Transcript 14-4 The War`s Impact

WORLD WAR I AND ITS
AFTERMATH
The War’s Impact
LEARNING TARGETS
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After this lesson you will:
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Know the causes and effects of inflation in the United
States after WWI.
Describe the events taking place in Seattle, Boston, and
U.S. Steel related to inflation
Relate hundreds of thousands of American soldiers
returning home to racial unrest
Understand and give examples of how a “red scare” swept
across the nation and placed blame on communism
Know the beginning of the FBI, its leader, and its
activities
Understand how Progressivism came to an end in the U.S.
ECONOMIC TURMOIL
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Inflation
Government agencies released their controls over
businesses
 People raced to buy goods that had been rationed
 Businesses rapidly raised prices (law of supply and
demand)
 This resulted in rapid inflation (15% in 1919-1920)
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Cost of Living: the cost of food, clothing, shelter, and
other essentials people need to survive
ECONOMIC TURMOIL
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Inflation Leads to Strikes
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Workers wanted higher wages to keep up with inflation
Companies wanted to hold down wages because inflation
was also driving up their operating costs
During the war, the number of workers in unions
increased dramatically as well as their ability to strike
Business leaders were determined to break the power of
unions
Workers fought back:
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By the end of 1919:
 More than 3,600 strikes
 More than 4,000,000 workers
had been on strike
ECONOMIC TURMOIL
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The Seattle General Strike
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First major strike in the country
35,000 shipyard workers walked off the job demanding
higher wages
Other unions joined
Over 60,000 people involved
A “general strike” was a common occurrence in communist
European countries and other radical groups.
ECONOMIC TURMOIL
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The Boston Police Strike
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75% of the police force walked off the job
The Governor of Massachusetts, Calvin Coolidge, sent in
the National Guard.
When the strikers tried to return, the police commissioner
refused to accept them.
ECONOMIC TURMOIL
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The Steel Strike
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350,000 steel workers went on strike:
higher pay,
 shorter hours,
 and recognition of the union
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Elbert H. Gary—head of U.S. Steel refused to talk to
union leaders
Issues of immigration were blamed for the strike by U.S. Steel
 U.S. Steel hired African Americans and Mexican Americans to
replace the strikers.
 In Gary, IN 18 died after a clashes
and a riot broke out
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The strike failed and Steelworkers
remained disorganized until 1937
RACIAL UNREST
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American Soldiers Returning From the War:
Looking for jobs and housing
 Race riots broke out in over 20 cities in the north:
Chicago
An African American teenager swimming in Lake Michigan on
a hot July day happened to drift toward a beach restricted for
whites. Whites on shore allegedly stoned him unconscious, and
he drowned. Angry African Americans almost immediately
marched into white neighborhoods to retaliate, while white
mobs roamed African American neighborhoods attacking people
and destroying property. For almost two weeks, Chicago was
virtually at war. In the end, 38 people died—15 white and 23
black—and over 500 were injured.
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THE RED SCARE
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Americans Blamed Communists for Race Riots
Seattle Mayor, Ole Hanson, condemned the leaders of
the Seattle general strike as revolutionaries who
wanted to “take possession of our American
government and try to duplicate the anarchy of
Russia.”
 In April 1919, the U.S. Post office intercepted more
than 30 parcels addressed to business people and
politicians that were triggered to explode.
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THE PALMER RAIDS
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Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer reacted to
the riots by establishing the General Intelligence
Division and placed J. Edgar Hoover in charge.
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In late 1919 through the spring of 1920, Palmer
organized a series of raids on the headquarters of
various radical organizations.
The civil liberties of suspects were often violated.
THE END OF PROGRESSIVISM
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Ohio Governor James M. Cox and Franklin
D. Roosevelt ran for the presidency to keep
Woodrow Wilson’s progressive ideas alive.
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Americans were weary of more crusades to reform
society and the world.
They lost.
Warren G. Harding ran for the Republican
Party on the platform calling for a return to
“normalcy”.
Americans hoped to put racial and labor unrest
behind them and build a more prosperous society.
 He won.
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REVIEW QUESTIONS
What were the events taking place in Seattle, Boston,
and U.S. Steel as a result of inflation?
 How did hundreds of thousands of American soldiers
returning home lead to racial unrest in the U.S.?
 Give examples of how a “red scare” swept across the
nation, placing blame on communism for labor strikes?
 How did the FBI get started, who was its leader, and
what activities did it engage in?
 How did Progressivism come to an end in the U.S.?
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ESSAY QUESTION
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What caused inflation after WWI, and how did
inflation help cause the wave of strikes in the U.S.?
ESSAY ANSWER
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What caused inflation after WWI, and how did
inflation help cause the wave of strikes in the U.S.?
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When the war ended, government agencies removed their
controls on the economy. This released pent up demand.
People raced to buy goods that had been rationed, while
businesses rapidly raised prices they had been forced to keep
low during the war. The result was rapid inflation. Workers
wanted to raise their wages to keep up with inflation. On the
other hand, companies wanted to hold down wages because
inflation was also driving up their operating costs. These
competing desires helped spark the wave of strikes.