new industries created - 500,000 workers were employed in the car industry alone by 1925
buying on margins allowed millions of working class Americans to buy consumer goods
thousands of african americans moved north in “great migration“
the wages of the average American worker increased by more than 20%
EVIDENCE OF INEQUALITIES
workers in old industries lost their jobs
farmers lost income and often their land
native americans were forced to live in reservations
most african americans remained sharecroppers in the south
there were huge inequalities in wealth
1922
Fordney McCumber Act increases tariffs on foreign goods
1924
600,000 farmers lose their land
1929 March
Herbert Hoover is elected
1929 September
Wall Street crash begins
in 1911 a car cost $800 to make. by 1928 mass production had lowered the cost to $300
by 1926 there are 20 million cars on Americas roads
by 1929 50% of consumer goods were made in the USA
1920
women are given the vote
1927
first talkies are introduced in Hollywood films
OPPORTUNITY FOR WOMEN 1920s
american women won the vote
divorce rate doubled
WW1 led to many women entering the workforce, a 25% increase from 1920-1929
flappers began to become more common
INEQUALITIES FOR WOMEN 1920s
by 1929 only 5 out of 435 were women
organisations like the Anti Flirt league were set up
woman tended to work in the least skilled jobs and earned less that men for the same work
most flappers came from middle-upper class background in northern cities (rural areas and poor women had less change)
by 1929 10.5 million women were in work
by 1930100 million americans were going to the cinema each week
1920
prohibition law was passed
Feb 14th 1929
7 rival gangsters are murder in chicago on Al Capones orders in the “St valentine’s day massacre”
1933
alcohol is legalised by President Roosevelt, who is elected having made popular promise to end Prohibition
CAUSES OF PROHIBITION
pressures groups - anti-saloon league to ban alcohol
religious groups - churches opposed alcohol because they blamed it for growing violence and addiction
rural areas - rural areas were more conservative than cities that strongly supported prohibition
EVENTS OF PROHIBITION
illegal bars - gangs set up and ran secret illegal known as speakeasies
smuggling - ”bootleggers” smuggling alcohol in from abroad, making money from selling ”moonshine”
prohibition - 3000 prohibition agents were hired to find and shutdown illegal alcohol makers and sellers
OUTCOMES OF PROHIBITION
violence - growing violence as rival gangs fought for control of the alcohol business
corruption - gangs made so much money they could bribe most police, prohibition agents, lawyers and judges to avoid arrest
ending prohibition - Roosevelt ended prohibition in 1933
after prohibition in 1920 deaths from alcohol poisoning actually increased 800% by 1926
there were over 300,000 speakeasies across America by 1930
Al Capone was making $10 million a year from racketeering alone
IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA PUSH FACTORS
poverty - majority of Europeans lived in poverty
persecution - different groups were persecuted for their religious or political beliefs in europe, especially jews in eastern europe
lack of opportunity - europe was still divided by a sticky class system
PULL FACTORS OF IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA
work and pay - american wages were double european ones and there were millions of new jobs because mass production
greater freedom - the US religious and political minorities had greater freedom of speech and protection from persecution
american dream
OPPORTUNITY FOR IMMIGRANTS
many immigrants were able to escape sever persecution that they faced in their homeland
jews faced mob attacks known as pogroms and had limited access to schools in Russia
american wages were double those available in Europe
mass prod and the post war boom created millions of job opportunities
INEQUALITIES FOR IMMIGRANTS IN AMERICA
red scare means many immigrants persecuted for their african political beliefs particularly those from E. Europe
immigration was massively reduced in the early 1920s
most immigrants faced work in poor conditions and severe hardship. many were uneducated and were exploited and overworked in sweatshops
1917
communist revolution in Russia
1920
”palmer raids“ leads to arrest of over 6000 suspected communists
1921
immigration quota law allowing 350,000 immigrants to enter each year
1924
national origins act cut immigration to 150,000 a year
OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS
moving north - african americans moved North could get higher wages in new mass production industries. there was less racism in the north than the south
harlem renaissance - in the North, African Americans had opportunities to express themselves as writers, artists and musicians. this led to the invention of jazz
new organisations - the NAACP was set up and battled against racial inequality
INEQUALITIES FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS
discrimination in the north - those who move North still faced lower wages and had to live in worse neighbourhoodd than white people. there were anti-black riots in northern cities like chicago
lynching - hundreds of african americans were lycnhed over the course of the 1920s
rise of the KKK - membership reached of 5 million in the 1920s
1910
National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) founded
Jim Crow Laws
the racist segregation laws in the south
OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS
moving north - new mass production industries. there was less racism in the north
harlem renaissance - north african americans had opportunities to express themselves
new organisations - founding of NAACP
INEQUALITIES FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS
discriminarion in the north - those who move north still faced lower wages and had to live in worse neighbourhoods than white people. there were anti-black riots in chicago
lynching - african americans were lynched
rise of the KKK - peak of 5 million, intimidating and terrorising african americans
How were different groups affected by the great depression?
Factory owners - cut production, wages and jobs to stay in business
Hobos - lived in slums known as Hoovervilles
Farmers - thousands went into debt and lost their farms to banks, 1 in 20 by 1932
Factory workers - lost jobs or wages were cut
The very rich - lost some wealth but had properties to fall back on
24th October 1929
Wall street crash begins - 13 million shares sold in single day in panic selling