Communism was one of the two major political and economic ideologies that drove much of what happened during the twentieth century. The other was Capitalism and this was most strongly seen in the United States.
This module will look at three stages of American capitalism: the boom period from 1920-1929; the Wall Street Crash and the resulting world wide economic depression of the 1930s; and the USA’s recovery under the leadership of Pres. Franklin Roosevelt.
The following website sums up what happened in the 1920s
Consult this website for a more detailed view:
This presentation summarizes much of the information:AMERICAN CAPITALISMThe roaring 20s
Two significant events during the twenties i America were the introduction of votes for Women and prohibition. Learn more about prohibition at this website:http://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/economic-boom-1920s.htm
Here are four questions for you to answer in the form of short answers of about 200-250 words each:
1. What caused the American economy to grow so rapidly in the 1920’s and how did these same factors create the right conditions for a crash and a depression? Your answer should be in the form of a short paragraph of about 200-250 words.
2. Based on your response to question 1 write a short piece explaining good principles of promoting wealth and why superficial wealth can become problematic.
3. Identify and describe how the status and circumstances of women in the USA changed during the 1920s.
4. Explain whether you think prohibition in the USA was successful or not, giving reasons for your view and explain what lessons we can learn from Prohibition