The USA before and after world war I

The long process of settling the United States from coast to coast drew to a close after the Civil War. In 1862 Congress passed the Homestead Act which offered public land to people free or at very low coast. Thousands of Americans and immigrants started farms in the West under the provisions of the Act. After 1870 settlement became so widespread in the West that it was no longer possible to draw a continuous frontier line. The United States Census of 1890 officially recognized the fact that America`s frontier no longer existed. After the Civil War American industry changed dramatically. Machines replaced hand labour as the main means of manufacturing, increasing the production capacity of industry tremendously. A new nationwide network of railways distributed goods far and wide. Inventors developed new products the public wanted and businesses made the products in large quantities. Investors and bankers supplied the huge amounts of money that business leaders needed to expand their operations.

The industrial growth had the major effects on American life. The new business activity centered in cities. As a result, many people moved to cities in record numbers, and the cities grew by leaps and bounds. The sharp contrast between the rich and the poor stirred the widespread discontent that triggered new reform movements. The industrial growth was chiefly in the North, the South lagged behind the rest of the country economically. The value of goods produced by American industry increased almost tenfold between 1870 and 1916. Inventors created and business leaders produced and sold a variety of new products. The products included the typewriter, the telephone, the phonograph, the barbed wire, the electric light.

America`s rich and varied natural resources played a key role in the rise of big business. The nation`s abundant water supply helped power the industrial machines. Forests provided timber for construction and woolen products. Miners took large quantities of easily available coal and iron ore from the ground. In the late 1800-s the American railway system became a nationwide transportation network. The total distance of all railway lines in operation in the United States soared from 14500 kilometres in 1850 to almost 320000 kilometres in 1900. The new railways spurred economic growth. Mining companies used them to ship raw material to factories over long distances quickly. Manufactures distributed their products by rail throughout the country. The business boom triggered a sharp increase in investments in the stocks and bonds of corporations. As business prospered, people eager to share, invested heavily. Their investments provided capital that companies needed to expand their operations. New banks sprang up throughout the country. Banks helped finance the nation`s economic growth by making loans to businesses. Some bankers of the era assumed key positions in American society. American writer Mark Twain called this era of industrialization “The Gilded Age”. Twain used this term to describe the culture of the newly rich of the period. Lacking the tradition and the taste, the wealthy developed a showy culture only supposedly based on the culture of upper-class Europeans. The enormous mansions of newly rich Americans imitated European palaces. The wealthy filled the mansions with European works of art, antiques, rare books and gaudy decorations. Most Americans had a far different idea of culture. They enjoyed fairs that exhibited industrial machines, the latest inventions and other items related to America`s material progress. The American people were eager spectators at circuses, vaudeville shows and sporting events. Baseball became so popular after 1900 that it was called the national pastime. Also after 1900 a new kind of entertainment, the cinema, began attracting public interest.

In 1901 Theodore Roosevelt became president. He expressed his foreign policy strategy with the slogan: “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick”. Roosevelt meant that the country must back up its diplomatic efforts with military strength. In 1903 the president used a threat of force to gain the right to dig the Panama Canal. America took over the finances of the Dominican Republic in 1905 to keep that country “stable and free from European intervention”. These and other actions showed that the United States had emerged as a dominating world power.

In 1914 long-standing problems among European nations led to the outbreak of World War I. The United States stayed out of the war until 1917. But then German acts of aggression convinced most Americans of the need to join the war against Germany. For the first time in its history, the United States mobilized for a full-scale war on foreign territory.

The decade following World War I brought sweeping changes. The economy entered a period of spectacular growth. The booming economy and fast-paced life of the decade gave it the nickname of the Roaring Twenties. The mass movement to cities meant more people could enjoy such activities as films, plays and sporting events. Radio broadcasting began on a large scale. Cinemas became part of almost every city and town. The car gave people a new means of mobility. The cost of cars continued to drop and sales soared. In just 10 years between 1920 and 1930 the number of cars registered in the United States almost tripled.

The role of American women changed dramatically during the 1920-s. The 19-th Amendment to the Constitution which became law on August 26, 1920, gave women the right to vote in all elections. In addition many new opportunities for education and careers opened up to women during the decade.

The 18-th Amendment to the Constitution caused unforeseen problems. It outlawed the Sale of alcoholic beverages throughout the United States as of January 16, 1920. Many citizens considered the prohibition a violation of their rights. They ignored the law and bought alcohol provided by gangsters. The gangster culture was a major problem for several years.

During the 1920-s the American economy soared to spectacular heights. Wartime government restrictions on business ended. Conservatives gained control of the federal government and adopted policies that aided big business. But in spite of its growth and strength the economy was on shaky ground. Only one segment of the economy, manufacturing prospered. Business executives grew rich but farmers and labourers became worse off. Finally in 1929 wild financial speculation led to a stock market crash. This triggered the worst and longest depression in America`s history still known as the Great Depression. The United States suffered through the Great Depression for more than 10 years. At the height of the depression in 1933 about 13 million Americans were out of work and many others had only part-time jobs. Farm income declined so sharply that more than 750000 farmers lost their land. The Dust Bowl, the result of a terrible drought on the western Great Plains, also wiped out many farmers. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their savings as a result of the bank failures. Franklin Roosevelt`s efforts to end the depression made him one of the most popular US presidents. The voters elected him to four terms. No other president had served more than two terms. Roosevelt`s New Deal was a turning point in American history. It marked the start of a strong government role in the nation`s economic affairs that has continued and grown to the present day.