The Roaring Twenties Part 2

1. The Roaring Twenties Part 2 Politics and Prosperity

2. 38 Karl Marx 1818 - 1883 Wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848

3. 39 Communism • A political and economic ideology • Government ownership of all land and property • A classless society where wealth is distributed according to people’s needs • A single political party controlled by the government • The country’s needs are always more important than the individual

4. 40 Bolsheviks • Communists rebels who overthrew the Russian government in Nov. 1917 • Russian word for “majority” • Led by Vladimir Lenin • Their emblem was a red flag • Their army was called the Red Army

5. Vladimir Lenin –Leader of 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia

7. Lenin dies in 1924 – Body encased in glass mausoleum

8. Lenin’s embalmed body

9. 41 The Red Scare • An intense fear of communism and other radical political ideas that spread through the U.S. in the 1920’s • Triggered by Communist take-over of Russia and Hungary and labor strikes in the U.S. • Suspected communists were arrested and charged with sedition • Many were jailed, removed from office, or exiled

10. Sedition 42 Any action or language that incitesrebellion against the authority of the government

11. The Red Scare: Democracy in danger?

12. 43 Anarchists People who oppose any form of political authority

13. 44 Sacco-Vanzetti Trial • April 1920 – Braintree, MA • Guard and paymaster at a shoe factory were robbed and killed • 2 Italian immigrants were arrested • Convicted and sentenced to death • Many believed that it was fear of their radical anarchist political beliefs that led to an unfair verdict • April 1927 - Both were electrocuted after years of appeals

14. Bartolomeo Vanzetti & Nicola Sacco

15. The guilty verdict was protested internationally

16. A mob in Mexico protests the execution

17. 45 Warren G. Harding • 29th President • 1921 – 1923 • Republican • From Ohio • Campaign called for a return to “normalcy”

18. “Normalcy” 46 Harding’s suggestion that the U.S. wished to return to a calm, normal way of life after the stressful events of the previous decade, such as Progressivism, World War I, and the Red Scare

19. 47 Harding’s Policies • Isolationism – U.S. would not join the League of Nations • Disarmament – nations should voluntarily give up their weapons • Immigration restrictions • Tariffs raised to protect American business from foreign competition

20. 48 Teapot Dome Scandal • Harding’s Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall, gave drilling rights on government owned naval oil fields in Wyoming to 2 private oil companies • Received nearly $400,000 illegally • No evidence that Harding was involved • Fall was fined $100,000 and sentenced to a year in prison

21. Teapot Dome, Wyoming

22. Whom is this cartoonist blaming for the Teapot Dome scandal?

23. 49 Calvin Coolidge • 30th President • 1923 - 1929 • Republican • Massachusetts • VP under Harding - Takes office when Harding dies in Aug. 1923 continued

24. 49 Calvin Coolidge • A man of few words – “Silent Cal” • “The chief business of the American people is business.” • Took a laissez-faire approach to business • The government should leave business alone and let it grow

25. 50 Kellogg-Briand Pact • 1927 - Agreement written by U.S. Secretary of State, Kellogg, and French Foreign Minister, Briand • 60 nations pledged not to use the threat of war against each other

26. The Economy Booms

27. Consumer Economy 51 An economy that depends on a large amount of spending by consumers

28. 52 Consumer Economy Cycle

29. 53 GNP Increased • Gross National Product • The measure of a country’s productivity • The total value of goods and services produced annually

31. New Electric Gadgets Available to the American Consumer • Radios • Toasters • Vacuum cleaners • Sewing machines • Refrigerators • Coffee pots • Ovens • Irons

32. Housework Made Easier

33. 1920’s General Electric Electric Range

34. Electric refrigerators replaced “iceboxes”

36. Catalogs sold everything for the home – including the home

37. And what was the greatest invention of the age?

38. 54 Henry Ford • 1896 – invented the quadricycle • 1899 – started the Detroit Automobile Company – made 22 cars • 1900 – business failed continued

39. 54 Henry Ford • 1901 – There were over 50 companies making cars, but only the wealthy could afford them • Ford wanted to “democratize the automobile” by making them cheaper • 1903 – Started the Ford Motor Company • Mass produced the Model T using assembly line production

40. 55 Assembly Line • A process in which each worker completes a single specific task in the production process • At the end of the line, the product is complete • Ford’s assembly line produced a Model T every 24 seconds

41. Question - How did Henry Ford convince investors to back his plan to produce cheap reliable cars after his first venture had failed?

42. Answer Ford, at the age of 38, entered a race against the most famous racer in the country, Alexander Winton. Ford’s “Sweepstakes” had 26 horsepower. Winton’s “Bullet” had 70 horsepower.

43. In a 10 lap race, Ford came from behind in the 7th lap to beat Winton by a wide margin, averaging 45 mph. What made the difference?

44. Winton’s car began to misfire badly, but Ford’s car had a spark coil insulated with a porcelain case designed by a dentist. (The forerunner of the spark plug) Ford won $1000 and a punch bowl, and found financial backers for his new car company.

45. Ford gaining on Winton in Oct. 1901 race in Grosse Point, MI Ford (the man) Ford (the car)

46. Henry Ford’s “Sweepstakes” 2 cylinders – 539 cubic inches – 26 hp – top speed 72 mph

47. Ford and the 1921 Model T

48. Model T – 15 million sold between 1908 and 1927 1927 Model

49. 1923 Ford Grain Truck

50. How did Americans afford all these new toys?