20th Century US History 1900 1928

20th Century US History, 1900-1928

Student’s Name

Course

Date

20th Century US History, 1900-1928

Impact of WW1 on Progressivism, American Culture and the Place of the United States in

Global Affairs

The World War 1 had a massive impact on the United States during 1920s as it was the

foundation for many reformations and changes in the American society.

Its effects were

experienced on almost every aspect of the society ranging from culture, women’s place in

the society, politically as well as economically. In addition, it did not only impact the

American culture but also progressivism and the place of the United States in global

affairs.

After the world war 1Progressivism was cast as a form of idealist progress, which was

depicted as a way of making the world safe for democracy. In addition, it depicted WW1 to be

the war to end all wars, which failed because many Americans decided that being engaged in the

war was a bad idea and hence they retreated towards isolationism instead of internationalism.

This was also driven by the fact that there had been a war that had taken place between civilized

nations and supposedly advanced that brought about questioning about the whole idea of

progress. Furthermore, the United States was a more conservative pro business climate as a result

of post war economic boom. There was establishment of quotas whose main aim was to curtail

immigration from particular nations.

1 Frederick, Lewis Allen, Only yesterday: An informal history of the 1920's, (Vol. 12. John

Wiley & Sons, 1931) 23-54

2 Steven Watson, The Harlem Renaissance: Hub of African-American Culture, 1920-1930, (New

York: Pantheon Books, 1995) 111-123

This exploitation was among the factors that caused animation of progressives. Slowing

of immigration changed the emphasis of the movement. While progressivism declined,

conservatism surged after the war. However, it never went away completely. Due to a number of

malnourished young people who failed to attain the standards of getting in to the army,

children’s health was highlighted by the war because it was one of the concerns for

progressives.

Sheppard- Towner Act was passed by the federal government, which purposed to

fund social welfare program. It also provided grants to community organizations in order to build

clinics that supported women and infant health; a time when mortality was still high and

childbirth was the second ranked cause of death in women. This paved a way for the

progressives’ goal to provide for the social welfare of its citizens.

The industry production in the United States boomed as a result of joining the war. In

order to support the war, manufacturers had to keep production up to the needed pace. New

technologies were deployed to produce materials at a short span of time so as to meet the

demand of the government and the people. Employment opportunities opened for women and

African Americans. One of the cultures in America before the World War 1 was that women

were not allowed to take part in activities outside the homestead.

However, this changed

drastically as a result of the war because women were allowed to work for the military. The main

reason behind this is that during this boom in the industry, most American men were working

oversees and hence the positions in the military had to be filled. While men were fighting in the

3 John Milton Cooper, Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920, (WW Norton &

Company, 1990) 67-89

4 Frederick, Lewis Allen, Only yesterday: An informal history of the 1920's, (Vol. 12. John

Wiley & Sons, 1931) 23-54

5 Steven Watson, The Harlem Renaissance: Hub of African-American Culture, 1920-1930, (New

York: Pantheon Books, 1995) 111-123

war, women were working in the factories in order to support their families. This independence

of working class women was carried over in to the after effects of WW1. Before the onset of the

war, women were campaigning for universal suffrage but the politicians would not allow them to

participate in the elections.

Nevertheless, this attitude changed after the war when women were

allowed to hold the same position as men in politics. This is mainly because President Wilson

though that they deserved it after being so helpful in the war. In addition, black Americans also

migrated to the city to find jobs. The highly productive industry proceeded to the Great

Depression. World War 1 also became a display for technologies and warfare.

America’s entry in to the World War 1 in 1917 marked the beginning of its path to

becoming a super power.

This was the sole goal of some politicians in Washington, who were

already forging plans to replace the sterling pond with the dollar as the international reserve

currency. However, the war was a turning point for the making of the American nation as it

turned away from the problems of other counties such as Europe and focused on dealing with

problems of its own. After the elections, Warren Harding saw the necessity of the country to

worry about issues within its borders. Moreover, American citizens also made it clear that they

were fed up by sacrificing their lives and money to solve other peoples’ challenges. America just

wanted to live its own life and make the country a better place. Wilson and Roosevelt had

foreign policies that aimed at driving the nation in to becoming a major world power. However,

after the end of the war, the United States intervened in foreign affairs a couple of times in order

to serve democracy and cat as the international police.

