Mitchell Maxwell
Mr. Freccia
Chapter 32 Outline only 20 pages zooweemama
3 March 2015
The Politics of Boom and Bust 1920-1932
1)
Calvin Coolidge, Warren G. Harding, Herbert Hoover took us through 20’s-high
prosperity to the lowest of lows. Government paired with big business to help the people,
corrupt officials helped, back to isolationism yay
2)
The Republican ‘Old Guard’ Returns
a)
Warren G. Harding super warm and inviting, looked presidential, super nice,
actually super dumb and couldn’t handle presidency
i)
surrounded by political leeches who used him to get high up, couldn’t say
no
ii)
actually assembled dream team of sorts-Charles Evan Hughes sec of state,
Andrew W. Mellon sec of treasury, Herbert Hoover secretary of commerce
(1) outweighed by bad-Harry M. Daugherty, Albert B. Fall senator
3)
GOP Reaction at the Throttle
a)
Used Harding as disguise to return to Mckinley style old order-Old Guard
i)
helped businesses immensely, help guide business along path to profits
ii)
Harding appointed Supreme court, all super strict, no progress besides Taft
b)
Adkins v. Children’s Hospitals court reversed reasoning in Muller V. Oregon-
saying that women now had right to vote, didn’t need different treatment-
represented the new anti-progressivism sentiment in the government, we cut back
on everything progressive too
i)
followed by more lax on trusts, we didn’t really care anymore and were
once again chill-didn’t enforce anything
ii)
big industrialists set up trade associations, all ganged up, became self-
governed sort of, helped by Hoover
4)
The Aftermath of War
a)
wartime control on economy evaporated, railroad again privately owned-Esch-
Cummins Transportation Act 1920 was yay now railroads save country not save
the country from railroads-partnership
i)
also got out of shipping with Merchant Marine Act of 1920-sold
everything and La Follette Seaman’s Act of 1915-regulations
b)
Labor was basically murdered, strikes brutally crushed and attendance in them
dropped by a ton in 20’s
i)
veterans actually got help with Veterans Bureau-pressure groups like
American Legion were formed, wanted compensation for wages lost
across seas-eventually got adjusted compensation act of more money in
1924 yay, overrode penny pincher Harding
5)
America Seeks Benefits Without Burdens
a)
Still technically in war after didn’t accept Versailles treaty, July 1921 Congress
passed joint resolution that ended war officially
i)
isolation still in tune, we didn’t accept League of nations but sent
observers to the meetings-not totally isolation as we got oil from middle
east from war
ii)
Tons of naval power built up from war and such, called for disarmament
conference in 1921-22 with all huge naval powers also discuss middle east
(1) Worried of Japan/Britain growing powers-we also were building
iii)
proposed a scaledown and stop in the building of all of these ships, 5;5;3
ratio america, britain, japan
(1) tons of bargaining=Five-Power Naval Treaty of 1922, same thing
with concession to Japanese, would also refrain from fortifying
