World War I Lesson 4 The War’s Impact

1. What increased the cost of living after the war? rapid inflation Why did business leaders want to break the power of the unions? Membership in unions had grown; they were better organized and more capable of striking

How was the Seattle General Strike different from other strikes of the time? it involved all the workers in the community, and it paralyzed the city.

Why was the Boston Police Strike important? About 75 percent of the Boston police force walked off the job, causing riots and looting. The governor called the National Guard and upheld the firing of the striking policemen.

How did the steel strike affect the steelworker’s union? The strike failed and the union cause in the steel industry was set back for more than a decade What circumstances contributed to the race riots of 1919? Economics conditions were difficult, causing many Americans to be laid off. Returning soldiers had difficulty finding jobs and affordable housing. Many blamed African Americans who moved north for jobs during the war.

What was the Red Scare? nationwide panic that Communists could seize power in the United States.

How did violence add to the climate of fear? Homemade bombs were sent to prominent Americans and riots occurred. What were the Palmer Raids? The attorney general raided offices of immigrant unions and radical organizations because of the Red Scare.

Who was the Republican candidate who won the election of 1920? Warren G. Harding

Summary and Reflection What conditions were present in the United States after WWI? By 1919 there were economic problems such as inflation, very few jobs, and thousands of strikes due to labor unrest. Because many African Americans took over jobs vacated by white service men, racial tensions were high. Americans felt threatened by communism.

The great migration Why do you think Henry Ford and other wanted to recruit workers from the South? Northern factory owners needed workers of any kind, and the population of African Americans in the South was not going off to war in as high numbers as whites, which meant they were available. Also, Southern African Americans were historically paid low wages, which meant that they would be grateful for the better wages offered in Northern factories and unlikely to unionize or agitate for improvements.

What other factors besides overcrowding might have contributed to the race riots of 1919? Many returning soldiers had a difficult time findings jobs Unemployed whites blamed working African Americans for hardships causing racial tensions to grow in cities

Why do you think the population of Southern African Americans became more urbanized during the Great Migration? The entire country was becoming more urbanized during the early twentieth century as American agriculture struggled and American industry boomed. In addition, war production and capacity were not limited to Northern cities; cities across the nation saw an increase in production. Southern cities offered work in the same way that Northern cities did.

What kinds of cultural changes do you think the Great Migration brought to the African American community? movement of more African Americans to cities faster pace of life cultural influences prosperity and movement into the middle class What do you think were some of the long term effects of the migration of African Americans from rural Southern areas to Northern urban areas? prosperity and movement into the middle class for some life restricted to poor urban areas eventually the Civil Rights Movement