In the year 1914, when the First World War erupted, Woodrow Wilson the U.S President pledged neutrality, a position that was favored by the vast majority of Americans. Nevertheless, Britain was one of the closest trading Associates of America, and pressure soon stirred up between the U.S and Germany concerning the latter’s attempt to quarantine the British Isles. German mines destroyed numerous U.S. vessels moving towards Britain, and in the year 1915, Germany declared open warfare on all ships, impartial or otherwise, that crossed the war zone around Britain (Garraty and Carnes, 605). After one month, Germany stated that their vessel had wrecked the William P. Frye, a U.S private vessel. Woodrow Wilson was annoyed, but the German administration expressed regret and named the attack as an unfortunate blunder. On 7th May 1914, Lusitania a British owned ocean liner was attacked by Germany with no warning. 1,198 out of the 1959 passengers were killed including 128 Americans (Garraty and Carnes, 604).
The German administration maintained that the ship was transporting ammunitions, but America commanded compensations and a termination to German’s assaults on unarmed merchant and passengers’ vessels. In August the same year, Germany vowed to see to the protection of passengers before destroying unarmed ships, but in November, an Italian liner was sunk with no warning. The incident led to the death of 272 individuals, 27 of whom were Americans. These attacks made the public opinion of the US citizens start turning irretrievably against Germany.
The below pictures shows Lusitania ocean liner that was sunk by German submarine in 1915, killing 1198 passengers. The picture is a highlight of the destruction carried on during the war.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk.
On April 6, the year 1917, U.S declared war against the German Empire. U.S. was a sovereign power and did not formally join the Associates. It carefully collaborated with them militarily but solely to mend diplomatic ties. The U.S. made its main assistances in terms of raw materials, money, and supplies beginning in 1917. During the year 1918, a large number of American soldiers arrived on the Western Front led by General John J. Pershing. These soldiers played a big role in achieving the victory on November 11 the year 1918. U.S mobilized over Four million armed personnel and grieved hundred and ten thousand deaths, inclusive of forty-three thousand because of influenza pandemic (“The 1918 Influenza Pandemic”).
In 1918, Woodrow Wilson announced his ideas for a domestic, more exposed and eventually more nonviolent global structure, and with the collapse of Germany, he enthusiastically traveled to France to ensure that something was done to sustain global peace. Nevertheless, Wilson was not able to dominate Britain’s, France’s, and Italy’s desire for Germany to be disciplined. Wilson had a major impact on both Roosevelt. FDR was Wilson’s Navy assistant secretary and prudently saw the punitive lessons Wilson's League of Nations campaign extorted on his term. ER embraced Woodrow's guarantee to broadminded reform (Garraty and Carnes, 604).
Great Depression
Great Depression began in America after a decrease in inventory expenses that started in 1929 the month of September and became a worldwide newsflash with the inventory market ram of 29th October 1929, termed the Black Tuesday. This was the main factor that caused Great Depression. Two months after the ram, stakeholders lost over forty billion U.S Dollars (Frank, Bernanke, and Johnston, 98). Although the market started recovering a number of its damages, by late 1930, the recovery was not sufficient, and U.S actually was faced by Great Depression. People from working and middle classes stopped procuring commodities due to inventory market crash and fears of more economic afflictions. Reduction in procurement then led to less production, which then caused a reduction in labor force. As individuals became unemployed, they were not able to pay for the commodities bought on installments, and the commodities were repossessed; this meant more inventories started accumulating. Unemployment level went up to 25%, which led to even lesser spending to help assuage the economic situation (Frank, Bernanke and Johnston, 98). During the 1930s, over nine thousand banks failed.
The below pictures shows jobless men applying for jobs at American Legion Employment Bureau during the period of Great depression. It shows how desperate the people were to get jobs to sustain their families.
Source: English.illinois.edu
Deposits were not insured, and this led banks to fail their customers simply by losing their investments. Banks that survived were not willing to generate new credits as they were concerned about their survival and were not sure of the monetary situation. This aggravated the situation resulting in lesser expenditures. When the American administration saw that business had begun to fall, it established the Smoot-Hawley Tariff in the year 1930 to help safeguard its organizations (Frank, Bernanke and Johnston, 100). This tariff imposed a high tax on importations from foreign nations, which led to less trade among the foreign nations and America. In addition, some nations hit back economically against U.S.
Families of various ethnic, class, religion, and racial backgrounds suffered in major ways facing major social, psychological, and economical demands and strains. In 1933, family’s average income went down by 40% to stand at 1,911 U.S dollars from 3,179 U.S dollars in 1929 (Eichorn, 14). Numerous families lost their investments as banks collapsed in the 1930s. Many of them were evicted from their homes, as they were not able to pay rents. Both middle and working class families were severely affected by the situation. Many citizens could not understand why the depression took place and was not resolved. In addition, it was hard for many to understand why individuals should go hungry in nations possessing large food surpluses. In the early 1930s, individuals blamed bankers, Wall Street risk-takers, rumblings of disconnect and Hoover government. By the year 1932, small riots and hunger marches were commonly experienced throughout the countries.
Nations experienced many social changes during the era of Great Depression. There was a high crime rate throughout the nations as the unemployed individuals engaged in theft to earn a living. Others engaged in prostitution as they desperately sought for means to pay their bills. Health care was not a general priority anymore since visiting a doctor was reserved for direst of situations only. Alcoholism went high as many individuals sought for escaping outlets, compounded by countermand of exclusion in 1933. Throughout the nations, marriages were delayed as numerous men waited until they were to cater for the family needs before proposing to their prospective companions. For men who were already married, they ran away from their marriages and others learned about family planning to avoid additional expenses of unwanted births.
