A ReTurn to Normalcy? Chapter 15, Section 4

America Adjusts to Peace There was an influenza outbreak that began in September of 1918, shortly before the war ended. It began in the U.S. and spread worldwide. This caused a great worldwide panic and sense of doom around the world. The pandemic, coupled with rebuilding proved difficult for some countries.

America Adjusts to Peace The women and African Americans who had taken over industrial jobs during the war were forced out at the number of jobs decreased after the war. The slowing of the economy led to inflation, or a rise in prices. This, coupled with a competitive job market led workers to demand higher wages and shorter workdays. Workers went on strike to achieve these gains.

The Red Scare In Russia, Vladamir Lenin had led a revolution to overthrow Czar Nicolas II. This was known as the Bolshevik Revolution. When Lenin took over, he supported the spread of communism outside of Russia by encouraging revolutions in other countries.

The Red Scare The growing number of the revolutions around the war sparked fear in the U.S. This launched a series of raids, known as the Palmer Raids, to arrest and deport radicals. However, not everyone that was a victim of the Palmer Raids were radicals… some were just immigrants from southern and eastern Europe. They were targeted due to the fear of communism and their country of origin.

The Red Scare Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were two immigrants who were caught up in the fear of communism. They were accused of shooting two men in a robbery of a shoe factory. The eyewitnesses said the men ‘looked Italian.’ They were tried and convicted, even though there was no decisive evidence to convict them. Many believed the convictions were based solely on ethnicity rather than factual evidence.

Americans Embrace Normalcy Wilson hoped to maintain support for the League of Nations with the election of a Democratic candidate. Sadly, the Republican candidate, Warren G. Harding, won instead. When he took office, he pledged a “return to normalcy”, or a return to the simpler times, and policies that were in place before Wilson took office.

Americans Embrace Normalcy After WWI, Britain and France had a lot to recover from. Instead of producing their own goods, they bought many goods from the U.S. They subsequently had to borrow money from U.S. banks to pay for the goods. This led to the emergence of the U.S. as a creditor nation (meaning that other countries owed them money). This solidified the economic power of the U.S.

Dawes Plan