america revison aqa gcse history

America: Paper 2 AQA GCSE History.

Why America chose Isolationism…

This section can be split into 3 different groups. This way it will be easier to remember facts.

Economic:

•The war caused UNEMPLOYMENT. Over 100,000 soldiers had no job to go to.

•Farmers made profits during the WW1. They sold produce to GB and FRANCE. When they overproduced prices dropped and many went bankrupt.

•4 MILLION people went on STRIKE because of poor and the lack of jobs. These strikers included THE BOSTON POLICE.



Social:

• Soldiers returned from the war and told horror stories.

•Radical groups blamed immigrants on Americas problems. This lead to the RED SCARE ( communism).

• There were 100 different nationalities, so they didn’t feel it was right to fight around the world.

•Society was FRAGMENTED. America felt that they should concentrate on their own problems.



Political:

• WW1 made people question whether or not they wanted to help other countries.

•Woodrow Wilson wanted to be more involved in the league of nations and the 14 point peace plan. He believed in idealism.

•Warren Harding wanted America to “return to normalcy.”

•He was supported by republicans such as Henry Cabot Lodge

•Harding won the election.

The consequences of America choosing Isolationism…

This section can also be split into 3 different groups. This way it will be easier to remember facts.

Economic:

•Before there was a free market. Isolationism brought with it “PROTECTIONIST POLICIES” this protected businessmen in America.

• Taxes were lowered for business men.

•The government had a policy called LASSIEZ FAIRE, this meant they did not get involved.

•They also started a tariff policy, this is when they raise the amount of money other countries had to pay to sell their goods in America.

• The first tariff was called the Fordney Mccumber Tariff this was raised 32 times in only a year.

•The next tariff was the Hawley-Smoot one.



Social:

• Before Isolationism the USA had an open door policy and resultantly had over 100 different nationalities.

• Isolationism divided society as it created tension and groups against immigrants such as the KKK.

• Immigrants were blamed for Americas problems.

• During the RED SCARE people were deported if they were thought to be communist.

• Italians lived in ghettos. This increased unemployment and crime. People turned against them. This divided society.

• Sacco and Vanzetti were 2 Italian immigrants that were executed with no proof of them committing any crime.



Political:

• The government changed to REPUBLICAN.

• Woodrow Wilson was “fascinated with distant nations.” He had a stroke on the election day.

• Warren Harding said the opposite, which is why he won.

He ideas were as follows:

• Laissiez faire

• Inward looking

• Ignore the problems of the world.

The Boom…

Mass Production?

• Mass production was when there were many workers but they all just did something very small to help. This made work easy and fast.

It helped other industries including:• Telephones – by 1929 there were 10

million of them.

• Radios – by 1933, 3 million households had them.

• Hoovers

• Fridges.

How did mass production help America?

It created more jobs and helped other industries not only the car one.

Glass – windscreensRubber – tyresLeather – seats Construction – roads

TOURISM as sparked off. The first ever motels were seen in this period.

The Boom…Henry Ford.

•Henry Ford changed America.

•A car used to cost 3000 dollars he made the price decrease to 298. He said his cars were for the “great multitude”

•It took a tiny 3 minutes for his factory to produce 1 car. This was because there was only 4 basic parts.

•Over 15 million were sold.

•He had 50,000 unskilled workers.

•They worked 8 hour shifts.

•Wages were low and speed was high.

Speculation…In the exam you could be asked about how the stock market caused the boom. Below Is what you should include.

• During WW1 middle class people bought bonds ( shares)

•After the war people thought about doing the same.

•They saw the rich making money and thought that they were missing out on something.

•So they invested in businesses such as the radio and fridge.

• The poorer people bought on the margin. This meant getting a loan from the bank.

•There was a lot of confidence in American economy.

•During the 1920’s share prices rose quickly. Prices went up by over 400%.

•Dividends resulted in more factories more jobs and overall more wealth.

Speculation…You could also be asked in the exam what attitudes were to speculation. You should then talk about this:

Newspapers• Shares were only for the rich• The super rich in New York.• They said people were more worried

about shares than their own health.

