lynchings and mutilated anyone they considered to be their enemy.
      - DECLINE OF THE KKK:
        
        after 1925 when one of its leaders - David Stephenson - was convicted of a sexually motivated murder.
        
        when he was refused pardon, Stephenson produced evidence of illegal klan activities.
        
        this discredited the klan and led to a decline in membership.
        
        there were divisions about tactics and certain politicians who had originally supported the klan were quick to dissociate themselves when public opinion turned negatively against the actions of the KKK.
    - - showed the differences in beliefs of rural and urban americans at the time.
      - 6 states, led by leading Democrat Bryan, banned the teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution in their schools.
        
        a biology teacher - John Scopes - challenged this ban by deliberately teaching evolution in order to be arrested and put on trial.
        
        trial was a disaster for christian literalists and fundamentalists as Bryan was shown to be ignorant and confused while the media mocked the beliefs of those who opposed the theory of evolution.
- - - - the banking system:
        
        out of date by 20s.
        
        current system allowed banks to regulate themselves without govt intervention.
        
        the Reserve Banks acted in interests of bankers not nation.
        
        local banks were not part of the centralised system. there were over 30,000 banks in the usa in 20s and many were small and unable to cope with financial problems.
        
        Federal Reserve Board wanted to keep market buoyant so favoured low interest rates. this encouraged easy credit. in 1927 it lowered rates for 4% to 3.5% to encourage the 'bull market'.
      - over-speculation on the stock market:
        
        in 1928, shares did not rise as much as in previous years; due to companies not selling as many goods so had falling profits.
        
        fewer people were willing to buy shares and so there was a confidence drop in the market.
        
        this was a warning - but prises rose again, greed took over and speculation recurred.
        
        the complete lack of regulation of the market encouraged increasing speculation.
        
        1925: stock market value of stocks = $27bn.
        
        Oct 1929 = $87bn.
      - availability of easy credit:
        
        made it easier for people to buy goods despite not being able to actually afford them.
        
        practice of hire purchase, instalment purchases - incl buying shares 'on the margin' (on credit) was prominent.
        
        the easy credit policies, on the part of the Fed Reserve Board, further encouraged these practices.
        
        worked as long as prices were rising.
        when the price rise started to slow - or some fall - problems set in as 75% of the purchase price of shares was borrowed therefore creating artificially high prices.
      - loss of confidence:
        
        market structure had been maintained by peoples confidence in it.
        
        in autumn 1929, some experts started to sell their shares heavily before value fell even further and small investors panicked.
        
        this led to a collapse of prices and thousands of investors lost millions.
        
        there were rumours the Fed Reserve Bank was about to tighten credit facilities.
        
        there were rumours that those who had made their fortunes on the stock market were selling also.
    - - 1929 September:
        a sharp fall in prices but no real financial panic.
        
        19 Oct 1929:
        shareholders began to panic with nearly 3.5 mill shares bought and sold. prices began to fall.
        
        22 Oct 1929:
        stock market seemed to recover with prices slightly improving.
        
        24 Oct 1929:
        black thursday
        prices fell so quickly that people rushed to sell their shares and nearly 13 mill were sold.
        
        25 Oct 1929:
        bankers met to support the stock market. it seemed to work as prices steadied.
        
        26 Oct 1929:
        Hoover assured all americans that the panic was over and business and banking would soon recover.
        
        1 more item...
  - - - agriculture:
        
        1930 Agricultural Marketing Act: enabled govt to lend money to farmers through special marketing groups which stabilised prices and tried to ensure produce was sold at a profit.
        
        1930 Grain Stabilisation Corporation: tried to guarantee fair prices by buying wheat that could be stored until price rose again. Prices continued to plunge though.
        
        these policies failed as he was paying farmers artificially high prices.
        
        farming was badly effected by introduction of Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act of 1930 that tried to protect us farmers from competition but just led to foreign retaliation.
      - industry:
        
        tried to balance budget by reducing federal spending and opposing relief schemes suggested by congress.
        
        met with businessmen and implored them not to cut their workforce.
        
        encouraged state govts to begin public works programmes.
        
        in 1932, gave $500 mill to help various agencies provide relief.
        
        1932 Reconstruction Finance Corporation was most radical measure introduced. lent up to $2bn to rescue banks, insurance companies, railroads and construction companies.
        
        1932 Emergency Relief Act gave $300 mill to state govts to help unemployed.
        
        1932 Home Loan Bank Act was to stimulate house building and home ownership.
        
        12 regional banks set up with a fund of $12mill.
      - treatment of the bonus marchers - veterans of WWI who had been promised a bonus for serving in the war - made him even more unpopular. he had called an army to deal with them and their families.
  - - - depression in the cities:
        
        factories closed down, people stopped spending, production had to slow down or stop.
        
        industrial cities saw a rapid rise in unemployment - by 1933 almost 1/3 of workforce was out of the work.
        
        americans who lost their homes moved to the edges of towns and cities and hoovervilles were built with homes built out of tin, wood and cardboard.
        
        in 1932, it is estimated that more than 2 mill were homeless.
      - depression in the countryside:
        
        bankruptcy among farmers grew as they were unable to sell their produce.
        
        1931 drought compounded farmers problems as reduced prices and falling output meant there was no hope of financially breaking even.
        
        crops were damaged by weather.
        
        poor farming methods had exhausted the soil and in the drought the soil turned to dust and dust storms became frequent in an area that became known as the 'dust bowl'.
        
        many families from this area tried to move west.