HISTORY REVISION NOTES – USA 1917-1929
IMPACT OF WWI
Europe was damaged by:
Disrupted trade links and production links
In debt to the USA
Mines, factories and communication links destroyed
USA benefitted:
Factories and farms were producing at full capacity
Exporting food and manufactured goods to Europe
Won new export markets off Europe e.g. Japan
Loaned just under $10m to Europe and was gaining interest
Started Americas “second” Industrial Revolution
Woodroe Wilson:
He took the USA into the war in 1917
He wanted to broker peace in Europe
Congress and US voters didn’t support him
Wilson didn’t like the T of V – thought it was too vengeful
He set up the L of N but got no congress support – USA couldn’t join
ISOLATIONISM – not becoming involved in world politics
Tariffs were introduced to encourage people to buy American:
May 1921 Emergency Tariff – imported taxes on wheat, sugar, meat, wool
etc.
June 1921 Budget and Accounting Act – control Gov. spending
November 1921 Revenue Act – cut individual and wartime tax and
increased business tax
Protectionism:
September 1922 Fordney and McCumber Tariff Act – raised tariffs and
extended them to industrial goods. The president now had the power to
increase tariffs yearly and selling prices of goods in the US
o Tariffs encouraged Americans to buy American
o Europe raised tariffs on exports to USA in retaliation to their
imports tariffs
o World Trade declined by 66% between 1929-1934
IMMIGRATION
Melting Pot – Pre1917:
Vast majority of Americans descended from immigrants
Most came from Europe
1
, Nationalities joined together in ghettos
Social hierarchy
o Irish Americans
o French Canadians
o German and English Americans
o Eastern Europeans and Italians
o Mexicans and African Americans
Immigrants become Americanised and racism became more entrenched
Change of attitude:
WWI
o Anti-German feeling
o Anti-Russian (1917 Bolshevik Revolution increased their
immigration)
o Russians accused of spreading anarchy and not respecting liberty
and property
Isolationism
o A negative view of Europe for bringing them into the War
Discrimination
o Caused by economic issues
o In 1900 there was far less land available
o Textiles and coal industry were in decline – less wages
o Immigrants under-cut Americans (worked for less – more likely to
be employed)
o Ghettoes had high crime due to:
Poor immigrants
A lack of education
Alcohol abuse led to violence
Immigration policy:
1917 Literacy Test
o Had to prove they could read a passage in English
o Immigrants couldn’t afford English lessons and failed
1921 Immigration Quota Act
o New immigrants had to be proportional to the number of the same
race of people living in the USA in 1910
o 3% of 1910 immigrants or race allowed in the country
1924 National Origins Act
o Reduced to 2% of 1890’s quota
1929 immigration act
o Restricted to 150,000/year
o No Asians allowed at all
o North and west Europeans had 85% of places
o By 1930 had virtually stopped immigrants from Japan, China and
Eastern Europe
The Russian Revolution 1917:
2
IMPACT OF WWI
Europe was damaged by:
Disrupted trade links and production links
In debt to the USA
Mines, factories and communication links destroyed
USA benefitted:
Factories and farms were producing at full capacity
Exporting food and manufactured goods to Europe
Won new export markets off Europe e.g. Japan
Loaned just under $10m to Europe and was gaining interest
Started Americas “second” Industrial Revolution
Woodroe Wilson:
He took the USA into the war in 1917
He wanted to broker peace in Europe
Congress and US voters didn’t support him
Wilson didn’t like the T of V – thought it was too vengeful
He set up the L of N but got no congress support – USA couldn’t join
ISOLATIONISM – not becoming involved in world politics
Tariffs were introduced to encourage people to buy American:
May 1921 Emergency Tariff – imported taxes on wheat, sugar, meat, wool
etc.
June 1921 Budget and Accounting Act – control Gov. spending
November 1921 Revenue Act – cut individual and wartime tax and
increased business tax
Protectionism:
September 1922 Fordney and McCumber Tariff Act – raised tariffs and
extended them to industrial goods. The president now had the power to
increase tariffs yearly and selling prices of goods in the US
o Tariffs encouraged Americans to buy American
o Europe raised tariffs on exports to USA in retaliation to their
imports tariffs
o World Trade declined by 66% between 1929-1934
IMMIGRATION
Melting Pot – Pre1917:
Vast majority of Americans descended from immigrants
Most came from Europe
1
, Nationalities joined together in ghettos
Social hierarchy
o Irish Americans
o French Canadians
o German and English Americans
o Eastern Europeans and Italians
o Mexicans and African Americans
Immigrants become Americanised and racism became more entrenched
Change of attitude:
WWI
o Anti-German feeling
o Anti-Russian (1917 Bolshevik Revolution increased their
immigration)
o Russians accused of spreading anarchy and not respecting liberty
and property
Isolationism
o A negative view of Europe for bringing them into the War
Discrimination
o Caused by economic issues
o In 1900 there was far less land available
o Textiles and coal industry were in decline – less wages
o Immigrants under-cut Americans (worked for less – more likely to
be employed)
o Ghettoes had high crime due to:
Poor immigrants
A lack of education
Alcohol abuse led to violence
Immigration policy:
1917 Literacy Test
o Had to prove they could read a passage in English
o Immigrants couldn’t afford English lessons and failed
1921 Immigration Quota Act
o New immigrants had to be proportional to the number of the same
race of people living in the USA in 1910
o 3% of 1910 immigrants or race allowed in the country
1924 National Origins Act
o Reduced to 2% of 1890’s quota
1929 immigration act
o Restricted to 150,000/year
o No Asians allowed at all
o North and west Europeans had 85% of places
o By 1930 had virtually stopped immigrants from Japan, China and
Eastern Europe
The Russian Revolution 1917:
2
