USA 191941

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USA 1919-41
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Background Knowledge

• The USA emerged from the First World War as the
  richest country in the world.
• At this point America turned to a policy of
  Isolationism which meant they isolated themselves
  from the rest of the world, and in particular
  Europe.
• During the 1920s it experienced a consumer boom
  as its industries poured out more and more
  products for Americans to buy.
• Good like motor cars, radios and washing machines
  became available to many ordinary people.
• Americans had more money to spend and more
  leisure time in which to spend it.
• This was the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties.

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What is isolationism?

• Definition of Isolationism
• Involvement without commitment - "advantages
  without obligations
• No permanent, entangling alliances
• Keep U.S. sovereign, free, at peace
• Emphasis on legalism, not force - a "law-bound"
  world of Great Powers keeping order

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Why did America follow a policy of isolationism?

• Tradition
• Dislike of the Old World
• Dangerous ideas
• Loss of life

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Tradition

• Isolationism was the traditional US policy
  towards the rest of the world.
• Wilson had in fact been re-elected as President
  in 1916 mainly because he promised to keep the
  USA out of WW1

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Dislike of the Old World

• The USA is a country of immigrants. In 1919 the
  majority of US citizens had been born in Europe
  and their experiences and memories of Europe had
  not been happy.
• For them Europe meant poverty, lack of freedom,
  exploitation, and oppressive governments.
• It was not surprising that they wanted to forget
  Europe and get on with building new lives for
  themselves.

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Dangerous Ideas

• The Europe of 1919 was full of revolutionary
  ideas e.g. socialism, communism and anarchism.
• There had been a communist revolution in Russia
  in 1917 and attempted revolutions in Germany and
  Hungary.
• Many people in the USA hated and feared these
  ideas. They did not want them to spread from
  Europe.
• Any further contact with Europe was to be avoided.

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Loss of life

• 100,000 US soldiers had died fighting in Europe
  during the First World War.
• Many Americans regretted this loss and did not
  want it to happen again.
• They were angry that their soldiers had died
  fighting a European war.

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Consequences of Isolationism

• They did not join the League of Nations an
  organisation set up by the Treaty of Versailles
  to keep peace in the future.
• There were restrictions on immigration set in
  1921
• total number allowed into the USA was limited
• A 1917 literacy test was imposed on immigrants
• A quota system was introduced numbers were
  only let in according to the proportion of people
  from that country already living in the USA.
• High tariffs (duties/taxes) were placed on
  products coming into the USA from other
  countries. This made them expensive for US
  customers and encouraged people to buy the
  cheaper American goods.

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