New Deal
President Franklin D. Roosevelt endorsed a chain of national programs in the U.S during his term (1933-1938), and a few that came in later on in response to the Great Depression. These programs were known as the New Deal. They included both governmental executive orders and laws passed by assembly during the President Franklin D. Roosevelt first term (1933-1937). New Deal concentrated on 3Rs (reform, relief and recovery); reform for the monetary systems to avert depression recurrence, relief for the unfortunate and jobless and recovery for economic systems to their standard levels. Roosevelt pursued a policy of active administration intervention in the economy (Ringer, 168). He was strong-minded to making operative modifications throughout his term. Roosevelt acted quickly to combat monetary disorder that crippled the country. During his first evening in administration, he ordered William Woodin, Treasury Secretary, to make a blueprint of an emergency investment bill, and gave him a deadline of five days to complete the job. Several reforms were hurriedly drawn and uncertainly directed with some essentially negating others. Throughout the New Deal period, public disapproval and discussion were not ever suspended or interrupted; in fact, it took to the individual civilian a sharp of awareness in administration (Ringer, 169).
The picture below shows some workers who benefitted from the New Deal Program.
Source: Fdrlibray.marist.edu
Credit and banking systems of America were in a paralysis condition at the time when Roosevelt acquired the presidential vow. With amazing swiftness, the America's banks were initially shut down and then re-opened simply if they stood solvent. The government implemented a policy of reasonable currency increase to begin an ascending drive in product prices and to give some assuagement to borrowers. New administrative agencies brought substantial credit services to agriculture and industry. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) protected investments bank securities up to 5,000 U.S dollars, and tough principles were forced upon the securities sale on the inventory exchange (Ringer, 168).
Throughout the New Deal period, federal administration’s size grew rapidly, and continuous growth was experienced throughout half of the century. New administration offices became everlasting, and civilians started looking upon the central administration for assistance during times when local towns, states, and charities used to deal with the problems. The central administration started influencing civilians’ daily lives, as it never did before. The economic system became firm to the administration control and regulation. More administration regulations on industry and corporates also were an effect of the New Deal.
Women
The beginning of the 20th era experienced modifications almost in every feature of the women’s daily life, from the internal surrounding to the community. Movements made by females changed the traditional male-controlled societal systems all over the world. Apart from the feminist movements, economic and technological changes during the century caused made it inevitable for women to be allocated same privileges as men (Escott, 130). Throughout history, women were not allowed to vote. Women who wanted the freedom to elect their leaders linked and created the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). The union was reasonable, and its associates were known as suffragists. Nevertheless, in the year 1903, a further extremist union named Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) was created (Escott, 130). Members were known as suffragettes led by Emmeline Pankhurst. They committed crimes such as vandalism and arson.
The below picture show women suffrage movement demonstrate for their rights one of them being the right to vote in the streets of London. It shows the determination to ensure gender equity and equality.
Source: Buzzfeed.com
In Britain, by 1918, women over the age of 30 years were allowed to vote, and in 1928, the voting age limit was lowered to 21 years - the same age as that of men (Vander, 95). In the year 1919, Nancy Astor was the archetypal woman MP and in the year 1929, Margaret Bondfield was the archetypal woman cabinet secretary. Women in all states in U.S were allowed to cast votes. By the year 1920, Rebecca Latimer Felton was the archetypal female senator in U.S in 1920 and in 1925 Nellie Tayloe Ross was the archetypal female Wyoming state’s governor in America. In terms of occupation, the first female cop was appointed in in Los Angeles in1910 and in Britain, the first female cop with full authority was selected in 1916. In 1919, women were permitted by Sex Disqualification Removal Act to become civil servants, vets, and lawyers. Irene Barclay was the archetypal woman Chartered Surveyor in 1922. Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) was created, and so was Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF) in 1917. Amy Johnson was the very archetypal female to aviate to Australia from Britain in 1930.
During the Progressive Era, conventional women created domestic clubs. After 1890, the clubs were in turn harmonized by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC). Throughout this Era, women applied traditional systems of woman-hood to defend their involvement in public issues. As metropolitan household keepers, they cleaned up cities, politics and looked after the well-being of their fellow citizen. Women also worked in the army as nurses and in provisional roles during World War I. Throughout the warfare 21,480 military nurses worked in army hospitals in America and overseas, and 18 black Americans military nurses served state side helping the German Prisoners of War (POW) and African-American soldiers. Over 1,476 naval nurses operated in army infirmaries stateside and overseas (Escott, 134).
Works Cited
“The 1918 Influenza Pandemic”. Virus.stanford.edu. N.P., 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Buzzfeed.com. "28 Powerful Pictures of Women Fighting For Their Right To Vote". BuzzFeed. N.p., 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Dailymail.co.uk. "Secret Of The Lusitania: Arms Find Challenges Allied Claims It Was Solely A Passenger Ship". Mail Online. N.p., 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Eichorn, Dorothy H. Present and Past Middle Life. New York: Academic Press, 1981. Print.
English.illinois.edu. "A Photo Essay On The Great Depression". English.illinois.edu. N.p., 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Escott, Beryl E. Twentieth Century Women of Courage. Stroud: Sutton, 1999. Print.
Fdrlibray.marist.edu. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. N.p., 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Frank, Robert H., Bernanke, B. and Johnston, L. Principles of Macroeconomics. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2009. Print.
Garraty, John A and Mark C Carnes. American National Biography. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Print.
Ringer, R. E. Excel Hsc Modern History. Glebe N.S.W: Pascal Press, 2006. Print. Pg. 168
Vander, Hook S. Democracy. Edina, Minn: Abdo Pub. Co, 2011. Print. Pg. 95
