1920s: From the

Assembly Line to the Bread Line

SOCIETY, SOCIETY, CULTURE & CULTURE &

VALUESVALUES

“Boom to Bust”Prohibition Urbanization

Popular Entertainment Harlem Renaissance

Rural America Technology

Women of the ‘20s Culture Clash/Tension

Prohibition

• Prohibition• The noble experiment

• “wets and dries”• Al Capone

Alphonse “Scarface” CaponeGovernment agents breaking up an illegal bar

during Prohibition

URBANIZATIONURBANIZATIONFarm vs. Nonfarm Population, 1880-1980Farm vs. Nonfarm Population, 1880-1980

1920 CENSUS:

First time majority of U.S. population in urban areas (towns 2500 or greater)

1920: More workers in factories than on farms

POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT:

Movies• Movie “palaces”• “talkies” (1927)

80 million tickets sold per week by 1930 (population: 100 million)

(Billy Rose Theatre Collection, The New York Public Library)

MASS CULTURE: Radio

• New mass medium– 1920: First

commercial radio station

– By 1930: over 800 stations & 10 million radios

• Networks: NBC (1924), CBS (1927)

The Spread of The Spread of Radio, to 1939Radio, to 1939

CelebritiesBabe Ruth &Ty Cobb

Jack Dempsey

Charles Lindbergh The Spirit of St. Louis

Why were we so obsessed with heroes??

CONSUMERISM(Escapism?)

• Electric appliances• automobiles• advertising• buying on credit (Installment)• chain stores

Consumer Debt, 1920–1931Consumer Debt, 1920–1931 General Electric ad (Picture Research Consultants & Archives)

AutomobilesAutomobiles & &

ConsumerismConsumerism

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved

<< Ford ad:Ford ad: “Every family -- with even the most modest income, can now afford a car of their own."

“Every family should have their own car. . .You live but once and the years roll by quickly. Why wait for tomorrow for things that you rightfully should enjoy today?" (Library of Congress)

Dodge advertisement photo, 1933Dodge advertisement photo, 1933

Harlem RenaissanceThe Harlem Renaissance was a flowering of African American social thought which was expressed through

– Paintings– Music – Dance – Theater– Literature

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

I've known rivers:

I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the

flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln

went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy

bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:

Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

(1919)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cKDOGhghMU

RURAL AMERICA:PROBLEMS FOR FARMERS

Women of the ‘20s• 1920 - 19th Amendment

• Women didn't want to sacrifice wartime gains - amounted to a social revolt

• After 1920, more women worked outside the home

• More women went to college and hoped to join professional community

• ‘20s woman characterized by the FLAPPER/ "new woman"– (bobbed hair, short

dresses, smoked in public...)

The 20’s is The Jazz Age

MusiciansLouis ArmstrongDuke Ellington

Jazz link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wbNZFS3MDA

The Charleston=THE dance craze of the ‘20s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNAOHtmy4j0

Culture Clash and Tension

Religion• “modernists”

• “fundamentalism”

• Scopes Trial

• Clarence Darrow

• William Jennings Bryan

Essay Question

The 1920’s were a period of tension between new and changing attitudes on the one hand and traditional values and nostalgia on the other. What led to the tension between the old and new AND in what ways was the tension manifested?

1920s: From the

Assembly Line to the Bread Line

How Did We Get From Unprecedented Growth to Total Collapse?

Politics of the 1920’s—Business Friendly Government

– “Return to normalcy” with “Uncle Warren”– Appointed his friends and Ohio buddies to

cabinet positions—Andrew Mellon, Herbert Hoover

– Handsome, well-liked, played poker… & that’s about it . . .did raise tariff rates, which hurt international trade . . .

– Presidency marked by scandal & corruption

– Died of a heart attack in San Francisco in August 1923 Harding: 1920-1924

Politics of the 1920’sCalvin Coolidge (Silent Cal)

1924-1928• VP to Harding• From VT, lived in Northampton,

Gov. of MA

• Supporter of business & limited government intervention

• Believed in:–Hands off government & economy“The business of America is business!”

With Gov’t Out of the Way . . . An Age of Prosperity

• Economic expansion• Mass Production/Assembly Line• Age of the Automobile

BUSINESS PROSPERITY

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY:• productivity: up 50%• unemployment: ave. 4%

• real income: up 25%• standard of living:

– indoor plumbing – central heating– electricity (2/3 by 1930)

CAUSES OF BUSINESS PROSPERITY: Increased productivity (scientific management, machinery)

Increased use of oil and electricity Favorable government policy (tax breaks, antitrust)

Gross Gross National National Product, Product, 1920-19301920-1930

Unemployment, 1920-1930

How Did We Get From Unprecedented Growth to Total Collapse?

•Uneven Distribution of Wealth•Wealthiest 1% saw 60% rise in income.•Majority of population saw an 8% increase.

