NCWW - The 1920s (Lesson)

The 1920s

The aftermath of World War I left a bitter taste in the mouth of many Americans for international involvement, and America turned more toward isolationism. The decade of the 1920s is often called the "Roaring 20s," eliciting thoughts of flappers, bootleggers, and the Golden Age of Hollywood.

To be sure these things were going on, but the 1920s were also a conservative time.

Conservative presidents implemented pro-business policies, religious fundamentalism was at its peak, and new immigration restrictions were implemented. The media began to shape a mass culture through major newspapers, magazines, and radio and people became better informed as a result.

As the Roaring Twenties came to a close, the downturn in the economy signaled the end of an era. In 1929, the stock market crashed, marking the beginning of the Great Depression. This economic collapse brought enormous suffering to Americans from all walks of life. During this module, you will learn about these and other developments about this period.

 

Communism and Socialism

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a new political ideology called communism grew out of the more moderate socialism.

Communism was based on a single-party government ruled by a dictator. Under communism, there is no private ownership; all property is owned by the state. In 1919, after communist revolutionaries known as Bolsheviks overthrew the czar in Russia, established the Soviet Union, and called for a worldwide revolution to destroy capitalism, people in the United States began to fear communists. This fear of international communism was called the “Red Scare” because red was the color of the Communist flag. This fear led to the government’s domestic pursuit of suspected communists and socialists. View the presentation below on the Red Scare.

 

 

Immigration Restrictions

The Red Scare was one factor that led to new restrictions on immigration. There were other factors too:

• Nativist sentiments--the idea that people born in the United States were superior to immigrants.
• the idea that Americans should keep their traditional culture and values intact.

Anti-immigrant, anti-Jewish and anti-Catholic sentiments contributed to the popularity of a revitalized Ku Klux Klan--not just in the South, but throughout the nation.

Ultimately, this conservative reaction against immigrants resulted in the passage of legislation that set limits on the number of immigrants (immigration quotas) who could come from each country.

 

 

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