1920s, the Great Depression and Progressivism
The 1920s commonly referred to as the ‘'Roaring Twenties" was a time of great changes in America not just economically but also socially. Barely after WWI, America emerged as the de facto superpower coupled with a rapidly expanding economy. It was a period characterized by advancements in technology and the growth of the consumerism culture.
Historians see this period as the beginning of modern times as there was a shift towards what we regard as modern values such as equality for women. Urbanization contributed to the growth of consumerism. During this period, about half of America's population lived in urban areas as opposed to a mere 5% in the late 19th century (Okrent, 113). Employment opportunities were at an all-time high especially white collar jobs more so in the business sector and public service.
Source: Artic.edu
One of the motivations in the Roaring Twenties was the mass production of automobiles which had hitherto been a preserve of the wealthy. Affordable cars meant that a majority of Americans could now travel far and wide, therefore, spreading the consumerism culture with them. The growth of the automobile industry spawned other industries such as hospitality and downstream oil businesses.
It also coincided with the era of prohibition even though alcohol was almost always readily available due to bribery and corruption (Okrent, 113). It led to a whole underground industry of bootlegging that has often been described as the foundation for organized crime in the country. In fact, famous crime syndicate bosses such as Lucky Luciano flourished during this era. The period also experienced the rise of feminism. The clamor for women's rights was epitomized through increased incidents of women smoking and drinking in public. Many more women also got white collar jobs. The rise of feminism had been emboldened by the passage of the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote.
The entertainment scene also flourished with the spread of moving pictures creating a culture of cinema-going, especially for the middle class. Baseball became a national sport while jazz music rose to prominence. African American culture became more pronounced through initiatives such as those of the Harlem Renaissance. Politically, there were calls for greater American isolationism due to the devastating effects of WWI.
Progressivism
Progressivism is a philosophy of the view that improvements in the economy, research, and development, as well as the social organization, are essential elements in improving humanity and the conditions in which humanity lives.
Progressives saw the role of government not as political but administrative. For that reason, its expansion was necessary to enable it to deal with the social and economic challenges that the people faced at the time (Dewey, 39). Some of the challenges that arose in the late 19th century include increasing inequality due to the rise of capitalism and frequent conflicts between workers and owners of means of production. Progressivism seeks to counter naturalism by arguing that rather than being guided by natural law, we should be guided by historical progress. It encourages responding to challenges in a pragmatic approach. Progressives, therefore, attack constitutional theory and the political, economic structure that is espoused by it for they see it as rigid (Pestritt).
Source: ZoomVillage.com
Its idea of social justice as illustrated in the image above, is one in which there is a mutual understanding of the formulation of individual rights and collectively defined roles of the state and each individual which implicitly expands the role of government to facilitate increased voting and public participation.
Theodore Roosevelt became president of the U.S in 1901 and became one of the prominent progressives. He expanded the role of the presidency as well as increasing initiatives to bust corporate trusts in particular through the use of the courts (Flanagan, 173). Jane Addams was another popular progressive; she encouraged women to participate in civic duties. To her, participation in civic duties entailed women voting, and she vehemently advocated for the passage of the 19th amendment that would have granted women the right to vote. She championed the feminist course through encouraging the use of birth control and more women in leadership positions outside of their households. Former American president, Wilson Woodrow another prominent progressive leader, advocated for an expanded central government more so to regulate corporate trusts. It is during his administration that the Federal Trade Commission Act was passed in 1904 to reduce unfair practices and encourage competition in business. He also advocated for labor rights.
Progressivism espoused the idea of an increased role of the government, which continues to be the case even today. Despite America being a capitalist country where the laissez-faire situation ought to take place in markets, the government intervenes to prevent against corporate and the exploitation of labor. The liberal nature of progressives in advocating for women's right has seen the rise of feminism, and as is the case with many spheres of the society, women have taken up greater roles that had previously been the preserve of men.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression began soon after the October 1929 stock market crash. It lasted from 1929 to 1939 (Harman, 165). It is the most severe and extensive depression ever experienced in the industrialized world. Millions of investors lost their funds. The contagion effects of the stock market crash spread throughout the economy. The culture of consumerism which had experienced exponential growth in the earlier Roaring Twenties era declined drastically, which led to a drop in the level of investments. It culminated in massive layoffs while unemployment levels soared as illustrated by the image below. Those lucky to remain in their jobs had to contend with deep pay cuts. It spread to the housing market as most Americans who had taken mortgages could not pay up and as such the number of foreclosures also rose dramatically. As a consequence, there were bank runs that eventually led to the closure of many banks. Unemployment coupled with the lack of money, left many Americans homeless especially for the lower working class who were the most affected.
