1. Chapter 12 Section 1 Notes Economic problems after WWI
1. Returning soldiers want jobs back
Took jobs from women, blacks, and
immigrants who fled Europe during war
Raised the unemployment rate
2. Cost of living increased
People had to make more $ to afford
the same life
3. Businesses and Farmers didn’t have an
automatic buyer for their products anymore

2. Economic Problems lead to fear
Isolationism
not getting involved in foreign affairs.
We stayed out of League of Nations… remember!

3. Nativism
prejudice against foreign – born people.

4. Anarchism
Belief that all forms of govt. should be abolished (done away with)
Use force to achieve this
Anarchy symbol
Anarchists set off bombs near stock exchange on Wall Street in NY City (1920)

5. Communism
Belief that the government should take ownership of all private property and redistribute wealth equally to the public.
No rich… No poor… All the same.
Biggest
Fear for
U.S. Govt
And Big
Business
Owners
By Far
WHY?
They have
the most
to lose!

6. Summarize the feelings represented by the 2 cartoons above

7. Spread of Communism in U.S. after WWI
successful Communist Revolution in Russia
Based on writings of Karl Marx’s book The Communist Manifesto
Vladimir Lenin was the leader
Bolsheviks were his followers (Reds)
Establishment of Communist Party in the U.S.
Only 70,000 people… many were union members.
Some began to take action in an attempt to abolish capitalism
examples = protests, bombs, strikes

8. Red Scare The Govt. started to take action
led by A. Mitchell Palmer (U.S. Attorney Gen.)
Raided homes of suspects without warrants
Jailed suspects without trials or lawyers
Deported suspected non – citizens
Very little evidence was collected to support the
suspected Communist takeover
It sure “scared” U.S.
citizens used to having
Civil Rights

9. Sacco and Vanzetti
Italian immigrants that openly opposed the U.S. govt.
suspected of robbery & murder
Very little evidence (all circumstantial)
judge was openly prejudicial towards them
Many around the world protested the trial
found guilty & executed (electric chair)
trial represents the popular nativist and
anti – communist feelings throughout
most of society at the time.

10. The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan
over 4 million members by the mid 1920’s
almost all white, native – born males of
Western European ancestry (WASP’s)
anti – black, immigrant, jew, catholic,
union, booze (equal opportunity haters)
influential in politics during the 1920’s

11. Legal Limits placed on Immigration
U.S. started setting quotas (limits) in 1920s for the 1st time.
Most countries except Canada and Mexico have less people enter
Germany actually increased (smart people allowed in)
Focused mostly on “undesirable people” (pg. 416 of textbook)
Eastern and Southern Europe
Catholics and Jews
Communists
Japanese (none allowed)
Nativists wanted stricter limits

13. The Status of Labor Unions
During the War
not allowed to strike (govt. needed max. production)
After the War
lots of strikes
low wages, long hrs, bad conditions

14. Summary of Union activity during the 1920’s
Membership dropped because
immigrants willing to get low $ in bad conditions
difficulty in organizing (a lot of different languages)
most unions excluded African – Americans
people not interested in joining with possible “Communist” label attached. (Media scared workers into staying away from unions)