History Alive!Chapter 26

Understanding Postwar Tensions

26.2: Emerging Economic Tensions

Demobilization:• The transition from wartime to peacetime• Government officials

canceled contracts causing many factories to close

• Crop prices fell due to lack of overseas demand

• Millions of people are unemployed including returning soldiers

Recession:•A decline in in economic activity and prosperity

•Workers begin to organize into labor unions following WWI•Union organizations take different stances on workers rights

•American Federation of Labor (AFL) only represented the skilled laborers

•Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) members known as “Wobblies” wanted saw Socialism as the solution to workers problems

•Unions eventually lose public support and membership. Why? Page 335

26.3 Rising Labor Tensions

Radicalism: a point of view favoring extreme change especially in social or economic structures

I’m Karl Marx I came up with the theory of communism which

calls for public ownership of the

means of production resulting in a classless

society

Anarchists: oppose all systems of government. They want a society based on freedom, mutual respect, and cooperation

Socialism: Called for public ownership of the means of production including land and factories.

26.4 Growing Political Tensions

Red Scare •Postwar paranoia (fear) of radicals•Red was slang for communist

“subversives”

•People who sought to overthrow the government

•Palmer Raids: warrantless raids searching for weapons and taking records without permission

Civil liberties

•Basic rights guaranteed by law•Fearful Americans passed sedition laws which

made stirring opposition to the government a crime

Red Scare, subversives, and civil liberties

Cap the number of

people allowed into the United

states

Reduce the number of immigrants allowed into the United

StatesQuota

System!

•Congress responded to anti-immigrant pressure by passing the Emergency Immigration Act of 1921 and eventually the Immigration Act of 1924.

•Introduced a quota system which limited the number of immigrants from each country.

26.5: Increasing Social Tensions

Ku Klux Klan and the ACLUThe Ku Klux Klan made a resurgence during the 1920’s as defenders of traditional Americanism.

Targeted African Americans, immigrants, Jews, Catholics, and anyone viewed as “un-American”.

Used whippings, kidnappings, cross burnings, arson, and murder to terrorize communities

Specialized in the defense of unpopular individuals and groups. (political, immigrants, unions)

26.6 Enduring Racial and Religious tensions

Back-to-Africa Movement attracted up to 2 million followers and lots of money for business.

Our success educationally, industrially, and politically is based upon the protection of a

nation founded by ourselves.

Anti-Defamation League (ADL)Stop the defamation (false-accusation) of the Jewish people

Catholics were also targets of religious prejudice.Many people were concerned that the Catholic Pope would be running the country

What effect did postwar tensions have on America’s founding ideals?

• Equality

• Rights

• Liberty

• Opportunity

• Democracy