•Buying on Credit•People began to live beyond their means.•Savings rates declined significantly.

•Over production (Industry and Agriculture)

•As people reached their credit limits, surplus items piled up.

•Lack of government regulation

•Allowed to go unchecked, unprecedented growth an unstable economy.

How Did We Get From Unprecedented Growth to Total Collapse?

Global Economic Problems

•High U.S. tariffs and Post-War problems made Europe unable to pay back war debt—and after the crash, U.S. RAISED tariffs (Hawley-Smoot).

Stock Market Speculation•1920: 318 million people owned shares of stock•1929: More than a billion people owned stock•Many people were buying stock on margin (on credit)

THE CRASH

-16 million shares of stock were sold -In that October, stock market lost $16 Billion in value -Crash represented the beginning of a 10- year economic slump

-Black Thursday, Oct. 24, 1929 --amid rumors that big investors were about to pull their money out of the market, stocks plunged. --bankers bought millions of $$ in stock to attempt to stabilize the market

-Black Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1929 --selling frenzy, virtually no buyers

“A Wise Economist Asks a Question”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eih67rlGNhU

Photo Analysis

Republican Leadership in the 1920s

“Return to Normalcy”

Warren G. Harding(R) “The business of America is

business”

Calvin Coolidge(R)

“We shall soon . . . be in sight of the day when poverty shall be banished from

this nation. “ (8/1928)

Herbert Hoover’ Philosophy and Response (23.4)

•Hoover believed in “Rugged Individualism” •opposed to direct aid—believed gov’t should not provide direct aid, as it would “dim the spirit of the American people.”

•Provided federal loans for public works projects (Hoover Dam), but this was not enough to combat crisis. (Still, unprecedented level of federal spending)

•Urged companies to avoid lay-offs and wage cuts—but he was ignored and depression worsened.

1929—1932:The Depression Worsens•Despite Hoover’s promise that “Prosperity is ‘round the corner:”

•9,000 (20%) banks closed in the few years following the depression•$2.5 billion deposits were ultimately lost•By 1932, unemployment reached 25%•farm income declined by 60% 1929-1932 (Dust Bowl)•private charities unable to meet demands

•Hoover Finally Takes Direct Action

•Reconstruction Finance Corp •Gave emergency loans to stabilize key businesses (ie. banks)•EXTREMELY unpopular—gave to banks and businesses, not hungry people!

•Smoot-Hawley Tariff•Raised import taxes to historically high levels . . . but ultimately crippled international trade.

The nation was increasingly frustrated by Hoover’s unwillingness to give direct aid . . .

Growing Protest & Hoover’s Downfall•Summer 1932: WWI Vets wanted bonuses promised to them paid early—march to D.C.•After police skirmish at “Bonus Army” camp, Hoover ordered army to clear out the camp of 20,000.•MacArthur pursed fleeing vets, burned camp. 4 died (including an

infant) and many more injured.Hoover didn’t stand a chance in 1932 election . . . end of Republican control of gov’t

“We’d Like to Thank You Herbert Hoover”

Election 1932

Who is FDR??•1882 Born in Hyde Park, NY

•1890 Enrolled in Groton Academy

•1903 Graduated from Harvard Columbia Law

•1905 Married Eleanor (5th cousin, once removed--TRs niece)

•1910 Elected to NY State Senate

•1913 Sworn in as Asst. Sec. to the Navy

•1920 Democratic VP candidate (lost to Harding)

•1921 Stricken w/ polio—would never walk (unassisted)

again

•1928 Elected Gov. of NY

•1932 Elected President of the United States

FDR’s Personal Qualities• He was a practical politician

who practiced the art of the possible.

• He was a charismatic person who exhibited a warmth and understanding of people.

• He knew how to handle press by focusing attention on Washington.

• He provided dynamic leadership in a time of crisis.

• He was willing to experiment

•FDR promised a “New Deal” — said so in person at Democratic National Convention

•Won 60% of the popular vote

•FDR declined Hoover’s offer to help during “lame duck” period

•Consulted with his “brain trust” of university professors to plan his attack on the Depression

Sources of New Deal Ideas• Brains Trust: specialists and

experts, mostly college professors, idea men

• New Economists: government spending, deficit spending and public works, government should prime economic pump

• Roosevelt Cabinet: included conservatives, liberals, Democrats, Republicans, inflationists, anti-inflationists -- often conflicting, compromising, blending ideas

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrfirstinaugural.html

Action/Experimentation

FDR Takes Action

• After being sworn in, FDR called

Congress into a 100-day long session• Congress passed every law FDR requested “Alphabet

Agencies” to combat the Depression• FDR’s three primary goals were:

– Relief (immediate—for people out of work)– Recovery (for business and the economy—to get it back on track)– Reform (of American economic institutions—long-term change)

• Made good on a campaign promise to end Prohibition • First major focus was the banking system in the U.S., and

he ordered all banks closed on March 6, 1933 . . .

