1. POLITICS OF THE 1920’S Unit 6: The 1920’s and the Great Depression

2. BIG QUESTION Why did the U.S. experience so much political and social change during the 1920’s?

3. AMERICA AT THE START OF THE 20’S  Victorious in WWI  one of the world’s superpowers BUT it was unwilling to accept the role of world leader  Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations was defeated  U.S. now lacked credibility needed to maintain world peace  Entering a period of isolationism  Rise of Republican Party (1921-1933)

4. RETURN TO NORMALCY  Renewed isolationism  Resurgence of nativism  Trend towards political conservationism  America’s biggest new threat  COMMUNISM

5. THE FIGHT AGAINST COMMUNISM  Communist call for international revolution  70,000 radicals joined the Communist Party in the U.S.  This included members of the International Workers of the World, a union group  What communist ideals threatened traditional U.S. ideals?  Palmer believed communist values were undermining American values  went after the “Red Scare”