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Economic Changes In The 1920s Essay

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Midterm #2
Part A: #2) The 1920s was a time of dramatic change that swept quickly over the nation. This was a decade in which there was extreme economic growth along with a rise in consumer spending and a scared political atmosphere. During 1919 there was a drastic shift in fear from Germany to a fear of Communism which culminated in the Red Scare of 1919. This was a continuation of Woodrow Wilsons wartime campaign against anti-American movements, most frequently anarchists and communists. During World War I congress passed two sets of legislation that supported this: The Espionage Act and the Sedition act. The Espionage Act of 1917 was aimed at promoting patriotism and stopping people from speaking out against the U.S. involvement, while The Sedition Act amended the Espionage to more broadly cover speech, restricting Freedom of Speech. These laws were frequently used to imprison members of the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World), most notably Eugene V. Debbs. Another source of the Red Scare was the Russian Revolution, which transformed Russia into a communist state. The revolution scared Americans into believing one would happen in the U.S. These events start the 20s off at a bad time economically with high unemployment, socially with an anti-immigration stance and politically with the persecution of Anti-American opinions. At the start of the 20s unemployment in the U.S. was around 12 percent with bad times for farmers and those in poverty. This economic slump ended

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