Q9 – The USA in the First World War. The contradictory 1920s.

The FWW broke out in the 1^st of August in 1914 in Europe. It was the conflict mainly between two groups of countries: so-called Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary) and the so-called Allied Forces (France, Britain and Russia). Initially the USA declared neutrality, and the president Woodrow Wilson in his address to congress asked the citizen to be “impartial”.

From the beginning of the 1^st WW all the waring sides were hoping to cooperate with the United States. The European countries gradually became economically dependent from the USA, which became the richest country. The loans and the goods were sent to the neutral countries such as Belgium of Switzerland and the Allied Forces. The first event that provoked mass indignation in the US was the Germany's assault on the neutral Belgium in 1915. In 1915 German submarines began to attack different ship in Europe. A German submarine sank cruise liner Louisitania which killed 1200 (10000?) passengers/ During 1915 and 1916 German U-boat destroyed 8 American ship, and it became clear that the USA would involve. On the 6^th of April in 1917 the US congress gave president Wilson the permission to start a war. As it turned out the USA wasn't ready to ship its soldiers to Europe at once. The progress of recruitment took one more year. Only in the spring of 1918 two million American soldiers concentrated in France. The arrival was timely, because on the 14^th of July in 1918 the Germans undertook the last but very long awaited offensive at Marne, where the last line of French defenders could be easily crashed and the way to Paris would be open. With their help the Germans were defeated. Threading to get the war on its own territory, Germany appealed to president Wilson to negotiate the peace agreement. Earlier in that year in January 1918 Wilson proclaimed the “14-point document” which among other issues included the negotiation on peace and the formation of the League of Nations. The negotiations took place in 1919 in Versailles in France. However, they were held in the atmosphere of hatred, greed (for Germany's colonies and reparations) and fear (of Bolshevism). As a result the treaty wasn't negotiated but imposed on Germany. As a result German colonies apart of Czech, Polish and French lands were taken from Germany, heavy reparations were introduced, which Germany finished to pay only two years ago. The League of Nations was founded “to maintain international cooperation and to achieve international peace and security”. Went Wilson came back to the USA he brought both documents to the Congress to be approved. The Congress refused to support them being afraid of the possible involvement of the USA into European conflicts.

The contradictory 1920's

After the FWW the USA turned inwards, became isolated of all the processes in the world because of the fear of the communism. The 1920s were marked by the visible contradictions between total permissiveness on the one hand and radical conservatism on the other hand. In 1919 after a series of terrorist bombings in America the Red Scare grasped the society. There appeared radically suspicious attitude towards all the immigrants, the climax of which was the famous case of Nicolo Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who were accused of a espionage in 1921 and executed in 1927 despite public protests. Strict measures to limit immigration were adopted in 1921, 24 and 29. Only Anglo-Saxon and Nordic stock were favored. The 1920s were the years of presidents Harding and Coolege. These were the years of Prohibition. For example, all the alcoholic beverages were outlawed in the 1920s. Millions of drinkers, however, found the way how to get illegal alcohol. Bootleggers were flourishing. Alcoholic drinks were distributed and sold by gangsters. The most famous gangster group was led by Al Capone. In 1920s there took place the restoration of activities of the KKK. The objects of lynching were not only African-Americans, but Jews, Catholics, and other immigrants. Hundreds of people were killed during the activities. The brightest example of radical conservatism was the Monkey Trial in 1925. A young biology teacher John T. Scopes in the state of Tennessee was accused of teaching Darwin's theory of evolution at school. This trial was a real sensation in the USA. As a result of the trial Scopes was claimed guilty by the judge who was the brightest example of radical christian conservatism. Scopes was fined on 100 dollars. Several years later the accusations were removed. Contrary to the conservatism of the period the great influence especially on young people was made by Sigismund Freud's practices. Oversimplifying his ideas young people were eager to reestablish the system of values and base it on the principals of emancipation of standards. This was also the beginning of era of the jazz.

All tis processess fond reflections in American literature of that period. There appeared a group of writers, collectively know as the Lost Generation writers. The first of them was Henry Adams, who in his autobiographical novel “The Education of Henry Adams” stressed the point that industrialization suppressed the human spirit beneath its machines. Fitzgerald. Many young writers tended to live the USA and live in Rome of Paris where life was cheap and pleasant in comparison with the USA.

Economics. Industry was developing quite rapidly, the 1920s occurred to rise by the economic boom of industrial production and free market. President Coolage in his famous phrase “the chief business of the Americans is business”. Huge loans were given to corporations. And there appeared the problem of overproduction and huge loans that were given often became the objects of speculation of the stock exchange. All of this eventually led to the famous Black Tuesday. The day which marks the beginning of the great depression.