American History II Honors - Imperialism and the Great War |
Effects of World War I
Overview
Post-War Problems in America
- During the years after the Great War, influenza -- a deleterious disease that derived from a bird flu -- became a pandemic, killing 550,000 Americans.
- The shift from a wartime economy to a peacetime economy led to inflation. Americans were no longer purchasing war bonds, and the government was no longer purchasing agricultural products. In addition, the supply of goods was high, while their demand was low. These factors led to inflation.
- The Soviet Union emerged after the war. It disseminated its quixotic, communist ideas to nations across the world -- including the United States. The public feared the spread of communism in the United States. Radical communists and anarchists used violence to spread their ideas, thereby creating more problems.
- These events led to the Red Scare -- a period of public fear of a communist revolution.
Key People, Events, and Objectives
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Legislation
- During the post-war era, the Nineteenth Amendment was passed, allowing women to vote for the first time in American history. Women from all over the nation voted in the presidential election of 1920. The amendment gave women more political power.
- Harding campaigned for a return to "normalcy" -- a regression to the simpler days before the Progressive Era and Wilson's presidency.
Impact/Significance
Then - Despite the plethora of problems that plagued the United States during the post-war era -- the Red Scare, influenza, and race riots -- American eventually returned to "normalcy". The Great War tested the strength of America. The world had never experienced such a great war. However, America was victorious, emerging as a world superpower and gaining a new reverence from the world. While the victors of the war -- Britain, France, and the United States -- were strengthened by the war, the losers -- Austria-Hungary and Germany -- were weakened, which bred the rancor that would lead to World War II.
Now - Today, the problems that existed during the post-war era have been placated. Vaccines have significantly decreased the number of deaths due to influenza, the economy has been greatly boosted due to the diminution in inflation, and communist ideas are no longer as prevalent as they had once been. America has overcome the Great War and the post-war era, emerging as a revered world superpower.
Now - Today, the problems that existed during the post-war era have been placated. Vaccines have significantly decreased the number of deaths due to influenza, the economy has been greatly boosted due to the diminution in inflation, and communist ideas are no longer as prevalent as they had once been. America has overcome the Great War and the post-war era, emerging as a revered world superpower.