6 John Milton Cooper, Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920, (WW Norton &

Company, 1990) 67-89

Discuss the Schisms in American Society in the 1920s

The 1920s were known to be a period of dramatic changes for the United States. This era

was characterized as melting pot due to the increase in political, social and economic differences

from all the new races born from immigration (Allen, 24). It was evident that America was going

through some changes as it had only come from a great war. The nation did not want to be united

despite the immense changes in all aspects of the society. Many American citizens lived in the

cities. The increasing affordability of automobile made people more mobile than ever. There

were many divisions and conflicts such as the city and country, science and religion,

Victorianism and modernism. In addition, it was termed as the tribal decade because of the

cultural clashes as expressed in the Klan Revival, the Red Scare, the Garveyites, the Scopes

Trial and the Election.

The Conflict between City and Country

As mentioned earlier, the 1920s was a decade that the United States became an urban

country. There was resentment in rural towns against the growing urban mindset that was

permeating America (Cooper, 70). Those citizens who did not live in the city felt that the values

associated with urban life required to be opposed. These sentiments resulted to several cultural

battles that were at the center of American life during the decade.

The Conflict between Science and Religion

One of the documented conflicts between religion and science during the 1920s is that the

Butler bill was passed leading to the ban of the theory that denied the story of divine creation and

to teach that man descended from a lower order of animals (Watson, 115). The disagreement was

that religious groups believed that man was created by God while scientists believed human

beings to be descendants of animals. This conflict resulted to numerous court cases as well as

banishment of laws. An example of the major cases resulted from the disagreement was Scopes

Monkey Trial.

The Conflict between Victorianism and Modernism

In the 1920s, the American society started to adopt new values that posed a threat to

traditional values that were carried over from the 19

century (Allen, 24). Throughout the

decade, conflict between Victorianism and modernism could b seen in both literature and the

drama of American culture. Modernism was a core movement of the youth that challenged the

Victorian art and the values of the generation before them (Allen, 24). Modernists put a great

emphasis on the future as they were looking forward to what was coming on their way. For

instance, modernists had a prime motif of living in the urban areas and fast paced cities while

Victorians remained in their small communities and villages.

The Cultural Clash of the 20s (The Tribal Decade)

The 1920s was a decade of change for America. After the end of the First World War, a

new cultural dynamism followed driven by progressivism movement that came to an end when

the United States entered the Great War (Cooper, 70). Furthermore, this was a decade defined by

a shift from rural agricultural life to urban industrialization. The shift from traditional family life

to metropolitan life occurred at a faster rate than any other social swift in the economy. These

changing tides caused cultural clashes and confrontations throughout the decade as America

strived to define its position as a world power.

For instance, the Ku Klux Klan grew dramatically as majority of its members were from

rural America, who continued to use violence to prevent the decline of their status (Watson,

115). It was an organization formed by white southerners during reconstruction. Their main

target was to destroy the newly freed African American population (Lecture Notes). It gained its

support from the working class members who were in competition with blacks for employment

and housing. 10 years after its revival, it declined in 1925 as a result of scandals involving its

leadership and reduction in immigration numbers.

The Red Scare was a period of antiradical hysteria in which there was labor unrest and a

wave of bombings, which led to the fear that the United States was on the verge of revolution

(Watson, 117). However, it faded after 1920s but strengthened the belief in a connection between

radicalism and foreigners. The Scopes Trial, also known and the Monkey Trial was as a result of

conflict between religion and science as mentioned earlier. It was a prosecution of a science

teacher for teaching evolution in a Tennessee public school, which had been made illegal by a

recent bill. It was an opportunity to challenge the constitutionality of the bill to legitimate the

theory of evolution as well as to enhance the profile of ACLU (Watson, 119). Lastly, Garveyism

was an aspect of Black Nationalism that referred to the political and economic policies of UNIA-

ACL founder. It was an empowerment of African American race. Garvey was responding to the

discrimination against black by white people.

Bibliography

Allen, Frederick Lewis. Only yesterday: An informal history of the 1920's. Vol. 12, John Wiley

& Sons, 1931. 23-54

Cooper, John Milton. Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920. WW Norton & Company,

1990. 67-89

Watson, Steven. The Harlem Renaissance: Hub of African-American Culture, 1920-1930. New

York: Pantheon Books, 1995. 111-123

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."