Banking Reform• Perhaps more than anything else, the crippled banking system prevented economic recovery• March 12, 1933, FDR delivered his first fireside chat to explain his plan:

– Emergency Banking Relief Act: allowed gov’t to examine banks closed during the “bank holiday” and reopen ONLY the safe banks

– Urged public to dig up their jars of money and return to the banks!

– March 13, there were lines outside most as people re-opened savings accounts

• Glass-Steagall Act: Authorized the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to provideinsurance for bank deposits.

CCC

AAA

NIRA/NRA

TVA

The New Deal Under Attack

Criticisms of Conservative Opponents• Conservative opponents said the New Deal went too

far:– It was socialism (killed individualism)– It added to the national debt ($35 billion)– It wasted money on relief and encouraged

idleness– It violated the constitution & states rights– It increased the power of the

Presidency (FDR was reaching toward dictatorship, Congress arubber stamp, independenceof judiciary threatened, separation of powers shattered)

The Supreme Court Responds

• In 1935, the NIRA and AAA were declared unconstitutional:– The NIRA gave fed.

gov’t too much power within states and “illegally restrained trade.”

– The AAA was struck down for similar reasons.

Rise of the Demagogues

Demagogue:1. political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires

and prejudices rather than by using rational argument.

These personalities believed the New Deal was not doing enough . . .

Father Charles E. Coughlin• Father Charles Coughlin was a

rabble-rousing radio priest from Detroit. His broadcasts were called the “Golden Hour of the Little Flower.” He claimed there was an international bankers conspiracy and Jews were responsible.

• He advocated nationalization of banking and currency and national resources and demanded a “living wage.”

• Finally forced off the air by the Vatican!

Senator Huey Long (LA)• Senator Huey Long citicized “the

wealthy parasites who preyed on the poor.”

• Claimed New Deal relief measures were mere crumbs and advocated a “Share Our Wealth” plan that guaranteed an annual income of at least $5,000 for every American, financed by confiscating wealth of people who made over $1 million per year.

• Became Gov. of LA and had his own private police force before being assassinated.

Dr. Francis E. Townsend• Dr. Francis E. Townsend was an

elderly physician from CA. He had a plan for the federal government to pay $200 per month to unemployed people over 60. The program would be financed by a 2% national sales tax and each retiree would be required to spend the money in 30 days. This would stimulate the economy/open jobs for the youth.

• Helped inspire the Social Security Act, although Townsend believed the program was inadequate.

Election of 1936FDR vs. Alfred Landon (Kan)

FDR had the support of:– Organized labor– Midwestern farmers– African Americans (esp. N)– Middle class families (grew

during this period)– Elderly (SSA)– Jews– Intellectuals– Progressive republicans– White southerners

One of the biggest landslides in U.S.

History

• FDR believed his victory gave him a mandate to continue his New Deal policies . . . Despite recent Supreme Court opposition.

• FDR proposed adding a judge for every member of the court over 70 years old, changing the # of judges changed from 9 15.

GREAT oppositionFDR withdrew this proposal

• BUT judges retired & FDR got to appoint new ones they approved nearly all New Deal legislation.

FDR’s “Court-Packing Plan”

Court Packing

The Legacy of the New Deal

Rehabilitation of the Land• Attacked soil erosion• Built dams and planted

trees to prevent floods• Reclaimed the grasslands

of the Great Plains• Developed water power

resources• Encouraged regional

reconstruction projects like the TVA and Columbia River project

Human Rehabilitation• Established the principle

that government has responsibility for the health, welfare, and security, as well as the protection and education of its citizens

• Redefined the concept of democracy so that it included not only political rights but economic security and social justice as well.

Revitalization of Politics

• Strengthened executive branch/reasserted presidential leadership

Side note: Signaled shift of African American vote from (Civil War-era) Republicans to (New Deal) Democrats

Maintenance of a Democratic System

• The New Deal maintained a democratic system of government and society in a world threatened by totalitarianism.– Increased size and scope of

government to meet needs of the depression

– Provided the leadership that enabled Congress to put through the necessary relief, recovery, and reform measures.

– Sponsored moderate legislation to neutralize the popularity of radical opponents 

Government ExpendituresFigures in parentheses have been adjusted for inflation:

• Louisiana Purchase: Cost: $15 million ($217 billion)• Race to the Moon: Cost: $36.4 billion ($237 billion)• Korean War: Cost: $54 billion ($454 billion)• The New Deal: Cost: $32 billion est.($500 billion est.)• Invasion of Iraq: Cost: $551 billion ($597 billion)• Vietnam War: Cost: $111 billion ($698 billion)

*At the end of the day, the New Deal did not actually end the Great Depression . . .

So—Where do you stand?