Middle Class• Had bought shares during the war to

help the government. • 9 million investors • They wanted fancy apartments in NY• They thought someone would always

buy shares.

The government. • They encouraged speculation.

• They kept interest rates low.

• Calvin Coolidge said “ as president “invest” in private you are a “fool”.

Working Class. • They thought shares were great.

• Why should only the rich make money?

• Safest stock markets were selling 12% interest every year.

The Cycle of Prosperity. This buy cycle was created when more money was brought into the economy.

A republican government:

•Because of the Laissiez faire policy employers were allowed to do anything they wanted. They were even allowed to break strikes with violence.

•They were allowed to make hours long and money low.

•Taxes were lowered for rich businessmen.

•People earning over $100,000 didn’t have to pay taxes.

• Interest rates were lowered. “ The easy money policy”

•The rich became even richer.


Hire Purchase:

•If you didn’t have the money you wanted it was possible to just loan it off of the bank.

•People began to live on credit.

• People therefore owed a lot of money to the bank.

•When you bought something you paid a small sum every week.

•People did this to “KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES”


Advertising:

• The demand for goods happened because of advertising.

•Mail order, posters, radios and cinema all helped with this advertising.

• People believed in saturation advertising. This was when they showed you as much as they could in as many different ways.

•Chain stores like Woolworths opened and this led to the closure of smaller shops. These smaller shops weren’t selling the big brand names.

•Big brand names included Heinz, Kellogg’s and Kodak appeared during this period.

•One famous advert said “ always a bridesmaid never a bride, try Listerine”

Cinema and Jazz. The cinema and Jazz was a new exciting people for Americans. People had more disposable wealth. Cinema and jazz also created jobs for people.

Jazz:

• Musicians like Duke Ellington and Fats Waller played jazz music.

• People, particularly old people said it was music of the devil or voodoo music.

• It was considered black people’s music.

• Dances were sexual. This had never been seen before. “ I wish I could shimmy like my sister Kate.”

• It was played in Speakeasies like the club 21.

• Places where jazz was played sold illegal alcohol.

• People were spending more money.

• This was mainly happening in the cities.

Cinema and Jazz. The cinema and Jazz was a new exciting people for Americans. People had more disposable wealth. Cinema and jazz also created jobs for people.

Cinema:

• Cinema was growing, there was now a screen in every town.

•Stars like Rudolf Valentino appeared during this time.

•The first talkie film was the “Jazz Singer.”

•100 million people went to the cinema every week.

• Actresses were now named in films, they hadn’t before.

• Charlie Chaplin became famous for slapstick comedy.

•Cinema was said to promote sex appeal.

Cinema and jazz created more and more jobs for people.

Rich vs. PoorOnly a few Americans were very rich, the majority lived on the breadline. 80% had no savings and had jobs linked to farming. But farming wasn’t doing well.

Rich:

• Remember the rich were businessmen. For example Henry Ford.

• Companies like MGM and paramount became rich. •Stars like Greta Garbo got paid $5000 a week to work. •The cinema in NY was nicknamed the “Cathedral of motion pictures.”• Henry Ford started this boom in the car industry. •At one point Ford was making $260,000 a day. •Ford was a philanthropist. • He could also afford to found charities and schools with his money.

THIS DIVIDED AMERICA. IT WAS DIVIDED FINANCIALLY.

Rich vs. PoorOnly a few Americans were very rich, the majority lived on the breadline. 80% had no savings and had jobs linked to farming. But farming wasn’t doing well.

Poor:

• Blacks in the south found I hard to find work and went to the cities to look for work.

•Immigrants left their jobs I rural areas to look for work in the cities.

•They suffered from discrimination ( poles/Chinese men)

• Machines took the work of many workers.

•In Tennessee girls worked in cotton mills for 16 cent an hour.

•Workers had no civil rights or liberties.

•Life became worst for farmers. Many lived in the breadline.

•After WW1 they couldn’t sell goods abroad.

•Prohibition lowered demands for barley etc

•The dustbowl also caused problems.

