Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
• 1917-33
• officially the split in terms of what you get marks for is 13% on
source interpretation and 7% on own knowledge
• Bust: the economic and social causes, and the social and political
consequences to 1933, of the Wall Street Crash.
Bust . the economic and social causes, and the social and political consequences to 1933, of the
Wall Street Crash: candidates should understand that the seeds of the Crash lay in the instability
of the boom years of the early and mid-twenties, in particular in the uneven distribution of
income, rural poverty and stock market speculation. Candidates should know about the
immediate causes of the Crash and about why the Crash should have led to the Depression. They
should know about the policies of Hoover and the effect his policies had on relieving the worst effects of the
Depression.
impact Henry Ford had on the automobile industry and on the USA economy in general
1903 – founded Ford Motor Company. 1913 – used assembly line (seen in slaughterhouses),
cheaper, more efficient (car took 1.5 hours not 12.5 hours to make). Prices dropped. 8 mill US
cars in 1920, 23 million in 1930. Techniques copied by other companies and industries. Reduced
working day, increased wage, no unions. Car industry=13% US production (1930) and boosted lots
of other industries too.
new business methods consequent upon the growth of huge corporations; mass consumerism and
easy credit
For consumers , hire purchase meant they only needed to find initial deposit, the rest could be
paid in instalments (fine if regular income). Radios (60,000 in 1920, 10 mill by 1929) both an
example of consumerism and a means to more (through advertising). Shares bought on the margin
(cover small % of cost in cash, rest through loans, to be repaid when sell on loans (obviously for
more money!) Banks doing well (getting repayment of war loans from Allies) and keen to lend.
how government policies helped create and perpetuate this boom, especially:-
Emergency Tariff Act of 1921 - temporary, on agricultural products, until F-Mc Act
Fordney-McCumber Act of 1922 – raised import duties on farm products, chemicals, textiles etc.
Tariff Commission set up to recommend changes to these tariffs, up or down, by up to 50%. Shift
to protectionism
tax reductions – eg 1925 Revenue Act, maximum surtax cut from 40% to 20%, gift tax abolished,
estate tax halved
Coolidge’s general policy of laissez-faire – believed in ‘minimal government’, claimed ‘the business
of America is business’. If big business had freedom, within a wall of economic protection,
prosperity would follow.
reasons for the Red Scare and how it developed in the USA via, for example, the Palmer Raids
high inflation –after WW1. 1919 - 4million workers on strike. Fears they were led by Communists
(1917 revolution in Russia) attempting to overthrow US system of govt. Assassination attempts on
eg Rockefeller. 6,000 arrests. Known as Palmer Raids after the Attorney General (who hoped to
get nomination as President in 1920). Palmer set up General Intelligence Division (forerunner of
FBI) led by Hoover.
why Congress passed the Emergency Immigration Law in 1921 and the Johnson-Reed Immigration
Act in 1924
Idea of USA as ‘melting pot’ had broken down. 19th+early 20th century- lots of immigrants, who
congregated in their districts in cities. 1910-20 – 6 million immigrants, lots from E Europe,
unskilled – cheap labour. Americans feared they would drive down wages. So – Quota Act 1921 –
3% per year of the foreign-born people of the same nationality who already lived in the USA in
1910. Applied to Italians, Poles and Russian Jews. BUT professionals were allowed in freely.
National Origins/Johnson-Reed Immigration Act 1924 – took this quota down to 2%, also no Asian
immigrants.
tensions these laws both reduced and exacerbated
Immigration fell drastically – problems with existing Chinese and Japanese communities in the US
– clear disrespect for the unskilled
understand how the Sacco and Vanzetti case reflected racial tensions
arrested for the robbery and murder of 2 men, carrying $16,000, in 1920. Common crime, but
accused were known anarchists who had avoided military service+supported strikes. Judge at trial
prejudiced against them because of this, and their Italian origins – had tried Vanzetti for
previous crime. Talked about case and criticised S+V. Executed 1927
ways in which the Ku Klux Klan reflected widespread racism in the USA
KKK refounded in 1915, against Catholics and Jews not just black people. Also anti-evolution. Gave
members a sense of power. Flourished in South. Appealed to many whites afraid of change
reasons for the Klan’s collapse as a mass organisation in the late 1920s
David Stevenson, leader in Indiana, convicted of second-degree murder after a woman he raped
committed suicide. Revelations of financial mismanagement in the KKK in Pennsylvania. Evans,
leader since 1924, tried to turn the Klan into more of a social club – some complained it had gone
soft.
how the Scopes trial reflected the tensions between rural, small town USA and the big cities
1925, Scopes read out a description of evolution to his class, deliberately to provoke a test case
on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (shows awareness of publicity – lots of media
attention). ACLU had Darrow, leading lawyer, who humiliated Bryan (champion of fundamentalist
politicians) in cross-examination
understand that the seeds of the Crash lay in the instability of the boom years of the early and
mid-twenties, in particular :-
uneven distribution of income – top 5% Americans earned 1/3rd total personal income. 50%
families earned less than $2000 (ie were below poverty line)
rural poverty – falling agriculture prices after WW1 (due to Prohibition, introduction of synthetic
fibres, and technical advances leading to an increase in farm output). 2/3rds farms operated at
loss? McNary-Haughen Bill passed through Congress but Coolidge vetoed it – would have involved
govt buying up all stock to sell abroad. In 1920s American farmers borrowed $2,000 million in
mortgages
stock market speculation – 1 million active speculators. Buying on the margin – 75% purchase price
of shares could be borrowed.
General advice
• Use the mark tariffs as a guide to the length and complexity of the answer, and
try to reserve two-thirds of the 60-minute examination for question (b).
• Take time to read the questions carefully and be certain about the precise
requirement of each question.
• Plan answers to the questions; this is especially important for question (b), where
a balanced, reasoned and supported judgement is expected.
Specific advice
(a) When cross-referencing to agree with or challenge a view or attitude, or to
explain a change, or to assess how far a claim is valid:
• accurate comprehension and analysis of the sources is needed
• responses should go beyond simple matching of surface features; they should
consider, as appropriate, inferences that can be made from the sources when
comparisons are made
• comparisons should be supported by reference to brief, specific phrases,
words or ideas in a source; excessive quotation from sources is not
encouraged
• never be tempted to write about the focus of the question from knowledge
that comes from beyond the source; the stem of the question will always
focus on what can be claimed on the basis of the provided material, not what
the candidate knows about that specific issue
• responses should go beyond the content of the sources to consider, from the
information given in the captions, the nature of the sources, their origins and
likely purpose
• the task involves giving weight to evidence by taking into account the
implications of the nature and purpose of a source in order to consider how
much support it can provide for a given statement
• attention should be paid explicitly to ‘how far’ there is support or challenge.
(b) Use of two or three sources and own knowledge to agree or disagree with a
presented view or interpretation. Candidates should:
• focus on the question
• note the relationship between the sources and the statement in the question
• use own knowledge to add depth and range to the points which can be drawn
from the provided sources
• present an argument
• use the required sources and own knowledge to support the argument
• reach a reasoned, supported and balanced judgement; this judgment should
be based on both precise knowledge and appropriately selected evidence
from the sources.