Effects Of WWI
Objectives
Influenza
The end of the war was hard for America; a deadly form of the flu virus called influenza was diagnosed in America. It started off as a bird flu that mutated and spread to humans. It was said that it originated in America, but it spread like wildfire to the rest of the world. This disease was said to take away ten years from the life of a person. This virus killed nearly 50 million people in 1918. It started off as a three day fever, and only some deaths were reported. But when the virus resurfaced in the fall, it came back more severe. This fatal virus gave people around the world a sense of doom and gloom. The significance of this was that now Americans were forced to find medical advancements, brining us to where we are today.
Video on influenza
Inflation
Because of the rationing during the war, after the war many Americans rushed to stock up on their food. The combination of the scarcity of these goods and the wide-spread demand caused inflation. During the war, Hoover's plan caused the prices of agricultural food to go up, but after the war the farmers' prices fell dramatically causing another hard time for farmers. Industrial workers' pay no longer was able to buy as much as it did during the war. The workers turned to strikes to promote larger wages and shorter days. While some strikes were won, many more were lost.
Red Scare
The reaction against labor was partly due to a wave of fear of radicals and communists. The Soviet Union becoming communist caused the fear. This prompted the first American Red Scare. This happened because people suspected that communists and radicals were plotting in America a revolution. Authorities found that bombs were being sent to important industrialists as well as officials in government. One was sent to Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. He started the Palmer Raids, which was police arresting thousands of guilty and innocent people. These innocent people arrested were usually just immigrants from southern or eastern Europe. In order to protect important liberties, the people formed the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). This union tried to become involved in important court cases, one of which was the trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. These two men were Italian immigrants and known anarchists. They were charged with the shooting and killing of two people at a shoe factory. A witness said the robbers looked Italian, so these men were arrested. Eventually, they were killed via electric chair.
US Role in World Affairs
In the election of 1920, Wilson hoped that the new president would prove that Americans supported the league of nations. The election of Warren G. Harding proved the final rejection of the league of nations. Harding wanted to deny Wilsonian idealism and move towards normalcy. This normalcy was the normality of the simpler times before. After Harding won the election, Harding did not attempt to completely withdraw from foreign affairs. By 1920, the US was an economic giant. It was the richest, most industrialized country in the world. The US was now the largest creditor nation in the world, meaning that other countries owed the US more than the US owed them. A world without America seemed pretty hard to conceive.
- Influenza
- Inflation
- Red Scare
Influenza
The end of the war was hard for America; a deadly form of the flu virus called influenza was diagnosed in America. It started off as a bird flu that mutated and spread to humans. It was said that it originated in America, but it spread like wildfire to the rest of the world. This disease was said to take away ten years from the life of a person. This virus killed nearly 50 million people in 1918. It started off as a three day fever, and only some deaths were reported. But when the virus resurfaced in the fall, it came back more severe. This fatal virus gave people around the world a sense of doom and gloom. The significance of this was that now Americans were forced to find medical advancements, brining us to where we are today.
Video on influenza
Inflation
Because of the rationing during the war, after the war many Americans rushed to stock up on their food. The combination of the scarcity of these goods and the wide-spread demand caused inflation. During the war, Hoover's plan caused the prices of agricultural food to go up, but after the war the farmers' prices fell dramatically causing another hard time for farmers. Industrial workers' pay no longer was able to buy as much as it did during the war. The workers turned to strikes to promote larger wages and shorter days. While some strikes were won, many more were lost.
Red Scare
The reaction against labor was partly due to a wave of fear of radicals and communists. The Soviet Union becoming communist caused the fear. This prompted the first American Red Scare. This happened because people suspected that communists and radicals were plotting in America a revolution. Authorities found that bombs were being sent to important industrialists as well as officials in government. One was sent to Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. He started the Palmer Raids, which was police arresting thousands of guilty and innocent people. These innocent people arrested were usually just immigrants from southern or eastern Europe. In order to protect important liberties, the people formed the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). This union tried to become involved in important court cases, one of which was the trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. These two men were Italian immigrants and known anarchists. They were charged with the shooting and killing of two people at a shoe factory. A witness said the robbers looked Italian, so these men were arrested. Eventually, they were killed via electric chair.
US Role in World Affairs
In the election of 1920, Wilson hoped that the new president would prove that Americans supported the league of nations. The election of Warren G. Harding proved the final rejection of the league of nations. Harding wanted to deny Wilsonian idealism and move towards normalcy. This normalcy was the normality of the simpler times before. After Harding won the election, Harding did not attempt to completely withdraw from foreign affairs. By 1920, the US was an economic giant. It was the richest, most industrialized country in the world. The US was now the largest creditor nation in the world, meaning that other countries owed the US more than the US owed them. A world without America seemed pretty hard to conceive.