Immigration The government start this policy, so if any one was to blame for the hysteria and discrimination it’s them. The discrimination was took further and resulted in groups like the KKK.

Immigration The government start this policy, so if any one was to blame for the hysteria and discrimination it’s them. The discrimination was took further and resulted in groups like the KKK.

The Sacco and Vanzetti case. •2 Italians executed for a crime that they had no proof they did.•Italians were called wops and dagos. •Newspapers called them “Steerage Slime” •Little Italy

Ku Klux KlanEven before the KKK formed America was already divided racially because of laws that allowed blacks to be segregated and immigration.

Why did it grow?

• The KKK grew a lot in 1925, It went from having 100,000 member to over 5 million. •Propaganda films like “ Birth of a Nation” showed blacks taking over the country.•New members got $10. •It was a family thing to, they held fairs and other events. •They had some similar views to those of the government. For example anti-immigration. •They had rich supporters like the governor of Alabama. •Based in the south. •Joined because of prohibition, communists and blacks.


Actions:

•Klonversations, kloran and klodes were all part of the invincible empire. •Leaders were called Grand Dragons. •You could only join if you were a W.A.S.P. White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant. •Williams Simmons was the leader. – Imperial Wizard. •Put burning crosses on the lawns of blacks. •Tar and feather blacks along with lynching them. •416 lynching took place in the south in 1920. •They tries to get jobs in politics so that they could introduce laws. •Also attacked bootleggers/gangsters •They help family fairs and meetings.


Declines:

•Some thought they were too violent.

•Some believed in some things they said but did not want to use violence.

•The governor of Alabama was arrested for raping a murdering a lady.

•Drunkness, unemployment and violence were not solved so people left.

•Only people who now remained were against blacks.

Young PeopleAmerica was also divided socially. Between the young and the old. In 1923 the New York Times said “ The American woman has lifted her skirts far beyond modesty”

Flappers:

•Examples of women are Louise Brooks and Clara Bow.•Dress = Shingle, Bob hair cut. One hour dress, buckle shoes, rouge on knees. These dresses showed off the knees. •Actions = Smoking and petting parties. Ride motorbikes and drive model T. •They did sexy dances like the Charlton.•They went to speakeasies. •Attitudes = it was huge change from the traditional Gibson girl. •More freedom and a more exciting life.•The president of Florida Uni said the skirts were “ born of the devil.” •Young people were the ones going to the cinema and jazz clubs.

ONLY RICH YOUNG GIRLS WERE IIKE THIS. MANY OTHERS WERE STILL THE TYPICAL GIBSON GIRL.

Prohibition. Prohibition made alcohol illegal. This law was called the Volstead Act, and was part ofThe 18th Amendment.

Why was it introduced?

•Women's Christian groups wanted it because they thought it destroyed families.

•Carrie Nation broke up saloons with axes.

•Temperance groups wanted it because they thought it was against the teachings of Jesus.

•Ohio was the first state to go dry.

•Others called it King Kaiser. Because many brewers were German they thought that buying alcohol was going directly to the Kaiser and after ww1 they did not want this.


Some people were against prohibition:

• It became largely unpopular in the depression especially in the city.

• The “wets” opposed the “dries.” Roman Catholics thought the government shouldn’t be trying to control people as that was Gods job.


Actions:

• People drank in saloons. There were 100,000 in New York.

•People made homebrew in bathtubs called Moonshine.

• People bought near bear and Vine glo illegally.

• People smuggled it from Canada and Mexico. This was called bootlegging.

•People bought gin from gin girls they for $2 a bottle.


Why did it fail?

1/12 of the police force were bribed.

Mayor Thompson was bribed by Al Capone. This led a to a rise in crime.

• It was impossible to police 19,000 miles of borders in America.

• There was only 1500 federal officers.

• People wanted to drink. Even the rich on Lakeshore drive were drinking.

•Cost was too high to the government.

america revison aqa gcse history

Education

consequences of america

different groups

war people

mass production help

henry fordchanged america

isolationism divided

ww1made people

ww1 middle class people