Don't Know Much About History 3/31/11

1) Name five important books of the 1920s. Three Soldiers, The Sun Also Rises, Main Street, The Great Gatsby, and Elmer Gantry.
2) What was the first "talkie"? How did it change America? The first talkie was The Jazz Singer, which starred Al Jolson in blackface. After that, Hollywood spent millions of dollars to produce movies because the public couldn't get enough of them.
3) Discuss the "Red Scare of 1919". After a bomb exploded outside his home, Attorney General Palmer unleashed the "Red Scare". It was about communism, and using America's fear of foreign people and ideas. Communism was alive and well in Russia, and the American's didn't want that to happen to them, so it was easy to create hysteria with the "Red Scare".
4) What was the 18th amendment? Why was it enacted? How did it go wrong? The 18th amendment was the prohibition amendment. It was supposed to fix social instability and moral decline at the beginning of the 20th century. It was unenforceable, and bootlegging became a profession seen almost everywhere. It presented to the public a better life, but it overlooked things like increased fatalities from the use of rubbing alcohol, the rise of organized crime, and the idea that Americans like their booze.
5) Who were Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul? They were both feminists pushing for women's rights. Susan B. Anthony co-founded NWSA and lobbied for local reforms in New York. Alice Paul was a Quaker-raised woman who studied in England. She brought back British-style protests for women's rights, which ultimately helped to gain suffrage in the United States.
6) What is important about Henry Ford? How did he change America? He didn't actually invent anything, he just perfected versions of the car and the assembly line. He envisioned a car for the masses. The model-T car revolutionized American life in that it revived the American dream of freedom and the open road.
7) What is important about Charles Lindbergh? How did he symbolize the times? He also invented nothing. He did, however, perfect the design of the Wright Brothers. The air industry was symbolic of the venturesome spirit of the times. He designed The Spirit of St. Louis, which allowed him to become the first man to fly solo over the Atlantic. He symbolized adventure and expansion and, most importantly, freedom.
8) What were "pool operators" and how were they crooked? Men working together in "pools" bought cheap shares of stock, then drove up the prices inside their group. They brought in outside investors and convinced them to buy at artificially inflated prices. Then the outside investor, or the "sucker", was left holding overpriced stock.
9) How were stocks inflated? How did this cause the crash? People were conned into believing that America had hit "good times". People pulled their life savings from banks and put them in stocks and securities. Investors only had to put down 10-20% to buy a stock, and the rest was available from cheap credit. Eventually, people panicked when the prices hit a peak, and they started pulling out. The problem was, they sold their stocks before they could pay back their brokers, so the brokers could not pay back the banks. This is what caused the crash.
10) What was Black Thursday and Black Tuesday? Black Thursday was October 24th, 1929. 13 million shares of stock were sold off. Black Tuesday was October 29th, 1929. Over 16 million shares were sold on that day.
11) What was Hoover's view of Government relief programs? He didn't believe in them. He believed that the government shouldn't get involved in people's business. He believed the economy would fix itself and that people were tough and could just wait out the depression because it was just part of an economic cycle that happened all the time. He thought relief programs were socialist or communist.
12) What was the "Bonus Army"? It was a large group of veterans and their families who had been promised a bonus to be given in 1945. They camped outside the White House and the Capitol to get their money, because they needed it and knew they deserved it. They were attacked by the military and run off with the use of huge force sent by Hoover.
13) What happened during the "Hundred Days"? FDR and the Congress passed many relief and reform pieces of legislation, sometimes without even reading them. They were aimed at making a dent in the problems that the Depression had caused. FDR's attitude was to try anything, and if it didn't work to get rid of it.
14) What was the WPA and what did it do? The WPA was the Work Projects Administration. The WPA was responsible for 10% of the new roads in the US. It also built new hospitals, city halls, courthouses, and schools. They also set up artistic projects that employed thousands of musicians, writers, and artists.
15) What were Roosevelt's FIRESIDE CHATS and why did they become important? Fireside Chats were FDR's way to speak to the American public. They were talks that he gave on the radio. They became important because it was the first time that the people felt the government was speaking directly to them.

WWI Questions 5-20

5. They formed alliances for mutual protection. It kept peace and had all the countries of Europe looking out for one another. The more alliances you had the better offense and defense you ended up with. 

6. Arthur Zimmermann, the minister of Germany, sent a telegram to Von Eckhardt, the minster of Mexico, saying that if they were to join alliances, Germany would help Mexico get back the lands that the United States took in the Mexican-American War. When information regarding this telegraph showed up in the news paper, people were upset with Germany. This helped bring the United States government into the war. 

7. The Sussex Pledge was a promise made in 1916 during World War I by Germany to the United States saying that they had to promise to warn neural ships and passenger vessels before attacking.  

8. Woodrow Wilson 

9. It allowed the Germans to move hundreds of thousands of troops from the Eastern Front - line of battle - to the Western front of France. The Germans were then able to launch a powerful offense against the Allies. 

10. It provided new job opportunities for women and minorities. Many women joined the workforce for the first time. Women were hired for jobs previously held by men. With people migrating it allowed us to expand manufacturing and industrialization to another level. 

11. President Woodrow Wilson - Prime Minister David Lloyd Clemenceau of France - and Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando of Italy. 

12. He was afraid that American Troops and American Ships might be ordered to any part of the world by nations other than the Unites States. 

13. It allowed them to see troops movement and bomb enemy targets. It was an easier way of transportation for not only people but goods, resources, and weaponry. 

14. Wilson could then claim that the Allies were fighting a war of democracy against autocracy rule by one person with unlimited power. 

15. United States, France, Great Britain, and Italy. 

16. Labor Shortage was caused by two main reasons, one being that millions of men left their jobs in industry to serve in the armed forces which left gaps in jobs. There weren't enough industrial workers and not enough people were migrating to fill the empty slots. Another was the high demands for goods and supplies. Industries and manufacturers had a lot of pressure put on them to fulfill the demands needed in the war. 

17. 

After The War: 

      a. 27 nations gathered in Paris for a peace conference

      b. Europe was destroyed - people were homeless and hungry. 

      c. Wilson outlined Fourteen Points - proposed a number of principles for conducting international relations. 

      d. Wilson made the League of Nations 

Peace Conference

     a. Leaders didn't show enthusiasm for the Fourteen Points 

     b. Different Countries wanted different things - revenge, payment, etc 

     c. Not everyone would agree with Wilson's plan 

     d. The treaty of Versailles was signed - Germany accepted full responsibility for the war and paid for it - the                   world map was rearranged 

     e. The League of Nations was included in the Treaty 

Opposition at Home 

     a. Treaty of Versailles to the US Senate - there were doubts 

     b. People worried about the League of Nations 

     c. Senate had concerns about the Treaty mainly the League of Nations - big opponent was Henry Cabbot- He didn't want the U.S troops and people taking orders from anyone other than the US.

     d. Wilson went on a national speaking tour to gain support 

     e. Wilson had a stroke

     f. All the treaties were rejected 

     g. The US signed a separate peace treaty with each of the Central Powers. 

18. About 50 miles or so. 

19. East - towards Belgium 

20. France