How effective was the effort of the federal government in shaping Americans’ attitudes toward World War I and our involvement in it?

User Generated

cvarnccyrtvey101

Humanities

HIST 136

Brookdale Community College

Description

Essay must be from 5-9 paragraphs in length

Roark, et al., The American Promise: A Concise History, Volume 2, Sixth Ed. (Bedford St. Martin’ s, 2017

Michael P. Johnson, Reading the American Past, Volume 2, Fifth Ed. (Bedford St. Martin’s, 20 12)

Unformatted Attachment Preview

World War I Propaganda Public Opinion & the Great War • In April 1917, Americans ambivalent about entering the Great War – How is this our problem? – In what way are American values or interests threatened? – Recent immigrants from both sides of war • Plus, the Irish – More draftees than volunteers • Only such war in American history – Most popular song in 1915: • “I Didn’t Raise My Son to Be a Soldier” Public Opinion & the Great War • Public opinion needed to be mobilized in order to win the war – And it was: most popular song in fall 1917: • “Over There” The propaganda arm of the US Govt. during WWI: COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION (CPI) Created in June 1917, headed by veteran journalist and magazine editor GEORGE CREEL, the CPI performed many tasks aimed at controlling information about the war and encouraging Americans to engage in appropriate war-related behavior. EXAMPLES: • worked with newspapers and news services to insure that sensitive war information did not appear in news stories •organized a nationwide group of “Four-Minute Men” to serve as public speakers •Volunteers who spoke weekly on government-approved topics • produced or co-produced short movies about the war, soldiers, training camps, and the responsibilities of civilians • shown before main features at theaters around the US CPI’S PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN WENT THROUGH TWO STAGES: • 1917 •Very much “pro-American” • Based on calls for Americans to “do their duty” in a variety of ways •1918 •Very much more “anti-German” • Demonizes the enemy as a source of motivation MOST FAMOUS ASPECT OF CPI’S PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN POSTERS Most posters were commissioned from well-known graphic artists of the 1910s • James Montgomery Flagg • Howard Chandler Christie • Charles Dana Gibson (of “Gibson Girl” fame) They appeared in post offices, stores, factories, schools, and other government buildings – in short, EVERYWHERE Some targeted civilians, others focused on young men eligible for military service ENLISTMENT POSTERS POSTERS AIMED AT CIVILIANS ANTI-GERMAN POSTERS The 1920s THE AGE OF CELEBRITY The Age of Celebrity  Pre-1900, America celebrated “heroes”  Political figures like Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jackson  Businessmen like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller  Inventors like Edison, Ford  What did we celebrate about them?  Their accomplishments  But also their character and values They represented “us” in some meaningful way  Models of certain behavior or beliefs  Helped to create a mythic narrative of America  The Age of Celebrity  Post-1920, America celebrated “celebrities”  A person who is always in the public eye   Interest in all they do, say Dependent on the creation of a “mass culture” Celebrities need fans, after all  Celebrity possible only after creation of “mass media”  Movies  Magazines  Radio  “Mass media” makes possible national cultural figures in ways not possible before  The Age of Celebrity  So who were these celebrities?  Mostly, figures from popular culture Movies  Sports  Music   What did we celebrate about them?  Their exploits  But also primarily their personality and private lives  That is, what they did and were like when not doing “their jobs” on the screen, the playing field, or the radio The Age of Celebrity  Celebrities must have accomplished something  No Kardashians, that is  And that’s why Babe Ruth was a celebrity but Jimmy Dykes wasn’t  But they become “celebrities” because they represent something that someone else believes can “sell” a product  And because they make fans feel better about their own lives and flaws The Age of Celebrities  Where did the “worship” of celebrities come from?  Basically, from the rise of the consumer-based economy  How do companies distinguish their product from others?  Should you go to a Metro movie or a Warner Brothers movie?  The one that has your favorite movie “star”  Which newspaper should you buy?  The one that has pictures of your favorite athlete  Which cigarette should I smoke?  The one endorsed by your favorite athlete or movie star The Age of Celebrity  In order to make and keep a celebrity, an entire industry is created      Publicity people who work for studios, sports teams Agents representing celebrities Public relations companies (think “Mad Men”) Newspapers reporters and columnists Fan magazines covering movies/stars, sports/athletes  In the end, “accomplishments” morph into “image”  And once established, the image is the most important  It’s the image that gets sold The Age of Celebrity  As the twentieth century progresses, the “accomplishment” becomes less and less “accomplished”  And today one can be famous for, well, being famous  “Image is everything” Celebrities of the 1920’s America’s Biggest Hero: Charles Lindbergh Movie Stars of the 1920’s Rudolph Valentino Charlie Chaplin Buster Keaton Harold Lloyd Harold Lloyd, “Safety Last” (1923) Douglas Fairbanks Mary Pickford Lillian Gish Clara Bow Theda Bara Theda Bara as Cleopatra (1917) SPORTS HEROES Babe Ruth Jack Dempsey Red Grange Bobby Jones Bill Tilden Gertrude Ederle The Road to the Great Depression The Economy of the 1920’s The “Roaring Twenties” • Key aspect of our sense of the 1920s: economic prosperity • Closer look: • • • 1914-1919: economic boom 1920-1922: recession 1922-1929: another boom The “Roaring Twenties” • • Economic statistics, 1922-1929 • • • • • Industrial output doubled GNP rose by 40% Wages rose by 17% Industrial productivity rose by 75% (industrial output per manhour) Population rose by 10% (to 121m) American workers highest paid in the world Sources of Economic Growth in 1920s • Transition to a full-blown consumer economy • • • Especially in durable goods → last at least five years Spending by middle and upper classes Consumer revolution made possible by • • • Low prices: inflation low throughout the decade Advertising: changes to more graphics-based (from text-based) ads Buying on credit: “installment plan” for most significant purchases Consumer Revolution • For first time, average Americans can afford products that make their lives easier • • Especially housewives Leads to creation of more leisure time • Which helps propel mass culture • Radio shows • Movies • Magazines • Books • Sports Causes of the Great Depression • So if everything was so great, what the hell happened? • Basically, the “Roaring Twenties” prosperity masked several deeper economic problems that eventually led to the Great Depression Causes of the Great Depression • Let’s look at SEVEN FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS: 1. Durable goods sales by definition can’t be sustained by domestic consumption Need to sell to other markets 2. Wages, while high, didn’t keep up with productivity gains, so workers eventually can’t buy what they’re making → requires exporting of surplus production Causes of the Great Depression 3. Many traditional industries not “roaring” Industries that employed many workers and had high capital investment Railroads, coal, textiles in particular Causes of the Great Depression 4. Farmers don’t “roar” at all in the ‘20s Farm exports plunge after 1919 Per capita agricultural income, 1929: $273 Per capita national income, 1929: $681 Causes of the Great Depression 5. Installment buying (credit) got out of hand Farmers always in debt Average American consumer debt skyrockets 1919: $100 million 1927: $7 billion Credit buying only works if economic fortunes continue to improve Causes of the Great Depression 6. Distribution of income very unequal as 1920’s progressed Wages up 17% Dividend (payments to stockholders) income up 65% Saving account totals up 50% Problem: as incomes of the wealthy rise, less of their income is spent on consumer goods, more spent on investment (e.g., stocks) and saving Causes of the Great Depression 7. U.S. goes from net debtor nation to net creditor nation That is, other countries now owe us more than we owe them → HOW? Problem because in order for our economy to grow, we have to export surplus production to other countries (see Reason #2 above) But for other nations to pay back their loans to us, we need them to export goods to the U.S., to make money that they can turn around and send to us as debt payments A Time of Reform THE PROGRESSIVE ERA PROGRESSIVISM  Progressive Era  Roughly 1890 to 1920  Participants known as “Progressives”  Basic goal of Progressive Era: REFORM  Practically every aspect of American life: politics, economy, race, gender, government WHO WERE THE PROGRESSIVES?  Wiebe: “Revolt of the middle class” o “WASPs” o o o o “old immigrants” Well educated Urban/suburban Professional occupations (e.g., law, medicine, accounting, ministry) PROGRESSIVE CRITIQUE OF SOCIETY  Motivated by a desire to “make the city livable,” Progressives focused on problems created by urbanized, industrial America:       Poverty Disease/”unhealth” Crime “Giantism” of institutions (corporations, unions, interest groups) Overcrowding Immigrants and “Americanization”   “new immigrants” Corruption within and between business and government PROGRESSIVE CRITIQUE CONT’D In short, a concern for SOCIAL JUSTICE Challenging injustice Concern for equality of opportunity Work for a fairer allocation of community resources “Make the world a better place” CONTRIBUTIONS OF PROGRESSIVES  INTELLECTUAL CONTRIBUTIONS  Challenge traditional ways of thinking  Esp.   about how to achieve success in a modern world Critical of individualistic, “bootstraps” approach Belief in “expert,” technical, and technological knowledge  Faith  Experts “know better” than politicians, average citizens how to deal with a complex, ever-changing world  Faith   in managerial expertise → technocratic experts in power of education More education always better than less “Nurture” over “nature” CONTRIBUTIONS, CONT’D.  Modern world characterized by interdependence  “Interconnectedness” of modern life  Therefore, we all have a responsibility to work together to help each other solve problems CONTRIBUTIONS, CONT’D.  PRACTICAL CONTRIBUTIONS:          Prohibition (18th Amendment) Women’s suffrage (19th Amendment) National parks system Child labor, minimum wage, workplace safety laws Regulation of corporations (Interstate Commerce Commission, Sherman Antitrust Act, Food & Drug Administration) Public health clinics in large cities Kindergartens & high schools Political reforms (referendum, initiative, recall) Federal Reserve Banking system CONTRIBUTIONS, CONT’D.  