How did Americans lives change during the 1920s?
How did Americans lives change during the 1920s? In the 1920's many American lives were improved greatly, but some lives were as bad as they had been before. The economy was booming, with cars being mass produced, and many other consumer goods such as radios, were widely available. Also more jobs became available, and many people received a par rise. However there were bad things such as racism about. Many ethnic minority groups were treated poorly. The most racist group around was the Ku Klux Klan. During the 1920's there was an economic boom in America. With the new system of mass production there was plenty being made, and then sold. Particularly cars. When the Model T Ford was first being produced, it would have cost $850 to buy one but then when mass production was introduced, the price was reduced to $290. This meant that practically everyone that worked could afford a car. There were also many consumer goods, such as radios, Hoovers and washing machines, being produced. Another reason why people could afford to buy these luxuries was that wages rose to over 50cents and hour. Then in the 'Roaring Twenties' many American lives were changed, particularly those of women. This period also became known as the 'Jazz Age'. People started going to the cinema, and going out to night clubs. People also started dancing the Charleston and other 'exotic' dances. The lives of women
Wall street crash.
Wall street crash After the Wall Street Crash in 1933 the American economy collapsed and fell into a state of depression. There were a number of problems in 1933 - all of which stemmed from the slump which followed the Wall Street Crash. The people in America needed immediate relief. A once strong and prosperous country had been reduced to a country living in poverty and grief. The Americans were not used to this type of life style and they were not prepared for it either. The Americans needed to be rescued from the depression and they needed it immediately. Also because of the depression, millions had lost their jobs and could not find work anywhere else. A solution was needed which would help working men & women . Because of the disastrous consequences that the depression had, welfare schemes were needed as a backup which would prevent and 'cushion´ the effects of future depressions. In the early 1930s, America was in distress and needed urgent help. The person to help America out of the depression and on the way to becoming an economically strong and prosperous society was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. President Roosevelt tackled each of the problems through the first and second New Deals. The New Deals were a series of Acts and schemes which Roosevelt hoped would pull America out of the depression. Roosevelt decided to tackle the economic problems before he did anything
Was Prohibition Bound To Fail?
Was Prohibition Bound To Fail? a) The two accounts consider Prohibition from different viewpoints. They offer slightly different reasons as to why Prohibition was introduced although the intentions are the same. They also agree on the outcome of it's implementation. Source A, taken from an American History book published in 1973 discusses the differing reasons why Prohibition was considered to be a good idea, It mentions "the bad influence of saloons." Source B, taken from a different American History book published in 1979, agrees with Source A. It is more detailed in that it mentions a crusade by the "Women's Christian Temperance Union" against "one of the great evils of the times - alcoholism." The two sources also agree when mentioning the conservation of grain. The First World War was in progress and many people felt that food for the population should come before alcohol. Source A mentions this specifically, referring to "the wartime concern for preserving grain for food." Source B makes a more oblique reference to the 1917 "nation-wide campaign, led by the Anti-Saloon League." This campaign was organised to make congress "ban the use of grain for either distilling or brewing." Source A also briefly mentions the Anti-Saloon League influencing this decision. The two sources do not directly agree on the outcome of Prohibition's introduction, although they
The Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties: USA 1919-29 BY 1919 THE USA: * Had only lost 100,000 men in WW1 * Had not fought the war on US soil so people at home were not affected. * Had played a large part in the defeat of Germany and peace talks * Had become the strongest country in the world * Had high rates of immigration it was seen as the land of dreams * Had gained many overseas markets (selling good to other countries) in Europe. During the 1920s, the USA achieved a degree of prosperity never seen before; it was the age of the Ford motor car, of jazz, of cinema, of the stock market boom, of consumerism. However prosperity only reached to about half the population. Poor workers, including most black people and famers had lifestyles that were greatly in contrast to those of the rich. Society was divided and increasingly violent through the activities of the Ku Klux Klan and of gangsters during the period of Prohibition. In October 1929, the so called 'Roaring 20s' came to an abrupt end with the Wall Street when stocks and shares rapidly lost much of their inflated values. Mass unemployment and the Great Depression followed. WW1 America had limited involvement in the war, in fact in august 1914 when the war broke out in Europe; President Woodrow Wilson issued a declaration of neutrality. But in 1917 America entered the war after German U-Boat patrolling the Atlantic Ocean fired
Why did Roosevelt introduce the New Deal
Why did Roosevelt introduce the New Deal? President Roosevelt introduced the New Deal because of the economic problems facing America. It was also because of the weaknesses of former president Hoover's presidency, and also the role of Roosevelt's and the Republicans in the USA. I actually think that Roosevelt actually introduced the New Deal because of his and the Republican role in America. There were a lot of problems facing America during the late 1920s and early 1930s.The wall street crash was one of those factors, which was a problem for America. The social consequences of the Wall Street crash were that the USA was supposed to be the land of opportunity, where the good life was available for those who wanted to work, but finding work was a problem. The numbers of unemployed increased by the day, in 1929 it as 1.6 million people unemployed, in 1930 it was 4.3 million people unemployed, in 1931 it was 8 million people unemployed and then in 1932 it rose to 12.1 million people unemployed. Families lost their homes or were forced to split up when parents lost their jobs. Soon unemployed people looked for handouts of food and became a major feature of city life. Millions of destitute people wandered the streets looking for food, work or somewhere to stay, and then shantytowns were built for the homeless. By 1932 money to help the poor was running out. In June Philadelphia
After the Wall Street Crash in 1933 the American economy collapsed and fell into a state of depression.