Source: Dvusd.org
Several reasons have been advanced as causes of the Great Depression. Some are of the view that the stock market crash caused panic, which (whether justified or not) spread to the other sectors of the economy. The other explanation offered is that the stock market crash was merely a symptom rather than the cause of the depression. This school of thought is of the view that the excessive expenditure by households and the government often fueled by debt led to a bubble. It resulted in overproduction, which in the long run resulted in a fall in prices hence discouraging production which led to the massive layoffs.
The public anger that resulted from the depression led to the downfall of Hebert Hoover and the subsequent election of Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. He created confidence in the public through frequent radio chats as well as by initiating a series of legislative reforms to support agricultural and industrial growth. The two would subsequently result in the creation of jobs.
The depression led to a shift in the social coherence that had previously existed. Crime and other social ills such as prostitution rose dramatically due to lack of employment. Alcoholism also increased as it became a form of escapism which was compounded by the 1933 repeal of prohibition. The country also experienced reorganizations in migration as a majority moved elsewhere in search of better prospects.
The New Deal
Following the Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover's stand that the government should not interfere with the market led to the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. President Roosevelt was pro-active in his approach to the crisis as opposed to his predecessor (Leuchtenburg, 99). He launched massive projects and programs meant to restore the nation's prosperity similar to that of the pre-crisis levels. The collection of all the measures he took is commonly referred to as the New Deal.
Source: “New Deal | Yesteryear Once More”
His inaugural speech was inspiring and created confidence. People finally saw in him a person that was ready to tackle the problem head on unlike the case before. It is perhaps this public vote of confidence that made it easy for him to pass most of the reforms and initiatives to solve the crisis. Soon after his inauguration, he announced a four-day bank holiday. It was meant to prevent further bank runs as well as allowing the Congress time to pass supportive legislation. The legislation was intended to restore and reorganize some of the solvent banks in a bid to inspire the people's confidence in the financial system. He also ended prohibition that had hitherto been the subject of heated debate.
He oversaw the passing of the Tennessee Valley Authority Act in which the federal government would build dams along the Tennessee River to control flooding and provide electricity. Such projects were also meant to create employment. He allowed greater workers' rights by supporting legislation to support worker's rights. He undertook these initiatives within the first a hundred days in office.
Despite his efforts, the crisis persisted. He, therefore, initiated the second phase of the New Deal, which created the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1935. It was involved in the building of critical infrastructures such as roads, bridges, and schools. These projects were partly meant to facilitate business but more so to provide employment.
Some of the initiatives that were undertaken by the New Deal continue to affect the lives of Americans to this day (Herman, 67). The National Labor Relations Act passed during his term, allowed workers the right to unionize to advocate for their rights. It is the same act that is still in force today. The Social Security Act of 1935 was passed with the intention of providing some form of unemployment insurance to Americans, pensions as well as providing some level of care for the disabled. The same system of social security is still in use up to this day.
Works Cited
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Dewey, John. Liberalism and Social Action. New York: Prometheus books, 2000. Print.
Dvusd.org. "7Th & 8Th Grade Social Studies / Unit 4: The Rise Of Totalitarianism & The Causes Of World War II". Dvusd.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Flanagan, Maureen. America Reformed: Progressives and Progressivisms, 1890s–1920s. New York: Prometheus books 2006. Print.
Harman, Chris. Zombie Capitalism: Global Crisis and the Relevance of Marx. London: Bookmarks Publications, 2009. Print.
Herman, Arthur. Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II. New York: Random House, 2012. Print.
Leuchtenburg, William. In the Shadow of FDR: From Harry Truman to Barack Obama. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2015. Print.
"New Deal | Yesteryear Once More". Yesteryearsnews.wordpress.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Okrent, Daniel. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2010.Print.
Pestritt, Ronald. “Progressivism and America's tradition of natural law and natural right" nlnrac.org, 2016 accessed [16 Mar, 2016], http://www.nlnrac.org/critics/american- progressivism
ZoomVillage.com. "Progressivism". ZoomVillage. N.p., 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