PRACTICAL CONTRIBUTIONS: PROGRESSIVES IN ACTION MARGARET SANGER  Founder of American birth control movement  Trained as a nurse  Sanger appalled by the size of immigrant families, and by the problems (she believed) it created: • Poverty • Disease • Illiteracy • Crime Provided women with information on how to avoid pregnancy, and access to health care, including abortions  JOHN DEWEY   “Father of Modern Education” Modern world demanded new way of learning, teaching    Focus on how to learn, not memorizing facts Flexible, practical Education necessary for democracy W.E.B. DUBOIS  Civil rights leader  Co-founder of NAACP  Biracial organization  African Americans should be allowed to pursue whatever avenue they choose  “Talented Tenth”  Compare to Booker T. Washington An Industrial Economy, 1860-1900 INDUSTRIALIZATION, 1860-1900 • Industrialization in America begins around 1800, ends ca. 1970s • We pick up story in the middle • Our time period – industrial economy dominated by corporations • Prior to Civil War, entrepreneurs and partnerships •By 1900, US had surpassed England as world’s largest economy •1860: US economy was fourth in world (UK, Germany, Russia) • STATISTICS OF ECONOMY, 1860-1900 • GNP rose by 200% • Population rose by 150% (fr. 31M in 1860 to 76M in 1900) • Real wages rose by 50% Economy of late 19th century based on production of producer goods • Goods purchased by other manufacturers or processors • Examples: • Iron and steel • Petroleum • Lumber • Cloth • Machines • These goods key to growth of industrial consumer-based economy • They must come first A major effect of the IR: • 1860: 2/3 farmers, 1/3 non-agricultural • 1900: 1/3 farmers, 2/3 non-agricultural • Change in the nature of work – From rural to urban – From agricultural to non-agricultural – From natural rhythms to the clock – From skilled to unskilled • Made “work” more widely available to more “workers,” but reduced the value of both to society – Workers less likely to be seen as “producers” of something of value, therefore seen as less valuable to society – Can be paid low wages, easily replaced KEY ELEMENT OF ECONOMY OF THE PERIOD: • DEFLATION • A decline in consumer prices • An increase in the value of money • Consumer prices measured by Consumer Price Index (CPI) • Start with a baseline year • Add up the cost of a “basket of goods” • Give that cost a value of 100 • Take another year and add the cost of the same “basket of goods” • Compare that value to the baseline year • Express the difference in terms of 100 CONSUMER PRICE INDEX, 1860-1900 • 1860 – 100 •1870 – 157 •1880 – 129 •1890 – 107 •1900 -- 101 CAUSES OF DEFLATION • Two sets of supply and demand factors: • Supply and demand of goods • Supply increases • Demand decreases • Supply and demand of money • Supply decreases (money becomes more valuable, so prices fall) •Demand increases (demand for money is simply population) • Not all four of these have to be true to cause deflation • But we’d expect at least three to be true • NOTE: It’s also a matter of degree – that is, how much do they rise or fall SO HOW MANY OF OUR FACTORS WERE TRUE? • Supply and demand of goods • Was the supply increasing? • Was the demand decreasing? • Supply and demand of money • Was the demand increasing? • Was the supply decreasing? ANOTHER POINT TO CONSIDER: • Who benefits from deflation? • Consumers → because scarce, more valuable money makes prices fall • Lenders → generally the rich, who have bank deposits and other investments • Who loses with deflation? • Producers → that is, anyone who produces a good or service for market • Borrowers → anyone who borrowed at a fixed rate of interest must repay loans with scarcer, more valuable money • A $500 per month mortgage over thirty years (for ex.) means you are making payments in scarcer, more valuable money • As prices fall over time, that $500 buys more thirty years from now than it does today KEY POINT: Which group of Americans tended to be “double losers” when we have a deflationary economy, because, more than any other group, they are both producers and borrowers? FARMERS And therefore we’d expect them to be the group most interested in INFLATION Prices would rise Mortgages would become cheaper But how can farmers get the inflation they need? • • • • Can they decrease the supply of their crops? Can they increase the demand for their crops? Can they decrease the demand for money? Can they increase the supply of money? – WHO CAN? • The federal government • So: – Farmers’ economic problems have only a political solution Labor Unions • Worker response to industrialization: UNIONS • Two types of unions – Industrial unions • Organized workers regardless of occupation – Trade (or craft) unions • Organized workers by trade or occupation Industrial Unions • Most important: KNIGHTS OF LABOR (1869) Terence Powderly, President of the Knights of Labor, 1886 Ideology of the Knights of Labor • The nature of industrial capitalism is destructive to traditional American values regarding work – Reform is not enough • Return to a pre-industrial world where “capital” and “labor” distinctions didn’t exist • Workers were their own “bosses” – Political activity and strikes are counter-productive • CHANGE THE SYSTEM, NOT MAKE THE SYSTEM BETTER Death of the Knights of Labor • Haymarket Square Riot, May 1886, Chicago • Anarchist rally; police and strikers killed • Unsolved “crime” resulted in seven guilty verdicts, w/ executions or life sentences for the guilty Trade Unions • Most important: AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR – Founded 1886 just before Haymarket – A federation of trade unions acting more or less in concert to achieve goals – Each trade union had organization but also belonged to the AFL American Federation of Labor Samuel Gompers, President of the AFL, 1886-94, 1895-1924 Most significant labor leader of his time and perhaps in American history Ideology of the AFL • “bread and butter unionism” – Practical, tangible improvements in workers’ lives • • • • • Better pay Collective bargaining Shorter work weeks (8-hour day) Benefits Safer workplace conditions – Political involvement and strikes are necessary to achieve goals – Enemy: unskilled, esp. immigrant, workers • Drive down wages for all workers, including skilled workers • Not opposed to capitalism; wants more of the pie
Purchase answer to see full attachment
User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.