After the Wall Street Crash in 1933 the American economy collapsed and fell into a state of depression. There were a number of problems in 1933 - all of which stemmed from the slump which followed the Wall Street Crash. Firstly, there was no confidence in the money system, or in the banks. In total 1500 banks had been closed and nine million men and women lost their savings because the banks had collapsed. Putting your money in an open bank would be almost like giving your money away because nobody knew when the next bank was going to close. The people in America needed immediate relief. A once strong and prosperous country had been reduced to a country living in poverty and grief. The Americans were not used to this type of life style and they were not prepared for it either. The Americans needed to be rescued from the depression and they needed it immediately. Also because of the depression, millions had lost their jobs and could not find work anywhere else. At this time, not only were the workers not doing too well; farmers were also being destroyed because the prices for products such as wheat and corn were far too low. It didn´t even pay off for the farmers to shift the harvest from the fields because of the low prices. A solution was needed which would help both working men and farmers. Because of the disastrous consequences that the depression had, welfare schemes
Explain why Roosevelt introduced the new deal
Explain why Roosevelt introduced the new deal The 1920's are often called the roaring twenties. The name suggest a time of riotous fun, loud music and wild enjoyment where everyone was having a good time. Businesses were booming, cities were growing and entertainment was an all time high. American life and economy were thriving. However towards the end of the twenties, an event occurred that changed everything. This was the Wall Street crash. It caused the American economy to collapse and the USA entered a long depression that destroyed much of the prosperity of the 1920's. At the time of the depression people were starving and had to get food from charity. Also millions of people were unemployed and poor. President Hoover, (the president at the time) did nothing to help because he believed the government should not interfere with industry or business, and he did little to help the unemployed and poor. His policies were called the "laissez faire." So in 1932 a new president was elected, Franklin .D .Roosevelt, he offered a "new deal" to the American public. Roosevelt believed that America was in desperate need of "bold, persistent experimentation." He would "take a method and try it," and if it failed he would make an attempt at something. Roosevelt said "but above all, try something." Roosevelt's word was fresh and new; he was a positive man who intervened with his
How far was Franklin D Roosevelt himself responsible for his election victory in 1932?
How far was Franklin D Roosevelt himself responsible for his election victory in 1932? In 1932 Herbert Hoover was president. His main philosophy was " The business of America is business" he also believed in " rugged individualism". This meant he prefered people working hard for themselves and earning their own money rather than relying on the government for help. The Wall Street Crash had occurred three years earlier and over 12 million people were left unemployed and living in poverty, so his belief in 2rugged individualism2 was proved worthless when there was no work for people to do. The Wall Street Crash occurred because some companies that people invested in were dishonest and some never even existed. This then caused people to lose faith in stocks and shares and so they sold them causing prices to plummet. People who saw the fall in prices then panicked and sold all their shares causing the prices to fall still lower. With the loss of confidence in stocks and shares came the loss in confidence in banks and many people withdrew all of their money form their accounts and kept it at home. This then led to the banks becoming bankrupt. Millions of people were out of jobs and unemployment soared to 13 million. When large amounts of ex-service men arrived to pick up the bonuses they had been promised in the war, Hoover cancelled them and lost valuable votes in doing so
The doolittle raid
During the first months after the devastating attack Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, the US watched Japan taking over South East Asia and could not do anything about it. The US began to build an unstoppable military force, but until it became operational, something was desperately needed to boost morale, to demonstrate to enemies and allies alike that the US is striking back. The best and most efficient way to do this was to strike Japan by air. Several proposals to attack Japan itself by air were rejected. The US lost its air bases in the Philippines, and sending the few remaining aircraft carriers to within strike range from Japan was much too risky. However, a young Navy officer suggested attacking Japan with medium bombers which would take-off from an aircraft carrier. It was a daring idea, perhaps impossible, so Admiral King asked his air operations advisor to study the possibilities. After five days of careful calculations, the Admiral received a 30-page report, hand-written for secrecy. After considering various factors such as range, winds, weight, armament, fuel, and route, it was concluded that the mission could possibly succeed but the bombers will not be able to return to the aircraft carrier. Instead they will have to land somewhere in Asia. Since medium bombers were in the army Air Force, the project was then passed to General Henry Arnold who appointed Lt.
Which of these two sources is the more reliable as evidence about prohibition?
Study sources E and F. Which of these two sources is the more reliable as evidence about prohibition? Source E is a personal letter written by John D. Rockefeller Jnr, who was a wealthy industrialist. In the letter, it shows that he first was campaigning for Prohibition to be introduced. In his letter, he says 'I hoped it would be widely supported by public opinion and the day would soon come when the evil effects of alcohol would be recognised'. However, later he goes on to say that he was wrong and that the introduction of Prohibition was a mistake. He admits this by saying: 'I have slowly and reluctantly come to believe that this has not been the result. Instead, drinking has generally increased....'. Source F is a speech given by John F Kramer who was the first Prohibition Commissioner and in his speech, he says that Prohibition will be obeyed and he believes that Prohibition will be a success. He says, 'The law will be obeyed in cities, large and small, and in villages'. He also believed that the enforcers of Prohibition would try their utmost best to make sure that people could not get hold of alcohol. He says, 'The law says that liquor must not be manufactured. We shall see that it's not'. Seeing as this was just when Prohibition was introduced, these are mainly opinions, and he was very optimistic that Prohibition would work. Source E is a personal letter from JD