early 1920 s and the crash of the stock market
- How and why did the Republican administrations of the 1920s support business?
- How and why did the automobile become such a driving force in the U.S. economy in the 1920s?
- Why was Henry Ford so central to the new wave of industrialism? What did “Fordism†mean?
- What is “welfare capitalism?†Why and how was the practiced in the 1920s?
- Who benefitted most and least from economic growth in the 1920s? Why?
- What roles did radio play in the social and cultural lives of Americans during the 1920s?
- How and why did a new consumer culture develop in the 1920s? What were the characteristics of consumer culture?
- To what degree was there a “new woman†emerging in the 1920s? How were the political, social and economic conditions of women changing?
- What was the Harlem Renaissance? Who are the artists, writers and musicians associated with it? What it the significance of the Harlem Renaissance?
- What did the trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti illustrate about the 1920s?
- Why was there so much nativist and “anti-radical†sentiment in the 1920s? How did the Immigration Act of 1924 reflect fears and bigotry? What was the significance of this act?
- Why and how did the Scopes Trial illustrate the cultural tensions of the 1920s? What was the outcome of the trial?
- In summary, how and why was America transformed during the 1920s? How did the developments of that era reflect a modern America?
- What role does the stock market play in capitalism? Why did the stock market crash in October 1929? Why did the crash trigger a depression?
- Why and how was this depression different from those that occurred previously?
- Why did so many banks fail at this time? How did this affect depositors?
- Why was there an unequal distribution of wealth and income in the 1920s? How did this affect the economy?
- What problems persisted in the international economy? Why did trade policies make the situation worse?
- How and why did President Hoover deal with the economic collapse as he did? What steps did he take? How did he continue the trickle-down economics of his immediate predecessors? What limited his actions?
- Generally, how did Americans cope with the hardships of the depression? How were men, women, children and families affected?
- How were African Americans and Mexican Americans affected by the depression?
- Why did so many people blame themselves for the depression? How did this affect their reactions to their plight?
- Why and how did Hoover eventually become an object of ridicule?
- How did films deal with the depression? Why were they a popular escape from the hard times? Why did the public express some tolerance for outlaws?
- Why did unemployed workers march on the Ford Motor Company in March 1932? What were the results of this protest?
- How and why were farmers and farm workers protesting? What effect did their protests have?
- Why were socialists and communists gaining support in the 1930s?
- Why did WWI veterans march on Washington in 1932? Why and how were the Bonus Marchers driven out of the capital? What were the results of this action?
- In summary, why did the Great Depression happen? How did people cope? How did the Great Depression change the U.S.?