Explanation & Answer

I appreciate working with
you! In case of any further edits, please do not hesitate to let me know! See
you soon! Remember me as always! Would love and appreciate to work with you in
the future! Goodbye

Running head: GOVERNMENT’S EFFORTS IN SHAPING ATTITUDE OF AMERICANS

The Effectiveness of the Federal Government’s Efforts in Shaping the Attitude of Americans
towards World War I
Name
Institution

1

GOVERNMENT’S EFFORTS IN SHAPING ATTITUDE OF AMERICANS

2

The Effectiveness of the Federal Government’s Efforts in Shaping the Attitude of Americans
towards World War I
The World War I is highly recognized for its aftermaths such as toppling empires,
fostering the emergence of new economies, and installing tensions whose effects exploded across
the globe for decades. Roark et al. (2017) describe World War 1 as a combat that incorporated
one battlefield with deadly modern weaponry that led to the destruction of an entire generation of
men all over the world. The researchers explain that the United States of America entered into
the ‘Great War” in 1917. Johnson (2017) explains that the country never remained the same after
participating in WWI. Such a premise is attributed to the fact that the battle gave the United
States an opportunity to herald to the global sphere its potencies as an international military
power...


Anonymous
Just the thing I needed, saved me a lot of time.

Studypool
4.7
Trustpilot
4.5
Sitejabber
4.4

Related Tags